Postgraduate MSc
International Business and Management with Industrial Placement
Do you want to learn the functions of international business and what makes a great globally successful leader whilst gaining vital work experience?
Business is as connected as it has ever been. To be a successful business leader, you need to understand international markets and the way other nations do business.
Our CMI and IOE&IT-accredited MSc International Business and Management with Industrial Placement course is the most far-reaching of our postgrad courses, as it provides a well-rounded knowledge of global management theories and practices. Our graduates gain the transferable and desirable skills of cross-cultural management, problem solving, adaptability and decision making that they can apply to top-calibre management roles in a variety of business environments and functions nationally or globally.
Taking a 12-month industrial placement allows you to gain work experience in the UK or overseas as part of your Master's. While the placements are self-sought, the School offers support through extra-curricular engagement with our dedicated placements team. Opting for this course with a placement takes the length of your course to up to two years.
Watch our Postgraduate Placements video here.
You'll learn an overview of global strategy, global value chains, international accounting and organisational behaviour, managing the multinational enterprise, within human resource management in a global context and international accounting for decision making. You will finish your master's with a detailed report with the support of a dedicated expert supervisor. At the end of Stage One, you start your Industrial Placement.
The programme helped me to develop analytical skills and set an academic foundation for an international career.
~ Milan Marinkovic, MSc International Business Management, 2020.
A minimum of a second-class UK degree, or an equivalent internationally recognised qualification in a variety of areas will be considered for entry on this course.
All applicants are considered on an individual basis and those without an honours degree may also be considered on the basis of work experience, professional qualifications and the relevance of the programme to their current professional role.
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 Student website for entry requirements by country and other relevant information. Due to visa restrictions, students who require a student visa to study cannot study part-time unless undertaking a distance or blended-learning programme with no on-campus provision.
This course requires a Good level of English language, equivalent to B2 on CEFR.
Details on how to meet this requirement can be found on our English Language requirements webpage.
Examples:
IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component
PTE Academic 63 with a minimum of 59 in each sub-test
A degree from a UK university
A degree from a Majority English Speaking Country
Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes through Kent International Pathways.
The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.
Understanding the Multinational Enterprise (MNE) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is a key issue in economic theory and business. Since the emergence of the contemporary MNE at the end of the 19th century, changes in the macroeconomic and microeconomic environment, forced multinationals to change as a response to the rise of new technologies and products, the wider international division of labour and of course the greater integration of production, services, and – financial and other – markets. This changing process became more intense after the 1960s when U.S. and Japanese MNEs emerged as basic players in the international chessboard. Accompanied by the traditional European MNEs formed a triad that still dominates FDI in the world.
The changing geography of international production and investment reflects the dynamic interaction of many economic, organizational and policy factors. While many of these factors have long been relevant, their combination today represents the new forces influencing MNEs' location decisions. A simplistic approach of FDI towards location would not be appropriate to allow us to understand the complexity of international investments decisions. What is needed is a multidisciplinary approach of the phenomenon. It is the aim of this module to offer this multidisciplinary approach to students.
Business failures in the global financial sector, and the subsequent repercussions for a range of different groups, not just shareholders, have put the spotlight on the role of business and the behaviour of managers. Is business just responsible for maximising profit for its owners, or does it have responsibilities to other groups? This raises a number of difficult questions; which groups? responsible for what? And if so, how to discharge these responsibilities?
This module has three main aims:
• To develop critical thought, insight and debate regarding the changing role of business in today's society.
• To broaden your views on the role of business in society.
• To provide you with the tools, skills and knowledge to manage responsibly.
The nature of the topic is constantly changing and evolving; therefore the module will be subject to continual refinement according to developments in industry, government and academia.
Indicative topics are:
• Definitions of Corporate Responsibility
• The Role of Business and Society
• Theories of Corporate Responsibility
• Ethics Theory
• Business Ethics and Corporate Governance
• Areas of Corporate Responsibility
• Firm Level Responses
• Social Accounting
• Criticisms of Corporate Responsibility
• Social Entrepreneurship
• Sustainability
This module introduces students to the area of global value chain (GVC) and its implications for different types of business enterprises (multinational enterprises (MNEs), suppliers, small, large), with a special focus on key theoretical and empirical academic publications as well as available datasets. GVCs are transforming the nature of trade, and it has brought both opportunities and challenges for business enterprises around the world. Such an understanding of GVCs is vital for managers to develop optimal relationships with their value chains partners, adapt to changing business circumstances, and make responsible decisions.
