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Course Overview
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Data is everywhere and is growing rapidly every day. In a fast-changing digital world, there is a very high demand for game-changers who can predict business needs and who can understand and interpret data to make effective decisions.
Our Business Analytics Masters course provides you with the opportunity and skills to explore the latest techniques for analysing ‘big data’ to identify patterns, interpret trends and advance your organisation’s drive for strategic change.
On this programme, you will be a part of a diverse international cohort of students, giving you an invaluable opportunity to share experiences and discover new ideas with people from different cultural backgrounds.
Aimed at those with an interest in problem-solving and critical thinking, this course welcomes those from any undergraduate background, including applicants who have no previous business or analytics experience. Our Business Analytics MSc develops broad business skills while offering specialist knowledge in business analytics for tomorrow’s business leaders.
During the programme you will have the opportunity to learn about the principles, theories and practices used by entrepreneurial and innovative organisations. This includes frameworks for reviewing, reflecting, analysing and critiquing your own entrepreneurial mindset, intentions and potential ventures.
In collaboration with local partners, you will be exposed to real world experiences of entrepreneurship and innovation from guest speakers. You will learn how to work effectively within dynamic teams; how to adopt a design-ethos in problem-solving; and how to lead entrepreneurially.
The teaching and learning activities this Business Analytics MSc provides will prepare you for employment in a variety of settings from self-employment, as part of a new venture, or as a motivated and valued entrepreneurial team member in a private business or public organisation.
You will develop practical skills to promote creative thinking through practice-based elements in which real-world problems are introduced for the testing of creative team-working techniques. Entrepreneurial skills will be combined with theory and an overview of the policy environment to equip you for a variety of employment options or further research.
The course culminates in either a Master’s Dissertation, Management Enquiry, or, if you prefer, a Consultancy Project where you’ll tackle an issue faced by a real client. Throughout the course, you will gain critical business intelligence knowledge and develop data insights supported by a strong analytics toolbox. A combination of modules on data management and visualisation, forecasting and predictive analytics, business analytics in practice will prepare you for data challenges and equip you with skills to effectively navigate a continuously changing digital landscape.
Seeother similar courses you may be interested inDigital Business
Course Information
Level of Study
Postgraduate
Mode of Study
1 year Full Time
1 other options available
Department
Newcastle Business School
Location
City Campus, Northumbria University
City
Newcastle
Start
September 2024
Fees
Fee Information
Modules
Module Information
Funding and Scholarships
Discover the funding options available to you.
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Funding and Scholarships
Discover the funding options available to you.
You will be part of a global cohort of dedicatedstudents in a positive multicultural learning environment.
You will benefit from the vast experience of leading staffwho have taught research-informed and cutting-edge topics.
The Business Analytics Masters is delivered via lectures, seminars,workshops and one-to-one sessions. From the outset you will apply academicknowledge to real life business issues via tutorial-based activities, casediscussions and group-work sessions. Youwill also enjoy guest lectures from practitioners where you will have theopportunity to engage with industry.
To complement the formal modules we focus on developingyour key capability skills. This includes a residential day for the leadership andteam-building event, which is in the first semester, which is in the first semester as part ofa module called Leadership and Management Development, which is aimed atstrengthening skills in team working, emotional and cultural intelligence,self-reflection, independent learning and critical thinking.
You will be assessed through a combination of personaldevelopment planning, group and peer assessments, and reflective reports aswell as traditional exams and essays. This will help you to become anindependent, reflective and critical thinker who is culturally and ethicallyaware, with strong leadership and management capabilities.
Discover more / Explore Northumbria University
Take a look at what Northumbria has to offer and discover what studying with us can do for you.
Whenyou join Newcastle Business School you will become part of a business schoolwith a global reputation for delivering some of the best business managementcourses in the UK.
We hold double accreditation from the Association toAdvance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) in business and accounting – aninternational hallmark of excellence – in large part due to the exceptionalquality of our staff.
The academic team have extensive experience in bothresearch and industry, with specialisms including forecasting, decision making,analytics, information systems and knowledge management. We incorporate our professionalexperience and ongoing research into the syllabus, to ensure you are up-to-datewith current developments in a fast-changing and challenging field.
