Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA)

Teaching

You are taught through a combination of interactive workshops, lectures, seminars, practical activities etc. Interactive workshops take a variety of formats and are intended to enable the application of learning through discussion and small group activities.

The programme will use a combination of approaches to tuition with on-campus elements taking place on selected Friday and Saturdays which will be delivered intensively in a block for each module. In addition to the on-campus workshops there will also be at least two online sessions, either live or pre-recorded. Each module will have an associated pre-read/material (this could be video material etc) and students will be expected to complete the pre-work so that this can be built on in the on campus taught workshops.

Additionally, students will be split into a number of small group Action Learning Sets. These sets will be consistent throughout the programme and will provide the learner with peer support – these action learning sets will facilitated by a member of faculty in the first few sessions but then it is anticipated that this will become self-managed and will continue through the remainder of the programme duration.

The curriculum will have the Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) embedded within each module and will use situational challenges to bring content to life (real life situations they will face to drive relevancy and engagement). Where possible access to external speakers will provide additional insight and challenge either through on-campus or a hybrid delivery method.

In addition to these programme elements, meetings with personal academic tutors are scheduled on at least four occasions in the first year and five occasions thereafter to discuss progress and development. In the final stage of the programme a supervisor will be allocated to work with you on your consultancy project.

The University places emphasis on enabling students to develop the independent learning capabilities that will equip you for lifelong learning and future employment, as well as academic achievement. In particular the University Graduate Attributes of problem solving, teamwork and effective communication, and reflective and resilient lifelong learning will be present throughout the programme. These attributes and capabilities will be developed through a mixture of independent study, teaching and academic support from Student Services and Library Services, and also the personal academic tutoring system enables you to reflect on progress and build up a profile of skills, achievements and experiences that will help you to flourish and be successful.

Finally, BlackBoard (the university’s virtual learning environment) will allow for student interaction outside of modules via programme level discussion boards and will be encouraged to set up and interact with others in the cohort. Building in short masterclass sessions like Wellbeing and Resilience sessions run internally and externally through integrating interesting external events and lectures into the EMBA schedule.

Contact time

Year one has four 15 credit modules, year two has four 15 credit modules. Year three has a single 15 credit module and a 45 credit consultancy assignment.

In a typical (15 credit) module you will have around 21contact hours of teaching. Typically contact time could be structured around:

• 14 hours of interactive on campus workshops
• 2 hours of live online workshop sessions
• 4 hours of seminar activity in groups working in action learning sets
• 1 hour in direct discussion with your personal academic tutor

Independent self-study

In addition to the contact time, you are expected for a typical 15 credit module to undertake:

• 54 hours or preparation for the module assessment
• 75 hours of guided independent learning through BlackBoard

Typically, this will involve completing online activities, reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research in the library and online, preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for examinations.

Independent learning is supported by a range of excellent learning facilities, including The Hive and library resources, the virtual learning environment, and extensive electronic learning resources.

Duration

• 2.5 years part-time
• Maximum registration period 5 years

Timetables

Timetables are normally available one month before registration. Please note that teaching will take place on a Friday and Saturday and suitable arrangements need to be in place to ensure that you are able to attend all of the class contact time.

Teaching staff

You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course and who have direct experience of engaging with professional audiences. The team includes senior academics, usually with doctoral level qualifications, professional practitioners with industry experience, and other key contributors able to provide specific and specialised input to your learning.

Assessment

Each module has one or more formal or ‘summative’ assessments which are graded and count towards the overall module grade. Assessment methods include one written examination and a range of coursework assessments such as reports, portfolios, presentations and a final year independent study consultancy project.

Your proposed formal summative assessment pattern for each year of the course is:

Year 1

• 1 individual presentation
• 1 group presentation
• 2 2000 word reports
• 2 3000 word reports

Year 2

• 1 practical assessment 
• 1 individual presentation 
• 1 1500 word reflective written assignment
• 1 2000 word report
• 2 3000 word reports

Year 3

• 1 3000 word research proposal
• 1 10000 word dissertation

You will receive feedback on practice assessments and on formal assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback on examination performance is available upon request from the module leader. Feedback is intended to support learning and you are encouraged to discuss it with personal academic tutors and module tutors as appropriate. We aim to provide you with feedback on formal course work assessments within 20 working days of hand-in.

Programme specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please download the latest programme specification document.