Employers are in search for individuals who possess logical thinking, analytical capability, leadership, communication and the ability to work under pressure. This module develops the necessary research knowledge and skills for students to be able to successfully complete a piece of research in industry or consultancy contexts or academia.
Indicative topics are:
• Choosing the topic of interest and literature review
• Research process and Ethics in in business research
• Choosing your research design
• Preparing the research proposal
• Communicating the Research
Topics are:
- Marketing planning
- The market: understanding and analysing the marketing environment
- Segmentation, targeting and positioning
- Marketing research
- Understanding customers and buyer behaviour
- The organisation: marketing strategy and ethics
- The marketing mix (goods and services)
- New product development
- Marketing communications
- Pricing
- Marketing channels
- Contemporary issues in marketing
The Global Strategy module has two main learning components:
• Acquiring theory and concepts in global strategy and value creation in today's dynamic environment.
• Application of theory and concepts to the formulation, implementation and evaluation of global strategy.
The aim is to critically examine and provide insights into the practice and process of strategic management within a variety of private and public sector organisations globally.
This course is designed to allow students to develop their skills of strategic analysis and their ability to think about the selection and implementation of appropriate strategies in different industry and geographic contexts and in different types and styles of organisations, including non-profit and public sector organisations.
Indicative topics may include:
• What is Strategy, and Why is it Important?
• The Context of Global Strategy and Value Realisation
• Competitive Global Strategy and Strategic Choices
• Business models
• Digital Strategy
• Contemporary Issues in Strategic Management
This module provides an insight into the key concepts and theories of human resource management and organisational behaviour in an international context. It aims to equip students with the skills and knowledge for gaining an in-depth understanding of the links between HRM practices and organisational performance and the factors at play when managing employees globally.
Indicative topics are:
• Strategic management and International HRM
• Diversity and Equal Opportunity in the Workplace
• Gender in International Business and Management
• Managing a Global Workforce
• Organisational Culture Reward Management: International comparisons
• Expatriate Assignments and Adjustment Process
• Globalisation and HRM
• International Compensation
The aims of the module are to:
- Develop an appreciation of the complexity and diversity associated with doing business internationally.
- Provide an overview of the major theories and concepts which have been developed by academics and practitioners in order to understand the international business
arena.
- Offer some practical solutions to the problems faced by the international business community.
- Derive insights which will enable students to effectively play part in managing resources across national boundaries within their organisation, at present or in the
future.
Business in an International Perspective is an exploration of an area that is highly topical within the practice of management and scholarly research. The chances are high indeed that, at some time during their career, today's MSc graduates will work for an international organisation, an international market research company or a multinational enterprise. The notion of purely domestic organisation is becoming more and more difficult to substantiate. The module adopts an analytical and critical perspective to the somewhat prescriptive literature which is associated with this contentious problem area.
The topics addressed in this module will include:
- International business and international trade theory
- Cultural factors and their impact on business, including human resource management
- Risk analysis, country risk and the consequences for trade and investment
- Government-business relations and market regulation
- International organisations and international business: GATT/WTO and multilateral trade issues
- The world financial environment and the multinational finance function: foreign exchange markets, business implications of exchange rate changes
- Corporate social responsibility and the impact of international business on various stakeholders
The module provides a basic understanding of how accounting information can be used to interpret the financial position and performance of a business in an international scenario. It will also develop key skills in relation to how accounting information can inform planning and control decisions in multinational companies. The key principles and international standards upon which financial accounting is based and the form and content of the main financial statements prepared by different types of businesses, with a focus on public limited companies will be studied. The importance of corporate governance in modern businesses and the financial situation and performance of a global corporation by means of ratio analysis will be analysed as well as the importance of cost information for decision making purposes. This module covers the key internationally recognised management accounting techniques that modern businesses use for short-term and long-term decision making.
Indicative areas of the syllabus include:
• Concepts underpinning accounting systems and financial statements
• The construction of the primary financial statements and their interpretation and evaluation
• Classification and behaviour of costs and their use in short-term and long-term decision making
• Responsibility accounting systems and performance appraisal measures, including the balanced scorecard and budgeting
The aim of this highly practical module is to give students an intensive grounding in analytics modelling and hands-on experience in using industry-standard spreadsheet software (Microsoft Excel®) to structure, analyse and solve a variety of problems encountered in business and management.