Our staff are actively pushing at the frontiers ofknowledge and generating new concepts and insights. Over 40% of our publicationoutputs and 60% of our impact case studies have been assessed asinternationally excellent or world leading. The quality of our research,teaching and engagement with business were among the factors that led toNewcastle Business School being named ‘Business School of the Year’ at theTimes Higher Education Awards 2015.
Discover more / Explore Northumbria University
Take a look at what Northumbria has to offer and discover what studying with us can do for you.
Fromthe postgraduate suite to seminar rooms, lecture theatres to social spaces,Newcastle Business School offers a fantastic learning environment.
The University has investedheavily in IT labs and facilities. You’ll use a variety of analytics softwaresuch as KNIME, R, ARIS Express Business Process Modelling, SAS, SPSS, MicrosoftProject and Google Analytics.
Technology Enhanced Learning(TEL) is embedded throughout the course with tools such as the ‘Blackboard’eLearning Portal and electronic reading lists that will guide your preparationfor seminars and independent research. Our use of lecture capture software willhelp you revise challenging material.
At Northumbria it’s easy toput your learning into practice, opportunities for experiential learning areavailable through our Student Engagement Centre which promotes volunteering andplacements. The Business Clinic enables our students to participate in a‘consultancy firm’ to provide advice for our region’s businesses.
Facilities
Discover more / Explore Northumbria University
Take a look at what Northumbria has to offer and discover what studying with us can do for you.
NewcastleBusiness School is a vibrant and research-rich school with research expertisein the areas of forecasting, risk perception and risk communication, decisionsupport systems, operations management and business analytics. The course drawsheavily on the high-impact research of staff and modules are informed by theirown findings as well as from the wider field of research.
Our strong history of applied research is closely linkedto local industry as well as the public and voluntary sectors. This businessrelevant approach to teaching and learning has been developed to maximise yourleadership, management and employability potential.
Throughout your Business Analytics Masters you’ll be an active participantin the on-going research agenda that’s at the heart of Newcastle BusinessSchool. With conferences and research events regularly taking place, and withstaff discussing their own research as it relates to the topics you’ll study,there’s a strong emphasis on engaging in up-to-date enquiry-based research-richlearning.
Research / Newcastle Business School
Discover more about current research projects at Newcastle Business School.
Discover more / Explore Northumbria University
Take a look at what Northumbria has to offer and discover what studying with us can do for you.
Graduatesof this course can pursue a wide range of professional and graduate managementpositions in areas of business consulting, data science, analytics, management,information systems, project management, supply chain management, operations managementas well as non-business disciplines.
As part of this course you will build a portfolio of materials that can be presented to employers to demonstrate your development and appropriateness for roles in the business analytics field, the content of which will be informed by the work you undertake in the modules you study.
You may decide you want to start up your own business, it’s goodto know that the combined turnover of our graduates’ start-up companies ishigher than that of any other UK university. This course is also the ideal stepping stone if you’re interested in acareer in academic research, and successful graduates may be eligible foradvanced entry onto our PhD or DBA programmes.
Whatever you decide to do, you will have thetransferable skills that employers expect from a Master’s graduate from NorthumbriaUniversity. These include the ability to tackle complex issues throughconceptualisation and undertaking research, the ability to contribute to newprocesses and knowledge, and the ability to formulate balanced judgements whenconsidering incomplete or ambiguous data.
Discover more / Explore Northumbria University
Take a look at what Northumbria has to offer and discover what studying with us can do for you.
EntryRequirements ModulesOverview Fees, Funding and Scholarships StudyOptions
Entry Requirements 2024/25
Standard Entry
Applicants should normally have:
A minimum of a 2:2 honours degree or equivalent, or substantial experience of working in a business organisation.
International qualifications:
If you have studied a non UK qualification, you can see how your qualifications compare to the standard entry criteria, by selecting the country that you received the qualification in, from our country pages. Visitwww.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry
English Language requirements:
International applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 with 5.5 in each component (or approved equivalent*).
