For more information Newcastle University Business School 5 Barrack Road Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4SE UK Master of Business Administration MBA Programme Handbook 2015 2016 Telephone: 0191 208 1500 www.ncl.ac.uk/nubs This brochure is for information and guidance purposes only. Details are correct at the time of printing (August 2015) but should be checked on the University s and School s website. The matters covered by this brochure and other information that we provide for students, are naturally subject to change from time to time, both before and after a candidate s admission. The University may have to make such changes without notice. Further details of the University s policies, procedures and regulations can be found at www.ncl.ac.uk/pre-arrival/regulations. Newcastle University, 2015. The University of Newcastle upon Tyne trading as Newcastle University.
Summary of programme commitments Contents The University s Student Charter is available on the Internet at www.ncl.ac.uk/ pre-arrival/regulations/charter.htm. It is also provided to all students as part of The Student Guide. In the Student Charter, the University undertakes to provide you with access to high standards of teaching, support, advice and guidance. The Student Charter requires that students are provided with a programme handbook which details any professional requirements, contact hours, mode of course delivery, assessment criteria, examination arrangements and regulations, academic guidance and support, and appeals and complaints procedures. The purpose of this summary is to help you locate further details about this key information in your handbook. Page Your contacts 3 MBA programme 5 Your assessment 9 Use of programme handbook Your handbook also contains a range of other valuable information, so you should read it thoroughly and retain a copy for future reference. The purpose of this handbook is to provide you with an overview of your Master s degree programme. This handbook should be read in conjunction with the Newcastle University Business School Postgraduate Study Guide. Together, these documents will provide you with a guide to the facilities offered to you both by the School and the wider University and are designed to complement other information provided Your attention is also drawn to the Student Charter Supplementary Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities. Further information on this can be found at www.ncl.ac.uk/pre-arrival/regulations/charter.htm by the University. 1 2 Key Information This section signposts you to some of the key information about your Master s degree programme in your Programme Handbook and Postgraduate Study Guide. This handbook provides an accurate picture of the programme at the time of writing, but this may be subject to minor change during the course of the academic year. You will be informed of any changes through the appropriate channels. Average number of contact hours for this stage/programme: Mode of delivery: Normal notice period for changes to the timetable, including rescheduled classes: Normal notice period for changes to the curriculum or assessment: Normal deadline for feedback on submitted work (coursework): Normal deadline for feedback on examinations: Professional accreditation: Assessment methods and criteria: Academic guidance and support: Page 6, Programme Handbook Page 6, Programme Handbook Page 6, Postgraduate Study Guide Page 14, Postgraduate Study Guide Page 9, Programme Handbook Page 9, Programme Handbook Not applicable Page 9, Programme Handbook Page 23, Postgraduate Study Guide Page 3, Programme Handbook Page 25, Postgraduate Study Guide
Your contacts Dr Peter Edward, Degree Programme Director of MBA, is the academic leader of Newcastle MBA with overall management responsibility for the programme. mba.director@newcastle.ac.uk MBA teaching team Module Module leader Contact e-mail Global Political Economy Prof Stephen Hughes stephen.hughes@newcastle.ac.uk Competing With IT Dr Colin Ashurst colin.ashurst@newcastle.ac.uk Strategic Management Dr Tom McGovern tom.mcgovern@newcastle.ac.uk Strategic Marketing Prof Fred Lemke fred.lemke@newcastle.ac.uk Strategic Human Prof Stephen Proctor stephen.proctor@newcastle.ac.uk Resource Management Organisational Behaviour Prof Iain Munro iain.munro@ncl.ac.uk in Practice Accounting and Finance Dr Aly Salama aly.salama@newcastle.ac.uk Operations Management New appointment tbc Personal and Professional Transformation Juli Campey juli.campey@newcastle.ac.uk Suzanne Dunn, Programme Secretary, is responsible for the general administrative issues relating to the programme. suzanne.dunn@newcastle.ac.uk Tel: 0191 208 1563 Business In Action Dr Lesley Pender lesley.pender@newcastle.ac.uk 3 Management Consultancy Juli Campey juli.campey@newcastle.ac.uk 4 Caron Pearson, Business School Careers Adviser, is responsible for providing careers support and advice to all MBA students. Careers Service, King s Gate and Business School @ Barrack Road. Elective modules are delivered by Business School academic staff from a wide range of disciplinary areas. The list of electives running for 2015 2016 will be released around November when you will be advised to make the choices. If you would like to know more about the teaching area/research interests of the academic staff, a complete staff list can be found online along with contact details and further information at the following address: www.ncl.ac.uk/nubs/staff. Computer technicians: Abdul Abduqader, Andy Oldroyd NUBS-techsupport@ncl.ac.uk