Students will learn how to build practical analytics models using descriptive analytics techniques to visualise and interpret data; predictive analytics techniques to predict future outcomes and trends; and prescriptive analytics techniques, such as optimisation and decision analysis, to support decision making in complex situations.
Students will be exposed to a variety of case studies that will prepare them to be data-driven managers and executives capable of utilising analytics for business value creation. Practical demonstrations will include examples in finance (e.g., optimal investment strategies, portfolio optimisation), human resources (e.g., staff scheduling, workforce planning, employee performance management), marketing (e.g., product development, customer classification, marketing campaigns optimisation), supply chain management (e.g., optimal transport routing, production scheduling) and project management (e.g., task scheduling, resource planning, project completion time optimisation).
In today's competitive and global economy, companies are turning to project management to consistently deliver business results. Increased number of international and complex projects brings with it a growing demand for project management specialists, according to Project Management Institute (PMI). This module introduces the principles and practice of project management in a global context. The module aims to:
• Equip you with project management tools, techniques and management issues, focusing on key challenges that arise from managing complex projects, such as with regards to project time, quality and cost, resource constraints, stakeholder analysis, cultural diversity and teamwork.
• Analyse contemporary project management issues and employ a range of established and innovative methodologies for adequate project plan, execution and control;
• Critically analyse risks in projects, develop sustainable contingency plans and demonstrate ability to set reasonable and achievable deadlines and milestones across different project tasks with due consideration to economic, social, and environmental aspects surrounding a project.
The module examines the main methods of marketing communications. Strengths and weakness of marketing communications channels will be analysed as well as their suitability and effectiveness. The module systematically evaluates the principles, methods and strategies of marketing communications. The role of message content, format and source will be discussed as well as psychological processes involved in consumers' processing of and response to advertising. The module will discuss how different marketing communications platforms can be combined to reach specific objectives.
Indicative topics are:
• The communications process
• Advertising
• Strategy and media planning
• Image, brand management and packaging
• Direct marketing
• Digital and interactive media
• Sales promotion, merchandising and point of sale
• Public relations and corporate identity
• Exhibitions, trade shows, product placement and sponsorship
• Personal selling and sales management
• The implications of digital marketing communications are included in the above topics
This module will enable students to write a high quality Business Report under the supervision of an international business expert on a management and/ or business related issue that supports their immediate career objectives.
The module will typically include:
• The Literature Review
• Electronic Literature Searching and On-Line Sources
• Using Literature Effectively
• Research Design
• Writing a Business Report
• Communicating Findings to Different Audiences
Students will spend a period of time working in an industrial or organisational setting, applying and enhancing the skills and techniques they have learned on the programme. Work will be carried out under the direction of a placement supervisor. This support will include ensuring that the work they are expected to do within the placement company/organisation meets the learning outcomes of the module.
Students will spend a period of time working in an industrial or organisational setting, applying and enhancing the skills and techniques they have learned on the MSc in Business Analytics programme. Work will be carried out under the direction of an industrial supervisor and supported by a dedicated Placement Support Officer within the School. This support will include ensuring that the work they are expected to do within the placement company/organisation meets the learning outcomes of the module.
Students will spend a period of time working in an industrial or organisational setting, applying and enhancing the skills and techniques they have learned on the MSc in Business Analytics programme. Work will be carried out under the direction of an industrial supervisor and supported by a dedicated Placement Support Officer within the School. This support will include ensuring that the work they are expected to do within the placement company/organisation meets the learning outcomes of the module.
Students will spend a period of time working in an industrial or organisational setting, applying and enhancing the skills and techniques they have learned on the MSc in Business Analytics programme. Work will be carried out under the direction of an industrial supervisor and supported by a dedicated Placement Support Officer within the School. This support will include ensuring that the work they are expected to do within the placement company/organisation meets the learning outcomes of the module.
Students will spend a period of time working in an industrial or organisational setting, applying and enhancing the skills and techniques they have learned on the MSc in Business Analytics programme. Work will be carried out under the direction of an industrial supervisor and supported by a dedicated Placement Support Officer within the School. This support will include ensuring that the work they are expected to do within the placement company/organisation meets the learning outcomes of the module.
Duration: 2 year full-time
This programme consists of eight compulsory modules in Stage 1 and a choice of four optional modules in Stage 2, finishing with a piece of research.
If you opt for the Industrial Placement, you will be required to complete the Industrial Placement Report.
We use a variety of teaching methods, including:
Classroom-based learning is supported by the latest online technologies and learning platforms.