*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you will need in our English Language section. Visitwww.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications
Fees and Funding 2024/25 Entry
Full UK Fee: £11,750
Full EU Fee: £19,750
Full International Fee: £19,750
Scholarships and Discounts
Discover Moreabout Fees, Scholarships and other Funding options for UK, EU and International applicants.
ADDITIONAL COSTS
There are various books that are recommended for purchase throughout the duration of this course, with costs being approximately £200. A number of these books will also be available with free open access or in the library, in either hard and/or electronic format.
* At Northumbria we are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of personal data. To view the University’s Privacy Notice please click here
Modules Overview 2024/25
Modules
Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.
Year one
Year one
BM9716 -
Business Statistics and Data Analytics (Core,20 Credits)
In this module you will learn about how to use statistical tools and analytical software in Business Analysis. You will learn the necessary skills to make sure that processes run efficiently, particularly with the application of these statistical analytical tools in real business cases by taking into consideration all the face of opportunities and challenges arising from the worldwide reach of business. You will gain the basic and the essential knowledge in addition to practical analytical skills to think as a professional business analyst, project manager, operations analyst,
digital analytics specialist or data analytics consultant in a globalised digital environment. Moreover, you will discover the basic analytical statistical thinking of data analysis in business and put your learning into practice by applying it to real case studies which will help you to gain experience with the recent issues in business and digital market. Business Statistics and Data Analytics work hand-in-hand, because analytics turns data into insights that guide intelligent business decisions. You will learn how to discover and create knowledge from data analysis assem well as data preparation, data visualization, statistical analysis and other advanced analytics tools by using SPSS and applying one of the most famous analytics tools “SAS software” which is known as Analytics Leader. This course will help you in understanding business statistical analysis, develop your data analysis skills and will qualify you to work in organisations and help them to achieve their digital transformation goals.
More information
BM9717 -
Data Management and Visualization (Core,20 Credits)
In this module, you will discover what data is and think about what questions you have that can be answered by the data – even if you’ve never thought about data before. Based on existing data, you will learn to develop a research question, describe the variables and their relationships, calculate basic statistics, and present your results clearly. This module is designed to teach you to handle data programmatically, without being software engineers. By the end of the module, you will be able to use one of the powerful data analysis tools – R – to manage and visualize your data, including how to deal with missing data, variable groups, and graphs. Throughout the module, you will share your progress with others to gain valuable feedback, while also learning how your peers use data to answer their own questions.
More information
BM9718 -
Research Methods and Analytics for Business Practice (Core,20 Credits)
In this module you will learn about a comprehensive range of research methods and business analytics techniques. This will equip you with the knowledge and practical skills necessary for you to conduct research at Masters’ level and prepare you to complete a Master’s Dissertation, Consultancy Project or Management Enquiry. By the end of the module you will know how to apply both quantitative and qualitative data collection and business analysis techniques. In quantitative techniques you will learn about sampling, questionnaire design, statistical inference, and hypothesis testing while qualitative techniques covered will include methods such as interviewing and focus groups. Analysis methods such as content analysis and thematic analysis will also be covered. In addition, you will gain some understanding of research philosophy (positivism and interpretivism) and research ethics and you will be able to write a research proposal to bring these ideas together.
Furthermore, this module will provide clear, critical, and analysis of data, you will also be able to consider the use of analytics implementation skills, where you will be introduced to analytics software such as SPSS. SPSS statistics analysis is one of the powerful solutions that is designed to help businesses and researchers to solve problems by various methods (geospatial analysis, predictive analytics and hypothesis testing).
More information
BM9719 -
Forecasting and Predictive Analytics (Core,20 Credits)
This module aims at educating you in the field of forecasting and predictive analytics to respond to the job market needs using a variety of methodologies. Your journey shall be a quest to distinguish the "true" signal from a universe of "noise" through the lenses of forecasting and predictive analytics. To be more specific, this module covers the typical methodological steps of a prediction exercise, statistical modelling, and artificial intelligence methodologies for prediction via applications in different business settings. This modules teaches you fundamental techniques used for predictive analytics: regression, classification, clustering, Bayesian and other machine learning approaches and models. You will learn how to perform forecasting using time-based data to predict future values from a model. You will get practice with classification and use various techniques for clustering and linear regression to solve common business problems; as well as learn techniques for assessing the effectiveness of your solutions.
