International, MBA

​​Your course welcome session is your introduction to the course, your cohort and the wider Christ Church Business School community, and we strongly encourage you to attend. There will also be the chance to get to know your peers and the teaching team through networking and interactive activities, and be introduced to the academic expectations of Level 7 study and the support around you. Because the MBA International draws students from many different backgrounds, this early time together matters a great deal: it is where your learning community begins to form, and where any first week uncertainty starts to settle.

​You will be allocated a Personal Academic Tutor (PAT), who will be a consistent point of contact throughout your studies. Your PAT offers regular check ins, talks through any questions as they arise, and can signpost you to wider University support whenever you need it. You will have the chance to meet your PAT early on, so that from the outset you know exactly who to turn to.​

​​In Trimester 1 you will study two modules, each worth 30 credits:

​Innovation, Entrepreneurship and the International Perspective, led by Dr Claire Street, your Course Director. This module explores how small businesses innovate, compete and grow in international markets despite resource constraints, using real case studies and practical strategy work.

​PG Challenge Module. There are a number of PG Challenge modules available for you to choose from. The Postgraduate Challenge modules combine institutional research and practice expertise, with a commitment to your personal and professional development. You can see the PG Challenge modules available here.

​​Teaching is interactive and applied rather than lecture heavy. In the innovation module you can expect interactive lectures and seminars, case study analysis, creative ideation workshops, action learning sets and group problem solving. In the finance module you can expect interactive workshops, financial modelling clinics and reflective seminars, with thoughtful use of AI assisted tools woven through both. All teaching takes place on campus at our Canterbury campus.

​Your main virtual learning environment is Blackboard, where you will find module materials, announcements, reading and submission points. The finance module also uses PebblePad, an ePortfolio platform, for your portfolio work, and Microsoft Excel for financial modelling, so it is worth getting comfortable with both early on.

​The first few weeks are about settling in. You will get to know your cohort and teaching team, find your way around campus and Blackboard, and begin building the foundations in each module before moving into the more applied case and workshop activity. There will be regular formative tasks and feedback along the way, so you always know how you are progressing.

​Before you arrive, it would help to refresh your spreadsheet skills in Excel, set up and test your University computing account and Blackboard access, and get into the habit of following international business news through sources such as the Financial Times or The Economist. The Learning Skills Hub offers short online courses that are well worth a look, particularly those on academic writing at Masters level, referencing and critical reading.

​In terms of equipment, there is no specialist kit required. A reliable laptop capable of running Microsoft Excel, together with stable internet access, is all you need to get started.​

​​There is no expectation to buy everything below, and no requirement to read it all before you arrive. These are simply useful starting points if you would like to get a feel for the course.

​​For innovation and entrepreneurship: Burns, P. (2022) Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Bloomsbury; and Kuratko, D.F. and Hodgetts, R.M. (2017) Entrepreneurship: Theory, Process, Practice, Cengage.

​If you prefer something lighter to begin with, both modules suggest podcasts as an accessible way in: the My First Million podcast for entrepreneurial thinking, and episodes on decision making under uncertainty versus risk for the finance side.​