The Open University Business School

Overview

The Open University Business School is one of the leading business schools in the world, the biggest in Europe. The quality of our programmes and especially the MBA has been assured and accredited by the leading management education associations in the US (AACSB), Europe (EQUIS), and the UK (AMBA). Being the only non-campus based business school to part of this elite triple accredited group, we pioneer flexible learning and provide the most convenient and affordable way to working and learning at the same time. Our unique study method of work-based action learning maximises your management development by requiring you to apply your learnings every day at your work place.

Over 80,000 people from more than 100 countries have already graduated with The Open University Business School. We invite you join them or to sponsor your staff to join this extensive network of business professionals and take the opportunity to realise your full potential, wherever you are in the world.

Our internationally-recognised teaching and learning methods take education right to the heart of leadership and management practice. Tutors are experienced business professionals, and because our distance learning approach allows managers to continue at work while studying, you can apply new knowledge and skills right from the start.

Triple-Accredited MBA

Established 40 years ago, The Open University Business School is home to more than 22,000 successful MBAs from all corners of the globe, making us one of the largest truly international Business Schools in the world. Out triple accredited status also puts us in the top 1% of business schools worldwide.

The MBA programme is designed to suit busy professionals of today, enabling you to integrate study with your life. Supported by our cutting edge technology you can study at home or on the move. As an MBA student, you can flex and pace your study as you wish and finish the programme in 3 - 7 years. If you change jobs or move to a different country during the programme, you can take your MBA studies with you and continue to receive support from The Open University Business School wherever you are.

To find out more, download our MBA prospectus.

Supported Open Learning

You can study when and where you like within the broad timetable, with study options from single courses to professional qualifications. Fees cover everything you need - books, software, assessment, tutorials.

As soon as you join us you become part of a vibrant learning community with personal tuition, tutor groups, residential schools, online conferencing and collaborative working.

Years of experience at the forefront of distance education have given us a deep understanding of how professionals learn and develop their practice through management courses. We're deeply committed to research, experimentation and innovation in education, with a long history of adapting and developing technologies that enhance and support learning.

From the outset, your professional development is based on what you actually do, not on the experiences of managers in unrelated businesses. What you learn one day, you put into practice the next, so your organisation benefits as much as you. That's why 75 per cent of companies in the UK's FTSE 100 have sponsored OU students.

Research

Research is at the heart of The Open University Business School, underpinning all our activities from teaching to consultancy, advisory and policy work. Our mission is to undertake user-focused research in the fields of business, management and law that is intellectually leading and meets international standards of excellence. We pursue research that involves extensive engagement with professional practice in business, management and law and offers wider benefits to society. Our research has enabled the School to pioneer new areas of and approaches to management education including our internationally recognised approach to practice based professional learning and the use of digital media such as our participation in the very successful iTunes U.

Research activity in the School focuses on three research themes:

• International management practice, education and learning
• Knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurship
• Socially responsible management and regulation

The School also has a vibrant and growing Research Degrees Programme. The School is also networked through participation in two collaborative Research Centres:

• Centre for Innovation, Knowledge and Development
• Institute for Social Marketing

Study with us

People study management courses for all sorts of reasons - to get a better job, develop new skills, fill the gaps in their knowledge, take on more responsibility at work, or perhaps to make a complete change of direction.

Whatever your aspirations, studying with The Open University Business School is a shrewd move. We provide high quality, practical, work-based learning that's all about you - your needs, your goals, your career.

If you already have some qualifications and experience, you'll be able to enter our programmes at an appropriate level. But you can also come to us without any formal qualifications at all, we are open entry, offering introductory courses to build your study skills and confidence, and learning support that's second to none. So whether you want to sign up for the most popular MBA programme in the country, do some specialist professional development, study for a research degree, or just dip your toe into the water, you've come to the right place.

Read more OU student case studies.

Find out more

To find out more about The Open University Business School MBA, download our prospectus.