More information
BM9720 -
Analytics for Competitive Advantage (Core,20 Credits)
This module prepares you to develop competitive business strategies by developing key “hard” skills that are essential in a competitive landscape. In this module you will learn how to use marketing and supply chain analytics to progress your skills on enhancing the functional performance of a modern business. This includes specialised approaches, methods, and techniques that complement your learning with R analytics, SPSS, and SAS in the previous modules. You will be introduced to competitiveness techniques that help you automate, inform, and strategize business processes and enhance the overall value chain. You will practice business analytics in key business areas such as logistics, operations, marketing, and decision support systems. This learning-by-doing (action learning) philosophy will enable you to use “passive” and “active” business analytics to enhance your skills for competitiveness and strategizing. Examples of passive analytics software included in this module are KISSmetrics, RetentionGrid, Metrilo, Clicky, and Adobe Marketing Cloud. Each of them will be demonstrated using a practical case study in four functional areas, including procurement/ inbound logistics, operations, marketing, and after sale services.
To strengthen this application of analytics to organisational competitiveness and the pursuit of competitive advantage, you will also participate in a business simulation where you will be exposed to cross-functional business decision making in the pursuit of a competitive business strategy.
A prominent theme throughout this module is to give you experience in contemporary analytics software applications used in the key business functions, and by doing so, this will enhance your employability for graduate-entry analytics roles. In addition to being able to provide critical analysis of data, you will also be able to consider the business implementation and communication skills required. This module emphasises the development of practical skills and techniques required by businesses to help them in strategizing their operations. You will also develop “soft skills” relating to communication and conflict resolution as well as enhancing your knowledge of commercialisation and market positioning strategies.
More information
GA7000 -
Academic Language Skills for Postgraduate Business Students (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)
Studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This
module is designed to support your transition to postgraduate level study in the use and practice of subject specific skills around assessments
and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to further develop your abilities to read and study effectively
for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your
use and application of language and communications skills suitable for a postgraduate level of study.
The topics you will cover on the module include:
• Understanding postgraduate assignment briefs.
• Developing advanced academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising advanced ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring postgraduate level academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Speaking in postgraduate seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related postgraduate level academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Postgraduate level speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.
More information
MK9711 -
Developing Leadership Capability for Professional Practice (Core,20 Credits)
This module engages you in personal and professional development in order that you develop and hone your teamworking, management and leadership skills, capabilities and attributes, and in so doing, enhance your employability. On this module, you will not only prepare for your first job after you graduate but also kickstart your commitment to life-long personal and professional learning. In the first part of the module you will be supported in a self-analysis by a range of activities, including the completion of self-administered tool-kits to demonstrate an increased self-awareness and self-understanding. This will also involve applying theoretical frameworks and researching contemporary literature for a more in-depth understanding of self. A key outcome of this process is how you will be able to exploit this development in order to lead, and manage, more effectively in your future careers. The second part of the module contains activities which enable you to build on your self-analysis and explore further your strengths, weaknesses and areas for development in the context of your career development plans. You will receive guidance on how to craft professional, postgraduate CVs, LinkeIn profiles, and supporting documentation to meet the needs of employer. Furthermore, you will use your understanding of self to help you to understand the key issues and specific challenges that you face, with your skills profile, in relation to your employability prospects in your target profession/industry/sector. This will also include the development of knowledge into the global graduate market, (including routes such as self-employment and developing your career with an existing employer) drawing upon local, national and international examples.
More information
NX0477 -
NBS Masters Consultancy Project (Optional,60 Credits)
This option is offered as an alternative to the NBS Masters’ Dissertation on all 1-year MSc programmes and in the second semester of year 2 on the 2-year programme variants with Study Abroad and with Advanced Practice (if the students select an Internship in semester 1), again as a Dissertation alternative. It is also offered as alternative to the Management Investigation on the MBA.
