International Management and Leadership

Entry requirements

Applicants should have a UK honours degree or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard in an appropriate discipline. We also welcome applicants with an ordinary degree who can show a period of relevant post-graduation work experience in a managerial role.

International: You will be required to provide evidence of English language competence at no less than IELTS 6.5 with no individual component score less than 6.0.

Accreditation of prior learning: You may be granted exemption from studying a module or modules up to a maximum of 60 credit points, provided you can demonstrate successful achievement of all the learning outcomes.

Months of entry

January, September

Course content

Are you currently working in business and looking to enhance your knowledge and skills? Or, do you have a non-business degree and little or no previous business background, but would like to gain this? Available to study full time or part time, this MSc in International Management and Leadership will provide you with the skills you need to become a successful business leader in our fast-changing, global economy.

The contemporary business world faces a number of challenges including recruitment, export/import issues, commodities pricing, complex market conditions, data noise, the emergence of AI, and productivity to name but a few. How does a modern leader research, analyse, extrapolate, and synthesise data around these issues to manage, shape and lead modern businesses? How do we manage and lead people within industry settings? How can we ensure that we understand the contemporary business landscape so that this informs our confident decision-making processes?

This course addresses those questions and helps you to kick-start a successful career.

Why QMU?

• Student-focused teaching and learning: Offering excellent teaching in smaller classes than at many other universities, the Queen Margaret Business School prides itself on its student-centred, contemporary teaching and assessment practice. Our most recent (2023) QSS (a QMU internal student survey) results rated postgraduate teaching quality on International Management and Leadership at 97%.
• Flexible study options: We offer full-time, part-time and single module study options.
• An accessible route to a new career: This course has been designed so that you do not need to have come from a business background to apply.
• Engaging hands-on experiential learning: With an engaging variety of teaching, learning and assessment methods, this course is designed to enable you to demonstrate your practical capabilities to future employers, and to make a full and valuable contribution when you start your first job after graduation.
• Tailor your future: We offer a flexible, bespoke pathway allowing you to shape your learning to align with your future aspirations.
• Opportunity to start your own business with support from QMU: If you opt to complete the Business Incubation Programme module, you will work with mentors, QMU’s Business Innovation Zone (BIZ) and our on-campus Business Gateway to develop a new start-up business or social enterprise of your own choice.
• Industry input and relevance: Input from a wide range of businesses, public service providers, the third sector, and industry experts is central to this course. This ensures that as well as offering in-depth theoretical knowledge, you gain a wealth of contemporary industry insights and contacts. As you progress you will hear from guest lecturers, potentially visit a range of organisations, and engage in a range of other networking opportunities with staff and industry experts. In recent years we have engaged with businesses including: Diageo, New Lanark Heritage Centre and Hotel, Nairns, Waldorf Astoria and others.
• Strong professional accreditation and links: Designed in collaboration with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the course includes some modules accredited by the CIMA. The Queen Margaret Business School is a member of the Chartered Association of Business Schools and the Chartered Management Institute and a signatory member of The Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME).
• Prepares you to join a business world that's ever more focused on sustainability: The curriculum takes account of the societal impact of business, and of the responsibility of managers and leaders toward social justice and business and global sustainability.
• We will set you up for study success and build your confidence: Your studies with us begin with an introductory module exploring what it is to be a master’s student, designed to place your postgraduate journey within a supportive environment and enable you to make the most of your postgraduate education, whatever your background. As you progress, you’ll complete a range of skills-based assessments, allowing you to demonstrate your practical capabilities to potential employers.
• Excellent location for business: Where better to learn international management and leadership than in a cosmopolitan capital city that’s a hub for international business?