Business Administration (Online)

The Durham MBA (Online) will enhance your key business and leadership capabilities to enable you to achieve your career aspirations whilst you continue in full-time employment, so you can apply what you learn directly into the organisation you work for.

The international diversity of our students, alumni and faculty will give you the ability to network virtually with people from across the world, and from a wide-range of business sectors. You will be able to enhance your global business experience through the optional International Business in Context module.

The programme, which runs over two academic years, has been developed to reflect the modern realities of an energetic corporate and commercial environment and equip you with key strengths such as analytical thinking, global awareness and effective communications skills.

World-class Business Education

• 6th in the world, 4th in Europe, 3rd in the UK (Financial Times Online MBA Rankings 2024)
• 7th in Europe, 4th in the UK (QS Online MBA: Europe 2023 )

Key Timings for your Online MBA

The Online MBA commences on Monday 24 March 2025.

• Online Modules are led by module Leaders and tutors and delivered over 12 weeks - nine weeks of teaching and three weeks of assessment preparation.
• There are opportunities to interact through live webinars, weekly online activities, discussion forums, industry insights, online group work, and recorded video lectures. Webinars happen in real-time (via Zoom) and you will normally have a choice of dates/times to sign up to. They are also recorded and available on the module site on Learn Ultra should you be unavailable on the set dates.
• Modules are designed to allow for up to 15 hours of study time per week and students can choose how to fit this in around work and personal commitments.

Block Taught Modules are offered at various times throughout the year. They provide an excellent opportunity to meet fellow students face to face, to meet faculty and the programme team. Most core modules are taught over four days, with optional modules being taught over three days, and all are delivered in Durham except for International Business in Context and New Venture Creation which are offered at overseas locations over a five-day period.

Programme structure

You will study the following core modules: 

• Accounting, Finance and Economics 
• Leading and Managing People 
• Marketing 
• Sustainability and Ethics 
• Operations and Technology 
• Strategic Management 
• Strategic Consulting Project 

Pathway-specific modules:

You will study two of the following option modules. 

• Consultancy: Management Consultancy and Project Management 
• Entrepreneurship: New Venture Creation 
• Technology: Business Analytics and Technology, Forecasting and Innovation Analytics 
• International Business in Context  

Core modules:

These are the foundation of your programme – establishing the management knowledge, understanding and research skills every leader needs.

• Accounting, Finance and Economics examines the economic and financial contexts in which organisations operate and develops your skills in the application of economic analysis to the way a business makes decisions and addresses planning. You will look at a range of business management functions such as accounting, evaluating financial performance, working capital evaluation, financial planning, investment decisions and financial risk management.

• Leading and Managing People develops your understanding of leadership and management in organisations and the processes and practices around contemporary human resource management. The module also considers issues such as organisational behaviour including motivation, ethics and sustainability, the skills and requirements for leadership and managing change and the processes associated with human resources such as recruitment, reward and recognition.

• Marketing explains the function of marketing, its application in commercial contexts such as business-to-consumer and business-to-business trading and the main issues it faces. Looking at areas such as marketing environment, buyer behaviour, market research and segmentation, targeting and positioning (STP) you will develop an understanding of how customers acquire products and services, how to segment markets and position brands and the principles of the marketing mix framework.

• Operations and Technology develops your understanding of operations and technology management within organisations and explores the factors that govern operations management decisions.

• Strategic Management aims to broaden your understanding of the strategic management of organisations and the impact of the wider external environment by examining how companies attempt different business and corporate strategies to achieve or maintain a competitive advantage. You will gain a knowledge of strategy formulation and implementation under conditions of changing industry competition, firm resources, and technology.

• Sustainability and Ethics looks at the impact of sustainability and ethical issues on organisations and considers the role and purpose of business and other organisations in society. It also considers the roles and impacts of business ethics, corporate social responsibility, risk management and compliance, and governance.

• Strategic Consulting Project is an advanced in-depth investigation of your choice into an issue or a business challenge which is applicable to an industrial, commercial, public sector or charitable organisation. It also teaches you the appropriate quantitative and qualitative research methods knowledge and skills to undertake a research project at masters level.

Personalise your programme

Our MBA programme includes a combination of core modules and specialist pathways, giving you the opportunity to develop your knowledge, skills and capabilities and specialise in specific areas most suited to your own professional needs.

Consultancy Pathway

This pathway will enable you to build your consultancy capability by critically examining the complexities of managing projects in a business context including planning, monitoring, quality control and closure. You will explore the intricacies of leadership, culture, change and motivation of project teams. You will also have the opportunity to work within a company where you can put your knowledge and theory into practice.

Entrepreneurship Pathway

The Entrepreneurship pathway is designed to provide you with the knowledge, skills and capability of management and corporate entrepreneurship, including the ability to create your own new business venture. You will also have the opportunity to attend master classes run by industry experts, as well as receive one to one mentoring from experts in the industry.

Technology Pathway

As the role of technology continues to increase in importance to the world of business, this pathway will enhance your in-depth knowledge of business-analytics techniques and give you a critical insight into technology innovation. On this pathway you will increase your range of skills to interpret results and the relevance of them for your company. You will also develop the ability to choose appropriate techniques to apply to challenges and fully understand the role of technology as a game changer in terms of creating new products or markets.