On this consultancy based module you will enhance your individual effectiveness and employability skills by locating the learning and development in an organisational context. In doing so, you will promote personal and group development, commercial awareness, and a range of inter-personal, intellectual and practical skills and knowledge centred on and demonstrated through a group negotiated real-time work-based project.
The content of the management report will be unique. The nature and scope of the area of your investigation will be defined and agreed in collaboration with the organisation and the University supervisor. The syllabus will include:
•Conducting research in organisations.
•Identifying researchable questions.
•Consultancy and project management skills.
•Research methods and doing a literature review
•Presentation, communication and report writing skills.
•Analysing findings.
•Writing recommendations and action plans.
•Reflecting on work based experiential learning.
In undertaking this project based module, you will critically reflect and evaluate upon organisational practices and their relation with academic theory, and in doing so, provide practical and actionable recommendations through an investigative management report.
The assessment for your module consists of a Group Consultancy Report (7,000 words) and Final Client Presentation, weighted at 60%, alongside an Individual Assignment comprising a Literature Review (4000 words) and a Reflective Learning Statement (2,000 words), weighted at 40%.
More information
NX0480 -
The Newcastle Business School Masters Dissertation (Optional,60 Credits)
In this module you will gain an understanding of the academic skills that are required to produce a Masters Dissertation. By the end of the module you will have written a 15000 word Masters dissertation. The areas included are:
•Justification for the choice of topic
•Appropriate understanding, awareness and critical analysis of existing and up to date literature evidenced by a comprehensive and well-referenced literature review with an extensive reference list
•Selection, justification and application of an appropriately rigorous methodology - including limitations of the approach selected
•Clear statement of the findings of the research
•Critical analysis of the findings
•Explicit links between the analysis and the conclusions supported by critical argument
•Evidence of original work or thought for example in the form or context of the data collected, analytical process or application of findings
More information
NX9734 -
Masters' Management Enquiry (Optional,60 Credits)
The Masters’ Management Enquiry module is a student-led individual project that enables you to undertake a significant piece of assessed
work commensurate with a capstone module and is offered as an alternative to the Masters’ Dissertation and Masters’ Consultancy Project.
The module aims to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate an authentic engagement with managers and/or professionals in your
discipline (this enquiry has to be discipline specific), and to integrate the knowledge you have developed during your programme to explore
the theory in practice. The learning on this module is experiential and problem based, where the focus is upon you discovering, probing and
questioning key practice-based issues. Through the module you will be offered the opportunity to develop and enhance key transferable
employability skills including; time management, project management, communication (written, aural and verbal), negotiation, persuasion and
influence, discovery, initiative, problem-solving and analysis.
The module has five thematic areas; explore, review, engage, reflect and connect. These form the key elements of the assessed submission
which is a single 15,000 word report.
Part A (35%, 5,000-5,500 words)
Explore: Interviewing a manager and/or professional in your discipline. In this interview you will either explore a key issue which you feel the
discipline is facing or, alternatively, explore with the manager or professional the key issues that they feel they are facing in practice. It is
expected that you will apply non-verbatim documented conversation and provide evidence of the key ideas emerging within the submitted
enquiry report (e.g. within the appendices).
Review: Critically examining the academic and practitioner literature to support the exploration, displaying an ability to critically assess and
appraise the knowledge of your discipline related to a specific key issue arising from your exploration.
Part B (65%, 9,500-10,000 words)
Engage: Displaying an authentic engagement with the discipline problem/issue identified in Part A, by collecting/generating and analysing
further live data (beyond the initial interview) regarding the discipline problem/issue. This live data may be primary data (e.g. further interviews
with, or questionnaire to, managers and/or professionals in practice) or secondary data (e.g. industry data). Application of appropriate,
ethically-considered, research methods and appropriate qualitative or quantitative data analysis.
Reflect and Connect: Demonstrating an ability to critically evaluate and reflect on the issues arising from the Management Enquiry.
