MSc Business Management - September 2027 entry
Whether you are considering the business management profession following an unrelated undergraduate degree, are looking for a career change, or planning to launch your own business, our programme will equip you with the skills you need to succeed.
Course overview
The business world is complex, fast-moving and exciting, and demands high-calibre employees with strong management, marketing and financial skills. The ability to manage change, risk and people, and to develop sustainable business strategies is crucial. If you wish to develop your own enterprise then creative and entrepreneurial skills are needed too. This degree combines essential management knowledge with relevant practical and professional skills to prepare you for the challenging business world of today.
Our core business management modules ensure that you receive a solid grounding in the essentials of the discipline with the additional opportunity to draw on the RAU's specialist expertise in agriculture, food and natural resource management to contextualise your studies in a sector of your choice. You will gain real-world experience from guest speakers working in the industry and from assessments based on real problems.
You will have the opportunity to receive professional advice and support for your enterprise initiative through our Ignite Enterprise Programme.
UN Sustainable Development Goals: This programme has now been designed to foster greater knowledge and awareness of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. These goals are mapped to our modules to ensure that at each stage of the programme we are identifying how these goals can be developed as part of business strategy and managed within a business.
This is a dual qualification. Upon successful completion of the degree you will be awarded membership and a Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership from the Chartered Management Institute, further enhancing your CV.
Accreditations and partnerships
We are delighted to work with a wider range of businesses, partners and accreditation organisations, some of which are shown below:
Course content
You will study nine modules in the autumn and spring terms; six core modules followed by three elective modules. The research project (dissertation) is then undertaken, to be submitted in August.
Modules are assessed through continuous assessment and final examinations.
Here at the RAU we are always looking for ways to better support our students. We recognise that a number of our students may be working or have caring responsibilities alongside studying which can sometimes make it difficult to attend every teaching session in person. As such we have the ability for you to join lectures and seminars through an alternative digital format in prior discussion with your programme leader. Please note that for international students on a student visa you are expected to attend your classes in person. Remote delivery is not an UKVI authorised mode of attendance for the taught element of your course and therefore non-attendance would affect your student visa.
If you are interested in studying this subject but cannot commit to the full MSc programme it is also possible to study for a Certificate or Diploma in the subject.
Please note, Visa students must be full-time (a min of 15 hours per week) and will need to attend all sessions in person due to UKVI visa requirements.
The modules available for this course are shown below. They may change for your year of study as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.
Modules
- Sustainable Business Strategy
- Entrepreneurship and Business Planning
- Research Skills
- Strategic Operations Management
- Global Marketing Strategy
- Leadership & Personal Development
- Financial Management
- Farm Business and Enterprise Management
- Dissertation
Plus ONE additional module, either:
- Small Scale Farming and Local Food Supply
- Facing the Global Challenges in Food and Agriculture
A description of each module can be found here.
The availability of electives to individual students will be dependent on timetabling considerations and on sufficient students electing to take part.
Disclaimer information
The University has established various rules and regulations that you must agree to and follow if you accept an offer to study with us. View our full disclaimer notice.
Careers and graduate destinations
Recent graduates have followed careers in:
- Wealth management
- Finance
- Marketing
- Farm management
- Equine business
- Consultancy
Our employers include:
- Old Mill
- Unilever
- ADM
- Millar Cameron
- Weatherbys
"For me, the greatest thing about the Business Management course at the RAU is the strong and practical focus on entrepreneurship and the opportunities to gain insights into what entrepreneurship can look like in rural settings, both in the UK and internationally."
Lloyd Buck, Graduate
Entry requirements
We welcome applications from applicants with non-standard qualifications who are able to demonstrate knowledge, experience (in management) and skills developed in the workplace or elsewhere and which are relevant to the programme of study. Applicants will need to use their personal statement to provide further details supported by a CV. All non-standard applications will be considered by the Programme Manager on a case-by-case basis and applicants can expect that an interview may be required as part of the admissions process.
If English is not your first language, you will need to reach the requirements outlined in our English language requirements for the level of study. For postgraduate taught programmes this is IELTS Academic min. overall 6.5 with no element below 5.5 (or equivalent). English language tests usually have a validity of 2 years from the date the test is taken.
Offers will typically be made in line with the academic requirements set out above. Offers can be conditional or unconditional. An unconditional offer will be made to applicants who have already met the conditions and provided evidence that conditions have been met. Where academic or language requirements have not yet been fulfilled, applicants will receive a conditional offer stating the requirements that must be met.
Fees
2027-28 Applicants (including January 2028)
For the academic year 2027-28 the tuition fees for the MSc are:
| UK | Overseas/EU | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time | £10,000 per year | £17,500 per year |
| Part-time | Fees are calculated on a pro-rata basis depending on the number of modules taken. Please refer to Tuition Fees webpage | Fees are calculated on a pro-rata basis depending on the number of modules taken. Please refer to Tuition Fees webpage |
Tuition fees may be subject to an inflationary increase each year as set out in our Access and Participation Plan.
For full details, please visit the fees and funding webpage.
Please note: International students can study on a part-time basis only if they are in the UK with a different type of visa (other than Student Visa/Tier 4 General) that allows them to undertake part-time study and their visa does not expire prior to the end date of the proposed course of study.
Scholarships
The University offers a range of generous fee waivers and bursaries. To find out more about the scholarships, awards and bursaries available, please visit the scholarships webpage.
Apply now for September 2027
To apply for a postgraduate course you need to complete an online application form. This can be found by selecting your preferred course option at the bottom of this box.
Alternatively, if you cannot access the online form please call Admissions on 01285 889912, or email admissions@rau.ac.uk.
We recommend you keep a copy of the completed form for your records.
Important Information for EU and Overseas applicants for PgDip: EU and Overseas applicants who wish to apply for the PgDip programme, and need a UK study visa to do so, should be aware that upon completion of their study they will not be eligible to apply for a Graduate Route visa.
Important Information for EU and Overseas applicants for PgCert: The PgCert programme is equivalent to part-time study for UKVI student visa purposes. Please note that the University only sponsors full-time PgDip and MSc level students.
EU and Overseas students who hold another UK immigration status/visa can be considered for the PgCert provided their visa/status allows study at the time of application and covers the entire period of study.
Application deadline, September entry:
- EU and overseas applicants must submit their application by 28 June 2027
- UK applicants must submit their applications by 1 September 2027
Results deadline, September entry:
- EU and overseas applicants will need to meet their conditions by 31 July 2027
- UK applicants will need to meet their conditions by 13 September 2027
If you are applying for a 2027 Chevening Scholarship you can submit your scholarship application prior to receiving a course offer. Further details can be found on the application timeline and eligibility criteria sections on the Chevening website.
Applicants will be notified via email once a decision has been made and decision letters will be emailed to you. If there is a deadline by which applicants must accept an offer of admission or pay a deposit, this will be stated in the offer letter.
Requests to defer the year of entry will be considered only when an applicant holds an Unconditional offer and needs to be submitted in writing to the admissions team. We cannot guarantee that requests will be granted. Decisions on deferral requests are considered:
- For September entry at the end of August
- For January entry at the end of January (or later)
If the deferral request is granted applicants will receive a new offer letter with tuition fees which are applicable to their year of entry, at the opening of the next admissions cycle.
Please choose a course from the options below to apply.
