Postgraduate MBA
The Kent MBA
Fast-track your career by choosing Kent Business School’s AMBA and CMI accredited MBA programme.
The Kent MBA provides students with the knowledge and skills to become transformational leaders with innovative mindsets, who understand and can embed responsible management for the advancement of local and global communities.
As a student of the Kent MBA, you are encouraged to think, question and find solutions alongside academic staff, organisations and fellow students. The Kent MBA programme builds upon three pillars; Observe, create and practice. The Kent MBA will allow you to understand organisations and the context in which they operate (observe), help you to re-interpret these organisational frameworks (create), and consolidate and apply this acquired knowledge to your own organisation (practice).
We combine rigorous business theory with relevant practical application, using:
Throughout the programme you engage with organisations; small, medium and large, regional to multinational, to test theories immediately in real-world situations. You will connect with strategic thinkers with commercial flair and global perspectives. The connections you make during this time will be with you for life.
As a student on The Kent MBA, you also have the opportunity to gain the Chartered Management Institute’s (CMI) Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership alongside your degree.
Our MBA is based on our Canterbury campus. It is designed so that full-time and part-time students can study together and learn from each other. The course brings together creative minds and experienced managers who are keen to make a difference. Our intimate class size offers an environment fostering discussion and networking, led by internationally recognised scholars from around the world and by our network of successful and innovative practitioners.
You can develop an entrepreneurial outlook, an international perspective as well as a commitment to responsible management. You will also benefit from a range of value-added experiences, such as master classes and opportunities to study a language.
Kent Business School has joined forces with the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) to give you the opportunity to gain, alongside the Kent MBA, the CMI Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management & Leadership on the successful completion of your studies.
The CMI is committed to excellence in management and leadership. The CMI qualification is highly sought after by employers. Students benefit from access to Management Direct and the CMI mentoring scheme.
AMBA represents the highest standard of achievement in postgraduate business education and is awarded to only the best MBA programmes into works. Employers recognise it as an assurance of global quality.
The Senior Leader apprenticeship is underpinned by The Kent MBA.
The apprenticeship standard has been developed by a group of employers and approved by the government to ensure that apprenticeships are delivered and assessed consistently. It outlines the skills, knowledge and behaviours required of the apprentice.
To be eligible for the Senior Leadership Apprenticeship, it is expected that you have management responsibility, which includes formal governance/director responsibilities, and you are responsible for direction and vision, providing a clear sense of purpose and driving strategic intent. Operating as an inclusive leader, you are responsible for developing ethical, innovative and supportive cultures with the ability to deliver results.
Each apprenticeship is tailored to the needs of you (the apprentice) and your employer.
For further information contact: E: apprenticeships@kent.ac.uk / T: 01634 888456 or 888467
Please do not use the online application to apply for the Senior Leadership Apprenticeship,
MBA Briefings are held regularly. We personalise the information you receive about the Kent MBA and how it may impact your career and indeed your life. We also give you advice on gaining ‘buy in’ from your employer. All briefing sessions are held at Kent Business School, Canterbury campus.
If you are interested in attending an MBA Briefing, please let us know. View dates and register.
You can also arrange a personal meeting with the MBA Programme Director, Debbie Kemp.
The Business School has a wide range of funding opportunities for postgraduate students, which include Scholarships, Bursaries, and the KBS Early Bird Scheme. The Early Bird equates to a 10% discount on tuition fees.
The Kent MBA scholarships include:
For more information on funding available from the University of Kent, please visit the Student Funding page.
Kent Business School has excellent links with business schools globally, including in China, USA, Hong Kong, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden and Italy. Our wide array of exchange partners give you the opportunity to gain international experience. Our partners are committed to enhancing their international outlook while providing excellent teaching. You will gain invaluable work experience, develop your understanding of a new culture and improve your language skills.
Our exchange partners include these top ranked institutions amongst others:
With over 25 years’ experience delivering business education, Kent Business School is a leading UK business school, both for the standard of our teaching and student satisfaction. Our portfolio of postgraduate programmes demonstrates the breadth and depth of our expertise. Academic research and links with global business inform our teaching, ensuring a curriculum that is relevant and current. We also hold a number of accreditations by professional bodies.