Demonstrating how you have connected and fed-back to the participants of the Enquiry (usually the manager and/or participants) your key
findings to provide clear prioritised, well-justified, practical and actionable recommendations for change/enhancement/improvement to existing
practice to show how the recommendations would potentially affect workplace professional decision making.
More information
Modules Overview 2025/26
Modules
Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.
Year one
Year one
BM9716 -
Business Statistics and Data Analytics (Core,20 Credits)
In this module you will learn about how to use statistical tools and analytical software in Business Analysis. You will learn the necessary skills to make sure that processes run efficiently, particularly with the application of these statistical analytical tools in real business cases by taking into consideration all the face of opportunities and challenges arising from the worldwide reach of business. You will gain the basic and the essential knowledge in addition to practical analytical skills to think as a professional business analyst, project manager, operations analyst,
digital analytics specialist or data analytics consultant in a globalised digital environment. Moreover, you will discover the basic analytical statistical thinking of data analysis in business and put your learning into practice by applying it to real case studies which will help you to gain experience with the recent issues in business and digital market. Business Statistics and Data Analytics work hand-in-hand, because analytics turns data into insights that guide intelligent business decisions. You will learn how to discover and create knowledge from data analysis assem well as data preparation, data visualization, statistical analysis and other advanced analytics tools by using SPSS and applying one of the most famous analytics tools “SAS software” which is known as Analytics Leader. This course will help you in understanding business statistical analysis, develop your data analysis skills and will qualify you to work in organisations and help them to achieve their digital transformation goals.
More information
BM9717 -
Data Management and Visualization (Core,20 Credits)
In this module, you will discover what data is and think about what questions you have that can be answered by the data – even if you’ve never thought about data before. Based on existing data, you will learn to develop a research question, describe the variables and their relationships, calculate basic statistics, and present your results clearly. This module is designed to teach you to handle data programmatically, without being software engineers. By the end of the module, you will be able to use one of the powerful data analysis tools – R – to manage and visualize your data, including how to deal with missing data, variable groups, and graphs. Throughout the module, you will share your progress with others to gain valuable feedback, while also learning how your peers use data to answer their own questions.
More information
BM9718 -
Research Methods and Analytics for Business Practice (Core,20 Credits)
In this module you will learn about a comprehensive range of research methods and business analytics techniques. This will equip you with the knowledge and practical skills necessary for you to conduct research at Masters’ level and prepare you to complete a Master’s Dissertation, Consultancy Project or Management Enquiry. By the end of the module you will know how to apply both quantitative and qualitative data collection and business analysis techniques. In quantitative techniques you will learn about sampling, questionnaire design, statistical inference, and hypothesis testing while qualitative techniques covered will include methods such as interviewing and focus groups. Analysis methods such as content analysis and thematic analysis will also be covered. In addition, you will gain some understanding of research philosophy (positivism and interpretivism) and research ethics and you will be able to write a research proposal to bring these ideas together.
Furthermore, this module will provide clear, critical, and analysis of data, you will also be able to consider the use of analytics implementation skills, where you will be introduced to analytics software such as SPSS. SPSS statistics analysis is one of the powerful solutions that is designed to help businesses and researchers to solve problems by various methods (geospatial analysis, predictive analytics and hypothesis testing).
More information
BM9719 -
Forecasting and Predictive Analytics (Core,20 Credits)
This module aims at educating you in the field of forecasting and predictive analytics to respond to the job market needs using a variety of methodologies. Your journey shall be a quest to distinguish the "true" signal from a universe of "noise" through the lenses of forecasting and predictive analytics. To be more specific, this module covers the typical methodological steps of a prediction exercise, statistical modelling, and artificial intelligence methodologies for prediction via applications in different business settings. This modules teaches you fundamental techniques used for predictive analytics: regression, classification, clustering, Bayesian and other machine learning approaches and models. You will learn how to perform forecasting using time-based data to predict future values from a model. You will get practice with classification and use various techniques for clustering and linear regression to solve common business problems; as well as learn techniques for assessing the effectiveness of your solutions.