Your progress on this course is assessed through a variety of means, including:
Industrial placements are the perfect way for you to enhance your career prospects and deepen your understanding of a specific area of expertise. This MSc programme is available with the option to take an in-company or self-employed industrial placement of up to 12 months (visa dependent), allowing you to gain work experience in the UK or overseas.
Our lively and active postgraduate community is brought about in part by our strong research culture and by the close community between our staff and students. Staff publish regularly and widely in journals, conference proceedings and books and embed their research in their teaching.
Students have regular contact with their course and module conveners with staff on hand to answer any questions and to provide helpful and constructive feedback on submitted work.
You can also get involved with extra-curricular academic and social activities with guest lectures, talks and workshops organised by our academic staff, research centres and the ASPIRE team. You can catch up with our most recent Open for Business Seminar Series.
Our Canterbury campus provides a welcoming environment and a close-knit student community. Kent Business School is based within the Sibson Building which opened in 2017 and its impressive design won the RIBA Regional and National Award. It houses well-equipped lecture and seminar spaces, as well as breakout spaces for group work, Bloomberg suite, computer labs, a dedicated MBA suite, and our ASPIRE Lab Space. There is also a café on site.
The School is conveniently located at the University of Kent’s campus, close to continental Europe and with easy access to London. World-famous Canterbury Cathedral is situated in the heart of the historic city centre, just a 25-minute walk or a short bus ride.
Kent Business School has close links with: ifs (Institute of Financial Services); dunnhumby, who partners the Consumer Insight Service in the Centre for Value Chain Research; Hong Kong Baptist University, with whom we offer a joint Master’s programme in Operational Research and Finance Business Statistics; University of Castellanza (Italy); Audencia Nantes Business School (France); Aarhus School of Business and Social Sciences (Denmark); Universiti Teknologi Malaysia; University of Ingolstadt, Bayern (Germany); City University of Hong Kong; Renmin University of China, School of Business.
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 research extends business knowledge and produces innovative and sustainable solutions to organisational challenges. As a forward-looking school, we are always working to ensure that our research has a positive impact, not just within business but in the wider world.
Our staff are recognised as being at the forefront of their fields and their expertise has been sought by bodies such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the Swiss Institute of Banking and Finance, the FT Trading Room, Kent County Council and Medway Council.
For more information, see our Research page.
Full details of staff research interests can be found on the School's website.
Of Kent postgraduate students who responded to the most recent national survey of graduate destinations, over 97% were in work or further study within six months. (DLHE 2017).
This specialist programme prepares students for a variety of competitive and exciting roles in multinational enterprises, international organisations, governmental bodies or consultancies.
Students who studied similar courses at Kent Business School have gone on to work in a variety of companies including:
Many of our students also stay local and find job opportunities regionally in small and medium firms or even set-up their own businesses as well-equipped entrepreneurs.
You gain much more than an academic qualification when you graduate. We enhance your student experience and accelerate your career prospects to help you achieve your ambition.
From the moment you start with us, our efforts are focused on helping you gain the knowledge, skills and experience you need to thrive in an increasingly competitive workplace. As part of the course, undertake an Industrial Placement or opt for an In-Company Scheme to work on a real business case study. Go on our Business Start-up Journey and transform your idea into a business through ASPIRE. Our qualified careers practitioners provide support for up to three years after graduation.
Additionally, the Postgraduate Employability Edge programme, available to PGT students at Kent Business School takes place from Welcome Week through to the end of the academic year and is designed to enhance your career prospects further.
This course is accredited by the Chartered Management Institute, it also allows you to study the CMI Level 7 certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership alongside your degree. CMI is the only chartered professional body in the UK dedicated to promoting the highest standards in management and leadership excellence.
The recent accreditation by the Institute of Export and International Trade (IOE&IT) is evidence of the quality and relevance to practice of our MSc International Business and Management programme. The IOE&IT is a professional membership body representing and supporting the interests of everyone in the domain of international trade.
The 2024/25 annual tuition fees for this course 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.
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.
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.*
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:
We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.
Next steps
Learn more about the application process or begin your application by clicking on a link below.
You will be able to choose your preferred year of entry once you have started your application. You can also save and return to your application at any time.
Supporting your success
Kent ranked top 50 in The Complete University Guide 2024.
Fees and funding
Kent has risen 11 places in THE’s REF 2021 ranking, confirming us as a leading research university.
Accommodation