Studying at Kent Business School (KBS) gives you the opportunity to increase your employability with real-life case studies, a student council and a business society. We have strong links to local and national organisations providing opportunities for projects, internships and graduate placements. The School attracts many high-profile speakers from industry and last year included visits and lectures from staff of the Bank of England, BAE Systems, Barclays, Lloyds Insurance, Cummins, Delphi and Kent County Council.
The School currently has around 60 PhD students, who form a dynamic and close-knit research community.
A good honours degree (minimum 2:2) from the UK or an equivalent internationally recognised qualification.
Exceptions will be considered for senior managers with more than ten years’ managerial work experience.
Applicants without an honours degree may also be considered on the basis of relevant experience or professional qualifications.
A minimum of three years’ full-time managerial work experience is required.
An individual interview with the Programme Director will form part of the selection process.
All applicants are considered on an individual basis and additional qualifications, professional qualifications and relevant experience may also be taken into account when considering applications.
Please see our International website for entry requirements by country and other relevant information. Due to visa restrictions, international fee-paying students cannot study part-time unless undertaking a distance or blended-learning programme with no on-campus provision.
The University requires all non-native speakers of English to reach a minimum standard of proficiency in written and spoken English before beginning a postgraduate degree.
For detailed information see our English language requirements web pages.
Applicants who are required to meet an English language condition may be able to study a pre-sessional course in English for Academic Purposes through Kent International Pathways.
The course structure below provides a sample of the modules available for this programme.
The following modules are offered to our current students. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation:
Duration: 1 year full-time, 2 to 3 years part-time
The Kent MBA can be studied in one year of full-time study, or part-time over two to three years. As a part-time student you join current full-time students on week long programme modules.
The programme involves a taught and a project component. The taught programme is assessed by a mixture of coursework assignments throughout the year, as well as online tests, evaluation of contributions to discussions, presentation and group work.
This programme aims to:
You will gain knowledge and understanding of:
You develop intellectual skills in:
You gain subject-specific skills in:
You will gain the following transferable skills:
Kent Business School occupies the RIBA award winning building ‘Sibson’, a vibrant new campus destination. The state-of-the-art building offers a dedicated MBA suite and ASPIRE Lab Space, as well as IT suites, academic and research workspaces, three lecture theatres and social learning space, which encapsulate the School’s academic values and identity.
Each postgraduate student is assigned a specific member of academic staff who acts as your first point of contact throughout your studies. There is a lively postgraduate community at the School, with plenty of space to relax and interact with your fellow students and our academic staff.
Kent’s libraries offer over a million books, periodicals and journals, as well as subject-specific librarians to help you find the information you need. We also offer excellent teaching facilities with tailor-made specialist resources and access to a range of software packages used in quantitative analysis and finance.
Kent Business School has more than 60 internationally recognised academics from 22 different countries. Most of our teaching faculty are involved with researching the latest issues in business and management, working with organisations to provide new insight for business leaders and policymakers. Their knowledge and findings feed into the programmes to ensure they are both cutting-edge and globally relevant.
Kent Business School has strong partnerships with leading academic institutions worldwide, including: Audencia Nantes School of Management (France), Hong Kong Baptist University, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, University Carlo Cattaneo (Italy), University of Ingolstadt, Bayern (Germany), City University of Hong Kong, University of Hong Kong, Renmin University of China, School of Business, IE University (Spain), Neoma Business School (France), EBS University of Business and Law (Germany).
Staff publish regularly and widely in journals, conference proceedings and books. Among others, they have recently contributed to: Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money; International Journal of Finance & Economics; Journal of Banking and Finance; European Journal of Operational Research; Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting; Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control; European Journal of Finance; Journal of Asset Management; International Review of Financial Analysis.
All students registered for a taught Master's programme are eligible to apply for a place on our Global Skills Award Programme. The programme is designed to broaden your understanding of global issues and current affairs as well as to develop personal skills which will enhance your employability.
Research activities at Kent Business School are broadly organised into six areas;
Our Accounting group has an international reputation for its research on public sector critical accounting and accounting history. Recent topics include privatisation, health and new public management.