More information
BM9720 -
Analytics for Competitive Advantage (Core,20 Credits)
This module prepares you to develop competitive business strategies by developing key “hard” skills that are essential in a competitive landscape. In this module you will learn how to use marketing and supply chain analytics to progress your skills on enhancing the functional performance of a modern business. This includes specialised approaches, methods, and techniques that complement your learning with R analytics, SPSS, and SAS in the previous modules. You will be introduced to competitiveness techniques that help you automate, inform, and strategize business processes and enhance the overall value chain. You will practice business analytics in key business areas such as logistics, operations, marketing, and decision support systems. This learning-by-doing (action learning) philosophy will enable you to use “passive” and “active” business analytics to enhance your skills for competitiveness and strategizing. Examples of passive analytics software included in this module are KISSmetrics, RetentionGrid, Metrilo, Clicky, and Adobe Marketing Cloud. Each of them will be demonstrated using a practical case study in four functional areas, including procurement/ inbound logistics, operations, marketing, and after sale services.
To strengthen this application of analytics to organisational competitiveness and the pursuit of competitive advantage, you will also participate in a business simulation where you will be exposed to cross-functional business decision making in the pursuit of a competitive business strategy.
A prominent theme throughout this module is to give you experience in contemporary analytics software applications used in the key business functions, and by doing so, this will enhance your employability for graduate-entry analytics roles. In addition to being able to provide critical analysis of data, you will also be able to consider the business implementation and communication skills required. This module emphasises the development of practical skills and techniques required by businesses to help them in strategizing their operations. You will also develop “soft skills” relating to communication and conflict resolution as well as enhancing your knowledge of commercialisation and market positioning strategies.
More information
GA7000 -
Academic Language Skills for Postgraduate Business Students (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)
Studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This
module is designed to support your transition to postgraduate level study in the use and practice of subject specific skills around assessments
and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to further develop your abilities to read and study effectively
for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your
use and application of language and communications skills suitable for a postgraduate level of study.
The topics you will cover on the module include:
• Understanding postgraduate assignment briefs.
• Developing advanced academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising advanced ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring postgraduate level academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Speaking in postgraduate seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related postgraduate level academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Postgraduate level speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.
More information
MK9711 -
Developing Leadership Capability for Professional Practice (Core,20 Credits)
This module engages you in personal and professional development in order that you develop and hone your teamworking, management and leadership skills, capabilities and attributes, and in so doing, enhance your employability. On this module, you will not only prepare for your first job after you graduate but also kickstart your commitment to life-long personal and professional learning. In the first part of the module you will be supported in a self-analysis by a range of activities, including the completion of self-administered tool-kits to demonstrate an increased self-awareness and self-understanding. This will also involve applying theoretical frameworks and researching contemporary literature for a more in-depth understanding of self. A key outcome of this process is how you will be able to exploit this development in order to lead, and manage, more effectively in your future careers. The second part of the module contains activities which enable you to build on your self-analysis and explore further your strengths, weaknesses and areas for development in the context of your career development plans. You will receive guidance on how to craft professional, postgraduate CVs, LinkeIn profiles, and supporting documentation to meet the needs of employer. Furthermore, you will use your understanding of self to help you to understand the key issues and specific challenges that you face, with your skills profile, in relation to your employability prospects in your target profession/industry/sector. This will also include the development of knowledge into the global graduate market, (including routes such as self-employment and developing your career with an existing employer) drawing upon local, national and international examples.
More information
NX0477 -
NBS Masters Consultancy Project (Optional,60 Credits)
This option is offered as an alternative to the NBS Masters’ Dissertation on all 1-year MSc programmes and in the second semester of year 2 on the 2-year programme variants with Study Abroad and with Advanced Practice (if the students select an Internship in semester 1), again as a Dissertation alternative. It is also offered as alternative to the Management Investigation on the MBA.
On this consultancy based module you will enhance your individual effectiveness and employability skills by locating the learning and development in an organisational context. In doing so, you will promote personal and group development, commercial awareness, and a range of inter-personal, intellectual and practical skills and knowledge centred on and demonstrated through a group negotiated real-time work-based project.
