6 months

Full time

£3,675 Tuition fee

£6,750 International fee

20 Jan 20 Next start date

Do you want to top up a postgraduate diploma to a full masters qualification? This MBA (Dissertation only) course consists of a single module: a research project. You will gain 60 Credits that top up your previous studies to a full MBA.

If you have not already covered the learning outcomes of the postgraduate diploma stage of our MBA, please consider our full-time Master of Business Administration.

The MBA is one of the most prestigious degrees in management and leadership so it makes perfect sense to top up your diploma to an MBA if you can. This short course allows you to accelerate the completion of your qualification while leveraging our supervisory expertise.

20 January 2020

20 April 2020

This course is focused on your masters dissertation. You can negotiate the topic of the project to fit both your personal interests and the supervisory expertise of our tutors. This 3-6 month course involves a high level of personal research and independent working, under supervision from your tutor. Assessment is based solely on the dissertation.

Entry requirements

To apply for this course you need a Professional Diploma or a Postgraduate Diploma. You must also have a minimum of six months work experience at the graduate level, in either a managerial or professional capacity. This can include voluntary work, placements, internships, project management etc.

In addition to academic qualifications, you must also have a minimum level of English language skills. If English is not your first language, please see our English language requirements.

If you feel you already know some of the topics covered in this course, either due to previous learning or from experience of work, then you may not need to study all of the course.

Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) is the name given to the process of gaining credit towards a qualification because of something you have learnt in the past. If you are eligible for APL you won't have to learn the same topic again so you can be exempt from a module, set of modules or year of a course.

The annual tuition fee for this course is £3,675 for students from the UK / EU. If you are a University of Sunderland graduate, you will receive a £250 alumni discount on your tuition fee.

The annual tuition fee for this course is £6,750.

Additional tuition fee discount for international students: All courses require you to pay 50% of the total tuition fee as a deposit. However, if you pay 100% of your tuition fee prior to CAS issuance, you will receive an extra £650 discount on your tuition fee. This would reduce the total annual cost of this course to £6,100.

If you do not wish to pay all of your tuition fees at once, you can choose to pay the remaining 50% up to three months after the start date. If you choose to pay in this way, you will not receive any extra discount and the total annual cost of this course will be £6,750.

If you are a University of Sunderland graduate you will receive a £250 alumni discount on your tuition fee. 

Studying for your MBA with us will help you build on your previous managerial experience through practical professional development. The course is an investment in yourself, which can lead to higher salaries, promotional opportunities, greater employability and flexibility that is attractive to employers in an evolving job market.

An MBA with us can lead to roles including Chief Technology Officer, Financial Manager and Management Consultant with salaries starting at £30,000. Students that have studied for their MBA with us have gone on to work in the global financial sector, oil and automotive industries and obtained high-level management roles in international companies.

Graduating from a CMI-accredited course has been proven to boost employability by as much as 10%. According to the 2016/17 Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey, 58% of graduates from CMI-accredited courses were in graduate-level employment, further study or training within six months of graduating, compared with 48% from non-accredited business courses (based on UK students).

Following the completion of your MBA programme, you can continue your studies by completing an optional Postgraduate Certificate in Digital Marketing and Analytics or Human Resource Management.

This route enables you to develop specialist knowledge in the areas of digital marketing and analysis or in skills in people management and learning and development.

The total duration of the MBA with PGCert is 24 months.

We invite business leaders into the University to share their experiences with students. Past speakers have included Divine Chocolate’s Head of Sales and Marketing and the CEO of Sunderland Football Club.

Learning from business professionals can be very useful if you’re not sure what career to pursue when you graduate. If you already have a plan for your career these events are an excellent way to start building a network of business contacts.

The programme team is very much committed to supporting you on your learning journey. We provide a robust personal tutoring system setting academic goals and working with you to keep this on track. Study skills development is a feature of the programme support which includes, for example, honing critical skills and critical writing. We pride ourselves on being a friendly and sociable place to study – many long-lasting friendships and networks are formed amongst our MBA graduates.