The Finance group addresses academically interesting and practical contemporary issues in finance and banking. Staff pursue research in several areas, including: derivatives pricing and risk management; financial econometrics; international banking; financial regulation; corporate finance; asset pricing and real-estate modelling.
Our Management Science group covers a wide range of research areas in Operational Research and Systems Thinking. These include research in the area of logistics including green logistics and network security with a special emphasis on the innovative design and analysis of heuristic and exact optimisation, DEA, operation management, multi-variate analysis, biometrics, multi-methodology and Soft OR/Systems. The group is now a member of NATCOR.
Research in our Marketing group cuts across four main domains including, marketing strategy and performance; product development and innovation; buyer behaviour; and the management of supply (value) chains and market delivery systems. Projects cover a wide range of themes ranging from the marketing department’s influence on organisational performance, determinants of marketing innovation, brand and product development success, and pricing, advertising and distribution effectiveness, to marketing information/decision-support systems utilisation, value co-creation by open innovation, and consumer evaluation and processing of product communications.
Research in our People, Management and Organisation group examines themes in the areas of employment relations, human resource management, organisational behaviour and leadership. The group covers a wide range of research, including employment relationships, the role of social partners, the effects of skills, technology and culture on the world of work, employee engagement, and the role of leadership.
Research in our Strategy and International Business group focuses on strategic alliances, non-market strategies, performance management, business in emerging economies, international strategy, management of multinational enterprises and corporate social responsibility.
For more information, see our Applied Research Centres:
For further information see the Kent Business School website.
Full details of staff research interests can be found on the School's website.
We maintain close links with the corporate world and are committed to giving our students wide-ranging experiences across the spectrum of small, medium and large organisations in both the private and public sectors.
Corporates have direct access to our students through our case study programmes, internships, consultancies, guest lectures and executive in-residence sessions. Our effective corporate relationships guarantee you valuable exposure to the business world and provide organisations with the opportunity to work with and recruit talented future leaders.
We provide you with recruitment events, such as corporate presentations and on-campus interviews, actively supported by a robust platform of career-focused skills development throughout the programme.
Business Start-Up Week
The Business Start-up week is an opportunity for students to further enhance their understanding of the various systems required to create a successful start-up. There is a focus on team unity and collaboration; this synergetic culture is often attributed to both start-up and organisational success. During the Business Start-Up week students discuss ideas’ generation, creating content, start-up finance, fin-tech and investing in innovation, and finish by pitching their ideas to established entrepreneurs.
The Kent MBA programme is accredited by The Association of MBAs (AMBA), the international impartial authority on postgraduate business education. An accreditation with AMBA is a global standard for MBA programmes worldwide.
In addition, the Kent MBA is accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), giving you the opportunity to gain, alongside your MBA, the CMI Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management & Leadership on the successful completion of your studies. The CMI is committed to excellence in management and leadership and the CMI qualification is highly sought after by employers.
Kent Business School is a member of the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) and the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS); and the Kent MBA is an Association of MBAs (AMBA) accredited programme.
In addition, KBS has accredited programmes with the following professional bodies:
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)
The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT)
The Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS)
The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)
The Chartered Management Institute (CMI)
The Professional Risk Managers’ International Association (PRMIA)
The Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP)
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
CFA Institute
KBS is a signatory of the United Nation's Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), which provides a global network for academic institutions to advance corporate sustainability and social responsibility.
The 2020/21 annual tuition fees for this programme are:
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
For students continuing on this programme fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
Full-time tuition fees for Home and EU undergraduates are £9,250.
For students continuing on this programme, fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.*
The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.
Find out more about general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.
Search our scholarships finder for possible funding opportunities. You may find it helpful to look at both:
This programme attracts many applications from Chevening scholars. Chevening is the UK Government’s international awards scheme aimed at developing global leaders, and Kent is a Chevening partner.
For details of the funding available, see our Chevening Scholarships page.
Next steps
This course page is for the 2020/21 academic year. Please visit the current online prospectus for a list of postgraduate courses we offer.
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Kent ranked top 50 in The Complete University Guide 2024.
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Kent has risen 11 places in THE’s REF 2021 ranking, confirming us as a leading research university.
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