(Rated as the top ranked University College by The Sunday Times University Guide in 2007 and 2008, with 100% teaching quality excellence in both years.)

On completion of the course you will receive the prestigious Masters in Business Administration (MBA) degree from Harper Adams University College. This is a state-funded university college, fully accredited by the British Government and its qualifications are recognised worldwide.

Harper Adams' attractive rural location in the heart of England provides the best of town and country. With a reputation for excellence and innovation, the Shropshire campus offers state-of-the-art facilities and rewarding courses for undergraduate, postgraduate and lifelong learners in the rural, animal and land-based sectors. Top for teaching and graduate jobs, Harper Adams is the Best University College in the UK*.

* The Sunday Times University Guide 2007 and 2008

The first four modules of the course - representing the Certificate stage of the MBA - will be delivered at Birmingham College. Once this stage has been successfully completed, students will transfer to Harper Adams University College, where all remaining teaching will take place.

Teaching faculty consists of experienced academics and practitioners who have many years’ successful involvement in postgraduate business programmes.

International agribusiness has developed into a well integrated system that combines efficient production at farm level with a well ordered supply chain managing the delivery of food products into international markets. The course initially enhances the student’s knowledge of finance, human resource management and marketing before providing a detailed insight into the industries supporting agricultural production, processing, transportation and supply chain strategy. Today’s recruits seeking careers in international agribusiness need to be well trained in business and marketing and have a thorough appreciation of the international business environment. By focusing on a variety of management and decision issues relevant to businesses in an ever changing international environment, the MBA in International Agribusiness Management will enhance the career prospects of those seeking a career in this dynamic sector.

This course is designed to help you move into a management role or more senior position within your organisation, and to develop relevant business and management skills through focusing on themes and techniques applicable to the business world.

Having completed the MBA, you will be able to apply knowledge and area-specific and wider intellectual skills, and be proactive in recognising the need for change and have the ability to manage change. Students learn to deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively, make sound judgements in the absence of complete data, and communicate conclusions clearly to a range of audiences.

You will learn the skills to evaluate and integrate theory and practice in a wide range of situations, while being adaptable, and showing originality, insight, and critical and reflective abilities, which all can be brought to bear upon problem situations.

The course will enable you to make decisions in complex and unpredictable situations, operate effectively in a variety of team roles and take leadership roles where appropriate. You will learn to direct yourself and act autonomously when planning and implementing projects at professional levels.

The duration of the course for September entrants is normally 12 months full-time. Students joining the course in February have a longer study period, of approximately 19 months, full-time.

The next two intakes are February and September 2010. Visit www.bcol.co.uk for more details. Both intakes are subject to overall minimum enrolment numbers on the programme.

The modules included in this award cover the key developments and methodological discussions in the developing fields and disciplines of business management research; a general grounding in the tools and processes of strategic analysis, evaluation, selection and implementation; these modules develop a variety of management themes then focus on agribusiness management and marketing through to the ultimate delivery of products and services to consumers. The first four modules represent the Certificate stage and are taught at Birmingham College. All other modules are taught at Harper Adams University College.

Professional & Academic Support Skills - 15credits

This prepares students for qualified management careers in an increasingly interdependent world, e.g. communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.

Managing Change and Leadership - 15 credits

This module combines the bases of Human resource management, including effective people management policies and techniques.

Managing Through Information - 15 credits

This module focuses on the needs and requirements of management for accounting and other quantitative information and its use to promote effective management

Economics and Marketing - 15 credits

This module explores the effects of the external business environment on the performance and functions of the business, particularly the marketing function.

Information sources: Peer reviewed papers, conference proceedings, books, research reports, internet and online retrieval and resources

Project Management: Scheduling and time management

Research Design: Development of robust methodology

Data Analysis: Analysis, summary and presentation of data

Interpretation: Presenting research findings in context of current state of knowledge

For students enrolling in September, courses for the Certificate stage are delivered as a series of taught modules starting in October at the beginning of the academic year and are generally complete by December of the same year. The remaining part of the course (dependent on successful completion of the Certificate stage) takes place at Harper Adams University College between January and August of the following year. February entrants study the Certificate stage at the College between February and June and, if successful, transfer to the University to complete the remainder of the course between September of the same year and August of the following year.

Teaching may consist of formal lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical exercises, laboratory sessions, study visits or the use of guest speakers. In addition to the reading specified in module descriptors, module tutors will also provide an up-to-date list of specified journal/conference proceeding references prior to the start of each module to allow students to brief themselves with the latest developments in their field of study.

The module Professional and Academic Support provides students with the basic skills required for extracting information and interpreting data, and further support is given in the Research Project module.

Assessment is considered an important part of the learning process. Modules are assessed by formative in-coursework and end-of module time constrained examinations, although where it is considered especially valid, coursework elements only may form the basis of the assessment of individual modules. Formative assessment methods are diverse and include literature review-based essays, problem based assignments, sponsored industry projects requiring oral and business written reports, portfolios, individual and team scenario exercises, and experimental work. Students will be provided with prompt written feedback from written assignments. Time constrained exams can be both closed and open book.

Tutorial support is available throughout the course duration by experienced academics and practitioners. The support is available by phone, emails, virtual learning environments or face to face meetings.

Your application for admission to the MBA will be jointly considered by staff at Birmingham College and Harper Adams University College.

Candidates should possess one of the following:
(1) An honours degree (minimum lower second class or equivalent) or
(2) A good HND or Foundation Degree, together with related industrial or professional experience of at least two years.

In addition, English language skills will, typically, be evaluated by interview and/or through demonstration of IELTS scores of 6.0 or above (or equivalent). Students are encouraged to enhance their English skills and qualifications whilst studying at Birmingham College, and may be required to show evidence of proficiency by taking further English tests such as The University of Warwick English Language Test (WELT) prior to transfer to the University College.

The decision whether to allow you to transfer to Harper Adams University College will be determined following an interview towards the end of your Certificate level studies at Birmingham College, together with a review of copies of all the assessments that you have completed.

The fee for the course is £9500. An affordable payment plan or a discounted one-off fee option is available.

As the MBA provides exposure to the diverse ideas necessary for success in any business, successful students have gone on to enjoy dynamic and rewarding careers in agribusiness and other industries in many countries. Some have followed a new career direction whilst others have used their MBA to gain a competitive advantage in their current field and a few have set up their own businesses.

On completion of the MBA degree, you may be able to join DBA, PhD programmes.