Build your management skills and confidence
This online Management MSc will give you a good, high-level grounding in all areas of management, improving your skills, confidence and career progression opportunities. If you have a degree in a non-business subject but aspire to managerial roles, or are already working as a junior manager, it's the ideal programme for you.
We focus on equipping you with the skills to manage in the business environment of the 2020s: a decade which has so far been characterised by uncertainty, turbulence and change.
This online MSc Management assumes you have no prior knowledge of business or management, so we'll begin with some foundational modules that will bring you up to speed. These will develop your knowledge of key management and leadership theories and give you the skills to think and act more strategically. We will then look more specifically at the management of people, supply chains, finance, and risk, in subsequent modules.
Towards the end of the programme, you will bring all your newly acquired knowledge and skills together to conduct an in-depth research project for a business. If you are employed, the project can be focused on the business you work for.
If you prefer, you can also study the MSc Management through traditional, on-campus study.
High-profile partnerships
Throughout the online MSc Management, you will meet industry experts from our thriving network of professionals and business leaders. We collaborate directly with prestigious names such as:
- Lloyds Bank Corporate, London
- Bank of England Midlands Office
- HSBC Nottingham
- Eversheds
- Price Waterhouse Cooper
- PKF Cooper Parry
- Smiths of Derby
- GI Insight, Leicester, and
- Kitchencraft
Many of these companies contribute to our MSc Management programme with thought-provoking guest lectures.
A talk from our academic
Our academic for Management, Yukari Iguchi, talks about our online Management course and how you will study.
You can view the study plan for this online course.
The Masters (MSc) award is achieved by completing six 20 credit modules and one 60 credit Independent Study module.
Please note that our modules are subject to change - we review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects.
Teaching and Learning
Modules within this course are delivered by expert academics and they ensure that module content remains up-to-date and highly relevant.
Real-life case studies and partner organisations are used to show the real-world application of theories, tools, and techniques. Additionally, you’ll learn from others on the course, by sharing and discussing your own experiences and insights with each other.
You’ll experience learning and teaching methods such as:
- Self-paced online study and research
- Discussion boards where you can discuss and debate topics with fellow students and tutors, explore aspects of the study materials and share experiences related to the module topic
- Live sessions delivered by a module tutor; these are all recorded so you can watch them back at any time
- Pre-recorded videos delivered by members of the academic team, available to watch in your own time
- Insights from industry specialists, alumni and professional body representatives into sector trends, via guest lectures and assessment design
Each module incorporates core elements of relevant and structured content, a rich variety of activities, and timely and focused feedback to help you to get the most out of your studies.
Digital texts, ebooks, journals, databases and more are available electronically via our library.
Study Skills
Many of our students are mature learners and have not studied academically for many years. To help you to become an effective student, able to study at Postgraduate level, there are a number of advanced study skill resources available to you covering areas such as research skills, critical evaluation in academic context, literature search, referencing, plagiarism and so on.
Pace of study
The academic year is made up of three 10-week terms, known as trimesters. We recommend around 20 hours of study per week to complete one 20-credit module over a 10-week trimester for the standard study plan.
If you opt to undertake the accelerated study plan whereby you will study two modules in one trimester, we recommend 40 hours of study per week.
Assessment method
This course is assessed entirely through coursework. You will undertake formative and summative assessments to demonstrate that you have met the module and programme learning outcomes. The assessments are designed for you to evidence a range of communication skills and to show you have acquired the knowledge and skills as designed.
Analysis, the building of knowledge, its application and communication is tested with real-world assessment activities including presentations and reports.
The final 60 credit Independent Study module brings knowledge, application, and communication together in a piece of work where you will undertake an investigation into practice relevant to your organisation.
Culminating in a dissertation, the independent study represents an individual piece of research completed under the guidance of an academic supervisor. It may be a research study which contributes to the body of knowledge in your discipline area or professional background, or a study in which you critically analyse and evaluate existing knowledge and produce observations and conclusions of relevance to the field of study.
Student support and guidance
Whilst we encourage our students to become independent, life-long learners, we also recognise that offering the right support and guidance will help you to achieve your goals. There is a wealth of support available to you at the University, from your dedicated Personal Academic Tutor and Online Learning Advisor, through to our:
All these services, and more, are available to you as an online student at the University of Derby.
