BSFT

2012

LOUGHBOROUGHUNIVERSITY

Programme Specification

Postgraduate Programmes in Business Administration

Please Note: This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the programmes and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably expect to achieve and demonstrate if full advantage is taken of the learning opportunities that are provided. More detailed information on the learning outcomes, content and teaching, learning and assessment methods of each module can be found in Module Specifications and other programme documentation and online at

The accuracy of the information in this document is reviewed by the University and may be checked by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.

Awarding body/institution
/ LoughboroughUniversity
Teaching institution (if different)
Details of accreditation by professional/statutory body
Name of final award / M.B.A.
Programme title / MBA
MBA in International Sports Management
UCAS code
Subject Benchmark Statement / QAA Master’s awards in business and management
Date at which the programme specification was written or revised / September 2011

1.Aims of the Programme

The programme aims to:

  • Provide participants with a positive learning experience and environment that builds upon the experience of managers drawn from a wide range of educational, business and commercial backgrounds.
  • Provide such managers with a challenging educational experience in terms of general intellectual and personal development, within the context of the academic study of business and management.
  • Enable participants to develop a thorough conceptual understanding of the core management disciplines and activities internationally, and to permit detailed study of a chosen managerial theme through the provision of module options and/or summer schools.
  • Enhance the management skills of participants through the application of learning in real business environments, and through an emphasis in all subjects of managerial relevance.
  • Develop highly trained and adaptable managers through teaching and learning strategies that reflectadvances in scholarship and the needs of the business community.
  • Encourage in our students hard work, enthusiasm and self-motivation, a positive attitude to change, a desire for excellence, a visionary and positive approach to future developments and openness to new ideas
  • Enhance students’ lifelong learning skills and personal development so as to be able to work with self-direction and originality and to contribute to business and society at large.

2.Relevant Subject Benchmark Statements and Other Internal and External Reference Points Used to Inform Programme Outcomes

  • The benchmark statement for Master’s awards in business and management
  • The Framework for Higher Education Qualifications
  • Association of Business School (ABS) guidelines
  • Association of MBAs (AMBA) accreditation guidelines
  • LoughboroughUniversity Teaching and Learning Strategy
  • LoughboroughUniversityMission Statement
  • School of Business and Economics (‘the School’) Mission Statement and Statement of General Aims for Postgraduate Programmes
  • The University Academic Quality Procedures

3.Intended Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to demonstrate knowledge and holistic understanding of:

  • A1 - the internal aspects, functions and processes of organisations - including their diverse nature, purposes, structures, governance, operations and management, together with the individual and corporate behaviours and cultures which exist within and between organisations and their influence on the external context they operate in;
  • A2 - the external context in which organisations operate - including economic, environmental, ethical, legal, political, sociological and technological factors, together with their effects at local, national and international levels upon the strategy, behaviour and management of organisations;
  • A3 - how organisations are managed - including the various processes, procedures and practices for effective leadership and management of organisations with regard to relevant theories, models, frameworks, tasks and roles of management together with rational analysis and other processes of decision making within organisations and in relation to the external context.

For the full time MBA;

  • A4 - the contexts and processes in which enterprise and innovation are able to thrive and prosper – including managerial style, organisational culture and stakeholder expectations.

For the MBA (International Sports Management);

  • A5 – the International Sports Management environment, including regulation, governance and legal frameworks.

Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be achieved and demonstrated:

  • Learning and teaching is provided through lectures, seminars and workshops, consultancy style projects, web-based guided study and guided independent work. Case studies and group work feature on a number of modules;
  • Feedback to the learning process is through coursework assignment, class tests, one-to-one contact with lecturers and/or tutors. Feedback may sometimes occur through tutorials, seminars or workshops, as determined by individual module organisers;
  • Demonstration of learning achievement is through formal examination, tests, coursework assignments, and project reports.

Skills and other attributes:

a. Subject-specific cognitive skills:

On successful completion of this programme students should be able to:

  • B1 - use critical thinking, analysis and synthesis to evaluate and apply concepts and insights from business disciplines, including comprehension of complex scenarios;
  • B2 - analyse and appraise theoretical and practical issues and problems in business and management by using the theories and models appropriate to those disciplines;
  • B3 - collect relevant information across a range of areas pertaining to a current business, organisational or management situation, analyse that information using relevant techniques and synthesise it into an appropriate form in order to evaluate decision alternatives.

Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be achieved and demonstrated:

  • Learning and formal assessment of skills in assignments, tests and examinations;
  • Preparation of coursework assignments that critically review theories and application of theories in business and management;
  • Preparation of a project report requiring strategic analysis of a new technology, product or an industry;
  • Preparation of an extended report requiring strategic analysis of a contemporary management theme.

b. Subject-specific practical skills

On successful completion of the programme students should be able to:

  • C1 - make effective use of information and communication technologies in a business context including word processing, storage and manipulation of data, generation of presentations, use of the internet and e-mail using appropriate software;
  • C2 - conduct research effectively and efficiently using a range of sources of business-related materials including books, journals, trade and financial press, official statistics and the internet;
  • C3 - use effective team-working skills, including leadership, team-building and project management in group work situations.

Forthe full time MBA;

  • C4 – effectively engage with organisations adopting new approaches to managing enterprise and produce a group consultancy report on an organisational strategic initiative.

For the MBA (International Sports Management);

  • C5 –effectively engage with organisations in the sports management sector to produce a group consultancy report on an organisational strategic initiative.

Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be achieved and demonstrated:

  • Preparation of assessed coursework essays, preparation of projects;
  • Formal assessment of individual and group-based coursework and examination of technical methods.

c. Key transferable skills

On successful completion of the programme students should be able to:
  • D1 - display effective interpersonal skills including effective communication, listening, influencing and conflict resolution;
  • D2 - be open to new ideas and be aware that in many situations there is a range of possible interpretations and/or solutions;
  • D3 - apply critical thinking and creativity to resolve practical problems;
  • D4 - solve problems using relevant decision making processes and techniques;
  • D5 - scan and organise data, abstract meaning from information and share knowledge;
  • D6 - make effective use of Communication and Information Technology (CIT);
  • D7 - recognise and utilise individuals’ contributions in group processes;
  • D8 - use effective team-working skills including leadership, team-building and project management;
  • D9 - recognise ethical situations, applying ethical and organisational values to situations and choices;
  • D10 - use effective personal organisation including time management, self-direction, self-motivation, tenacity and pro-activeness;
  • D11 - learn through reflection on practice and experience.

Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be achieved and demonstrated:

  • Studying a broad range of qualitative and quantitative based modules that require for understanding and assessment purposes demonstration of a range of individual interpersonal skills;
  • Preparation of assessed coursework essays and projects;
  • Working on group assignments;
  • Formal assessment of individual and group-based coursework and examination of technical methods.

4.Programme Structure and Requirements, Levels, Modules, Credits and Awards

The programmes are a full-time course of study taught over two semesters plus summer months and/or in three or four-day blocks as a part-time programme. The programme is divided into units of study called modules, which may be rated as 10 (single) or 20 (double) credits, along with a Managing Enterprise, International Sports Management andBusiness/Sports Management Project modules, which includes a research methods component (each totalling30 credits). The programme comprises 180 credits taken over a minimum of one year (full-time) and two years (part-time). Students join the programme in October (full-time) and October or February (part-time) when an induction programmes are scheduled.

The full-time MBA programme is made up core (i.e. compulsory) modules, in total accounting for 120 credits, and an elective theme within the Managing Enterprise module, accounting for an additional 30 credits. Students develop the theme further as the subject base of their Business Project module which accounts for another 30 credits and completes the 180 credits needed for the programme.

The part-time MBA programme consists of core modules totalling 80 credits, an additional 30 credits for the Business Project module and 70 credits of optional modules chosen from the current MBA electives suite of modules.

The MBA (International Sports Management)programme is made up core (i.e. compulsory) modules, in total accounting for 120 credits, and an elective theme within the International Sports Management module, accounting for an additional 30 credits. Students develop the theme further as the subject base of their Sports Management Project module which accounts for another 30 credits and completes the 180 credits needed for the programme.

Full details can be found in the Programme Regulations at:-

5.Criteria for Admission to the Programme

Candidates will be considered for entry to the programme with the following minimum requirements:

Applicants must normally be Graduates of an approved UK University or any recognised foreign University. Alternatively, candidates will be considered if they hold one of the following:

-Associate membership of any Chartered Institution such as (ICAEW, CIMA, ACCA, CIPFA, ICSA)

-Diploma in Management Studies, the Diploma in Industrial Management, or the Diploma in Marketing from an approved University, Tertiary-Level Educational Institution or appropriate professional organisation (such as the Engineering Management Partnership)

-Exceptional managerial/professional experience, determined by special caseinterview with the programme director

In addition, candidates are expected to have three or more years of relevant professional, management or business experience.

