Full-time MBA - Inspiring leaders for a better world

Specially designed for participants taking a career break after a period away from the world of study, our induction supports your return to education through workshops and team building activities. It will equip you with practical study skills, presenting with impact, campus orientation and team exercises required to make the most of your MBA. It will introduce you to your careers path, cross cultural skills and one-to-one coaching, as well as refreshing understanding of academic writing, referencing and use of AI. 54% of the Core teaching hours on this programme are dedicated to ESG content.

Understanding our world

This segment helps you to build upon your professional skills to make you more effective in the workplace. You will study the basics of data analysis, accounting, finance, and economics; all fields that we believe are fundamental to MBA education and the rigorous operation of successful and responsible business.

30% of the taught hours on this module are dedicate to ESG content.

Topics covered: 

• Accounting and Finance
• Economics in a Sustainable World
• Data and Analytics

Achieving Enduring Success

This segment teaches you about the practical marketing, operational management and strategic decision-making tools that effective managers use to track performance and drive success, however this is defined. These strategic approaches underlie successful leadership in large and small organisations and are fundamental to a rigorous and ethical MBA education. 

29% of the taught hours on this module are dedicate to ESG content.

Topics covered:

• Real-world Marketing
• Operations Management
• Business Strategy

Leading with Purpose

Delivered by both academic staff from the Exeter Centre for Leadership and leaders from across a range of organisations, this segment asks you to reflect upon both responsible and effective leadership. You will be encouraged to understand Self, Others and Organisations in order to develop the leadership skills necessary for a complex and interconnected world. You will study the management of change, organisational behaviour, effective communication, influence and negotiation and a range of other leadership theories to help you to develop and improve your professional impact. 

54% of the taught hours on this module are dedicate to ESG content.

Topics covered:

• Organisational Behaviour
• Leadership
• Corporate Governance: Ethics, Risk and Reputation

Designing A Better Future for All

We recognise the importance of tackling global challenges in all our futures; this is a core value and goal of the Exeter MBA. In this segment you will study the systemic nature of complex global challenges in order to understand the context within which strategic decisions sit. Working with academic staff from our Exeter Centre for Circular Economy you will explore the value of design thinking and its approach to solving problems in a creative and regenerative manner. Your assessment will include a group design thinking exercise working with, and on behalf of, an external organisation.

100% of the taught hours on this module are dedicate to ESG content.

Topics covered: 

• Tackling Global Challenges
• The Circular Economy Design Challenge

Creating the new

Themes of Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship are central to the Exeter MBA and are developed in this segment of the programme. Academic staff from our Centre for Entrepreneurship and Initiative in the Digital Economy at Exeter (INDEX) will introduce you to current thinking and creative approaches to identifying and realising new ideas. 

55% of the taught hours on this module are dedicate to ESG content.

Topics covered:

• Digital Business
• Entrepreneurship & Innovation

The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.

Elective/optional modules (choose 30 credits)

• Being An Entrepreneur: New Venture Creation
• Behavioural Economics in Practise
• Business and Climate Change
• Strategic Brand Management
• Media in the Age of AI
• Sustainable Business International (International)
• Leadership Skills Expedition (International)
• The Politics of Sustainability
• Leading Wellbeing

The Business School will endeavour to offer all the optional modules listed however these modules may change in the event of insufficient student demand for particular electives.

MBA Consultancy Project

The culmination of your programme is your MBA Consultancy Project which is a unique opportunity to develop and apply your innovative business thinking by working with an external company or organisation to address a ‘live’ management issue. By undertaking your MBA Consultancy project, you will add value to a client organisation while solving the needs of a real organisation facing real business challenges.

Here at Exeter, we are committed to the personal and professional development of our MBA students, using a wide variety of creative teaching approaches.

Alongside taught and assessed programme elements, we place personal effectiveness at the heart of the MBA experience and ensure that all students have access to a portfolio of workshops, masterclasses and experiential learning opportunities, with voluntary activities such as:

• Careers progression
• Professional Coaching
• Negotiation training
• Storytelling
• Critical Thinking
• Networking
• Guest Speakers
• Business Visits
• Interview training
• Net Zero Workshop

In addition, the programme offers students the opportunity to become accredited by the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) and by Future-Fit, both reputable sustainability organisations.

• The Exeter MBA is highly ranked for its overall Environmental, Societal and Governance (ESG) content: #1 in UK, #10 in the World (Corporate Knights Beter World ranking, 2024)
• All modules map against specific UN Sustainable Development Goals to ensure we inspire tomorrow’s leaders for a greener, fairer and healthier world.
• The Exeter MBA will equip you with the tools and skills to drive positive change both within yourself and in the world around you, guided by our core principles of responsible leadership, environmental sustainability, and technological transformation.