The content of the management report will be unique. The nature and scope of the area of your investigation will be defined and agreed in collaboration with the organisation and the University supervisor. The syllabus will include:
•Conducting research in organisations.
•Identifying researchable questions.
•Consultancy and project management skills.
•Research methods and doing a literature review
•Presentation, communication and report writing skills.
•Analysing findings.
•Writing recommendations and action plans.
•Reflecting on work based experiential learning.
In undertaking this project based module, you will critically reflect and evaluate upon organisational practices and their relation with academic theory, and in doing so, provide practical and actionable recommendations through an investigative management report.
The assessment for your module consists of a Group Consultancy Report (7,000 words) and Final Client Presentation, weighted at 60%, alongside an Individual Assignment comprising a Literature Review (4000 words) and a Reflective Learning Statement (2,000 words), weighted at 40%.
More information
NX0480 -
The Newcastle Business School Masters Dissertation (Optional,60 Credits)
In this module you will gain an understanding of the academic skills that are required to produce a Masters Dissertation. By the end of the module you will have written a 15000 word Masters dissertation. The areas included are:
•Justification for the choice of topic
•Appropriate understanding, awareness and critical analysis of existing and up to date literature evidenced by a comprehensive and well-referenced literature review with an extensive reference list
•Selection, justification and application of an appropriately rigorous methodology - including limitations of the approach selected
•Clear statement of the findings of the research
•Critical analysis of the findings
•Explicit links between the analysis and the conclusions supported by critical argument
•Evidence of original work or thought for example in the form or context of the data collected, analytical process or application of findings
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NX9734 -
Masters' Management Enquiry (Optional,60 Credits)
The Masters’ Management Enquiry module is a student-led individual project that enables you to undertake a significant piece of assessed
work commensurate with a capstone module and is offered as an alternative to the Masters’ Dissertation and Masters’ Consultancy Project.
The module aims to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate an authentic engagement with managers and/or professionals in your
discipline (this enquiry has to be discipline specific), and to integrate the knowledge you have developed during your programme to explore
the theory in practice. The learning on this module is experiential and problem based, where the focus is upon you discovering, probing and
questioning key practice-based issues. Through the module you will be offered the opportunity to develop and enhance key transferable
employability skills including; time management, project management, communication (written, aural and verbal), negotiation, persuasion and
influence, discovery, initiative, problem-solving and analysis.
The module has five thematic areas; explore, review, engage, reflect and connect. These form the key elements of the assessed submission
which is a single 15,000 word report.
Part A (35%, 5,000-5,500 words)
Explore: Interviewing a manager and/or professional in your discipline. In this interview you will either explore a key issue which you feel the
discipline is facing or, alternatively, explore with the manager or professional the key issues that they feel they are facing in practice. It is
expected that you will apply non-verbatim documented conversation and provide evidence of the key ideas emerging within the submitted
enquiry report (e.g. within the appendices).
Review: Critically examining the academic and practitioner literature to support the exploration, displaying an ability to critically assess and
appraise the knowledge of your discipline related to a specific key issue arising from your exploration.
Part B (65%, 9,500-10,000 words)
Engage: Displaying an authentic engagement with the discipline problem/issue identified in Part A, by collecting/generating and analysing
further live data (beyond the initial interview) regarding the discipline problem/issue. This live data may be primary data (e.g. further interviews
with, or questionnaire to, managers and/or professionals in practice) or secondary data (e.g. industry data). Application of appropriate,
ethically-considered, research methods and appropriate qualitative or quantitative data analysis.
Reflect and Connect: Demonstrating an ability to critically evaluate and reflect on the issues arising from the Management Enquiry.
Demonstrating how you have connected and fed-back to the participants of the Enquiry (usually the manager and/or participants) your key
findings to provide clear prioritised, well-justified, practical and actionable recommendations for change/enhancement/improvement to existing
practice to show how the recommendations would potentially affect workplace professional decision making.
More information
Study Options
The following alternative study options are available for this course:
Full Time
Sep start
2 years Full Time with Advanced Practice / Sep start
More details Add to My Courses
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