Further details are available at

In addition, direct admittance to the programme is possible with relevant credit given for successful completion of an affiliated programme. In particular, with the permission of the MBA Director, 40 credits may be obtained towards the award of MBA on the basis of successful completion of the following Loughborough programmes. When credit is awarded to candidates under this provision, it will normally replace that awarded for modules that most closely correspond with the prior study, as defined by the MBA Director.

Professional Diploma in Management

Postgraduate Diploma in Management

Postgraduate Diploma in Management and Leadership

Postgraduate Diploma in Industrial Sales and Marketing

MSc in Management (Professional)

MSc in Management and Leadership

MSc in Management or International Management or Marketing and Management or Finance and Management

All candidates who have obtained the Engineering Management Partnership Certificate are granted 40 credits towards the award of MBA. The four10-credit modules for which credit is awarded are Accounting for Managers, Management of Human Resources, Operations Management and Marketing.

6.Information about the programme assessment strategy:

Full information about our assessment strategycan be found in section 6 of our comprehensive statement to supplement this programme specification which is available on our web site at:

  1. What makes the Programmes Distinctive

The full-time programme has been specially designed for experienced managers who are returning to a learning environment. The programme builds upon the existing skills and knowledge of participants to provide frameworks, techniques and concepts within which these might be further developed. The content and assessment seeks to combine the application of the latest management theories with practical situations to place knowledge in context.

The programme builds upon the considerable experience that the Schoolhas developed through extensive links with industry and commerce and uses these relationships to enhance the student experience.

The underlying theme that provides the programmes distinctiveness is Enterprise and Innovation, this builds upon the recent development of an Enterprise Education hub within the School. The modules Managing Innovation and Managing Enterprise are unique within the UK context. Managing Innovation requires students to work directly with an industry partner to evaluate and develop a commercial plan for new products and/or technologies. Managing Enterprise addresses three contemporary themes that challenge common conventions in the way organisations are organised and run. Run as an intensive two week summer school students chose one theme to study in depth, meet with a leading practitioner organisation to undertake a group project and develop further understanding through application to their Business Project module.

The part-time programme provides a flexible format in both content and structure. Designed specifically for working managers students are able to take modules as three/four day blocks and/or out of standard working hours in the evenings and at weekends.

The MBA (International Sports Management) programme is designed to address the needs of managers operating in a contemporary international sports environment. The emphasis is strongly focused on the management of sports; sports related and global sports business organisations. The programme is delivered through the School of Business and Economics and provides a managerial, business and governance perspective on sports management. The programme has been designed for experienced managers who are returning to a learning environment and are drawn internationally from a wide range of educational, business and commercial backgrounds. The programme builds upon the existing skills and knowledge of participants to provide frameworks, techniques and concepts within which these might be further developed. The content and assessment seeks to combine the application of the latest management theories with practical “real life” situations to place knowledge in a global context and apply it to the workplace.

The programme builds upon the considerable experience that the School has developed through extensive links with international sports organisations, bodies and federations. Contributions to the programme will be sort from international organisations and federations.

The MBA (International Sports Management)programme provides a managerial and business understanding of managing in a sports organisation by offering a series of core management modules that consider and apply concepts, theories and techniques in international sports environments. The modules Managing Sports Innovation and International Sports Management are unique within the UK context. Managing Sports Innovation requires students to work directly with Loughborough’s world renowned Institute of Sports Technology to evaluate and develop a commercial plan for new products and/or technologies. International Sports Management addresses three key themes; policy and governance; sports events management; sports performance management and provides a global perspective on each of these. Run as an intensive two week summer school students chose one theme to study in depth, meet with a leading practitioner organisation to undertake a group project and develop further understanding through application to their Sports Management Project module.

The current part time MBA programme is accredited by AMBA (Association of MBAs) and it is the intention of the programme team to seek additional pre-launch accreditation for the new programmes.

8.Particular support for learning

Information about the support offered by the School for this programme and the general support offered by the University for all programmes is available on our web site at:

9.Methods for evaluating and improving the quality and standards of learning

The official University statement about improving quality for all programmes is available on our web site at:

ProgSpec MBA FT201212