Get a taste of the course content
Our Management MSc course taster will give you an idea of how online learning works. It includes a selection of content from a course module so you can see what some of our learning material looks like.
You will need to complete a short form to access the course taster.
Try our course tasterTry our course taster
This online MSc Management is designed to equip graduates from a none-business/management-related subject with the skills, knowledge and confidence you’ll need to succeed as a manager in any setting. It will open doors to management roles in all sectors:
- Private
- Public
- Not-for-profit
Following this course, you could apply for a management training programme with a major company, look for management roles, pursue a career in consultancy or set up your own business.
The course also gives you a platform to gain further professional qualifications as you take your career forward. Inspired by the intellectual challenge of the MSc, a growing number of graduates also choose to develop academic careers, moving on to PhD research or teacher training.
Utilise our Careers and Employment Service
Whilst you are a student at the University of Derby, and for 3 years after you graduate, our Careers and Employment Service can assist you with job search advice, CV creation, workshops and events, as well as one-to-one appointments with employment advisers to help with career planning and interview preparation.
- An undergraduate degree (non-business and management related) with a minimum 2:2 classification or an equivalent international qualification
We recommend graduates of business and management disciplines to consider other routes such as the online MSc Strategic Management or the online MBA Global.
We will also consider your application if you have alternative qualifications and experience, though no work experience is required for entry to this course.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
RPL may be available for you based on past study and experience.
English language qualifications
If English is not your first language or you have not completed your undergraduate degree at a UK University, you will need an English language qualification. For this course you will need at least one of the following:
- IELTS 6.5 (minimum of 6.0 in each module)
- TOEFL 550 (paper-based), 213 (computer-based) or 80 (internet-based)
- Pearson Test of Academic English: 51
- Cambridge Advanced Certificate: Pass
- London Tests of English: level 5
- International GCE O Level English Language: Grade C
- International GCSE English/English as a Second Language: Grade C
- ASE Proficiency: Pass
Find out more about our English language requirements
‡2024/25 for new entrants
Starting between September 2024 and August 2025.
| | Per 20 credits | Modules | Cost |
|---|
| UK/EU/International |
£1,050 |
7 (six 20-credit modules and one 60-credit module) |
£9,450 |
2025/26 for new entrants
Starting between September 2025 and August 2026.
| | Per 20 credits | Modules | Cost |
|---|
| UK/EU/International |
£1,080 |
7 (six 20-credit modules and one 60-credit module) |
£9,720 |
About your fees
This figure would be the total cost of this course based on the fee in the current academic year. However, please note that fees normally increase in line with inflation and the University's strategic approach to fees, which is reviewed on an annual basis. The total fee you pay may therefore increase if your course lasts longer than one year.
If you are required to undertake any associate study or additional study as a condition of your offer for the programme, please be aware that the cost for this may be in addition to the programme cost stated above.
Flexible payment plans available
Choose from two payment plan options:
Masters funding options
Depending on where you are from in the UK or EU, and on your pace of study, you may be eligible for a postgraduate student loan. Accessible through Student Finance, this is a non-income based loan to help with living costs and tuition fees whilst studying your masters programme.
If you are considering applying for a student loan, please also see our additional guidance on Loans for Online Students.
Apply directly to the University.
Apply now
For support with completing your application, view our guide to the application process.
Documents to support your application
In order for your application to be assessed, you will need to provide the following documents when you apply:
- Official photo identification such as a passport or driving licence
- Current CV
- Written reference supplied on headed paper from either a manager, supervisor, tutor or teacher
- Copies of certificates and transcripts or a letter of testimony for previous qualifications*
*Documents not in English or Welsh must be accompanied by a certified translation by a professional translator/translation company. Each translation must contain:
- Confirmation from the translator that it is an accurate translation of the original document
- The date of the translation
- The full name and signature of the translator, or an authorised official of the company
- The translator’s contact details
A list of approved translators can be found on the UK Government website.
Please note: failure to submit any documentation when requested, may result in your application being withdrawn.
Application deadlines
All of our online courses have set start dates throughout the year. We require time to review your application and get back to you with a response before your course starts. Take a look at information regarding applying for an online course to see full details of deadlines and term dates.