MBA programme This section aims to provide you with some key information on your degree programme. Generic information relating to postgraduate degrees can be found on the Business School Postgraduate Blackboard Community and in the Postgraduate Study Guide. Newcastle University Business School has offered a Master of Business Administration (MBA) qualification since 1982 and has been accredited by the Association of MBAs (AMBA) since 1988. The key aspect of the Newcastle MBA experience is the opportunity to learn with and from a select group of highly accomplished peers: we cap our cohorts at a level with excellent business and academic credentials. Programme structure The period of study for the full-time MBA is normally 12 months full-time with 500 hours student contact time. The full-time MBA commences on Monday 28 September 2015 with a 10-day compulsory induction programme. Teaching starts on Monday 12 October 2015. The basic teaching pattern is from 09.30 to 17.30 from Mondays to Fridays. Some teaching, eg guest lectures, industrial visits or additional academic activities, may take place outside these times. Please refer to the MBA timetable for detailed teaching time and venues. The MBA timetable is also available on Blackboard under MBA Programme Info. The Newcastle MBA delivers an opportunity to study in one of the UK s leading Business Schools and in a vibrant location: the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. Programme delivery The delivery mechanism of all lectures combines theory with practice. MBA students are often required to reflect on their professional experiences through active group discussions and debates on relevant theories as well as academic lectures. An active 5 learning attitude is essential during the process of studying for an MBA. Students will be provided with reading lists and case studies during the course of the programme. 6 Delivery methods also include business simulations, guest speakers, team activities and industrial visits, subject to the arrangement of module leaders. MBA students Operations Management visit to Nissan Manufacturing plant, Sunderland.
Compulsory modules Accounting and Finance Strategic Human Resource Management Strategic Marketing Business in Action Elective modules* Finance and Investment International Marketing Entrepreneurial Management Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability in Organisations Personal and Professional Transformation Dissertation Dissertation or major project The dissertation is worth 50 credits and is the opportunity for you to integrate and apply your learning to real-world situations and problems. The first stage of your dissertation is to produce a proposal which must be submitted by January 2016. We will then allocate you a supervisor who will provide guidance through the dissertation writing process. The dissertation is a major piece of work (12,000 words), which will enable you to apply the knowledge and skills developed during the taught element of your degree programme. You will be expected to demonstrate evaluative and analytical ability, gain an in-depth knowledge of the topic and understand the relevance of the context in which the investigation is set. The dissertation also allows you to challenge and contribute to management knowledge, understand the complexity of the world of organisations and business, and appreciate the practical applicability of management theory. Operations Management Submission of dissertation or major project Strategic Management Your dissertation or major project must be submitted by 1 September 2016. The Personal Global Political Economy New Business Development Extenuating Circumstances (PEC) Committee may, in exceptional circumstances, Organisational Leadership Development grant an extension to the submission deadline for the dissertation. If you have personal 7 Behaviour In Practice Enabling Collaborative circumstances affecting your work on the dissertation, please submit a PEC form to the Competing With IT Working programme secretary as soon as possible. 8 Management Consultancy The programme is structured as follows: Business in Action and the Personal and Professional Transformation modules are overarching and underpinning modules, running throughout the entire year. The compulsory modules, underpinning modules, as well as 2 elective modules (from a choice of 7) combine to make your entire programme. Each module has a value of 10 credits, with the dissertation being worth 50 credits. This provides a programme total of 180 credits over a 12-month period. *Electives do not all run every year and a minimum number of students are required for an elective to run.
Your assessment The assessment will depend on the individual module. You can expect to be assessed by a variety of means, including examinations, assignments both individual and group, presentations and the dissertation. The mix of assessment methods is to allow you to demonstrate your understanding of the knowledge outcomes of the programme and also your assimilation of the skills outlined above. The assessment methods used in individual modules are included in the module outlines. The assessments for all MBA compulsory modules are summarised in the table below. Assessment feedback is due 20 working days after hand-in. Module Examination Individual assignment Global Political Economy Competing with IT 100% Strategic Management 50% 50% Strategic Marketing 50% 50% Strategic Human 100% Group assessment Presentation 70% 30% (group) Resource Management 9 1010 Organisational Behaviour in Practice Accounting and Finance Personal and Professional Transformation 50% 50% 50% 50% 100% Operations 100% Management Business in Action 50% Assignment 1 50% Assignment 2 Management Consultancy 75% 25% (group) Please note that with regard to students on the MBA programme only, who joined it from September 2015, different exam conventions will apply to those on other PGT programmes. Those students who fail up to 20 credits of non-core modules from the taught stage of the programme will be recommended, as of right, for the award of an appropriate Master s degree or Postgraduate Diploma, provided that no single mark for any module assessed is below 40 and the weighted average mark for all modules (taking credit values into account) is at least 50. Such a student will be eligible as of right only for the award of a pass classification. For those students who registered on the MBA programme in 2014/15, the standard University Postgraduate Taught Examination Conventions will apply in relation to any failed modules.