International Business and Development

Entry requirements

You should have a lower second-class (2.2) undergraduate honours degree or above.

Your qualification can be in any subject. You may also be considered for the course if you have other professional qualifications or experience of equivalent standing.

Months of entry

September

Course content

International businesses need to rapidly respond to concerns on social and environmental impacts. Multinationals are increasingly participating in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Pivotal to this is the need for firms to achieve financial returns for shareholders.

On this MSc, you’ll study the link between the micro-foundation, economic behaviours and policies of international business, and their impacts on sustainability and development. Through a lens of the SDGs framework and policies, you’ll look at the principles of international business and strategic management.

This course is for you if you’re:

• working in an international business, development agency or international NGO, and would like to develop your knowledge to move into a leadership role
• a business or environmental studies graduate who wants to improve their professional skills to gain employment on the management or policy side of international business.

During your studies, you’ll explore the impact that institutional environments in home countries have upon a strategy, and how those strategies impact on – and interact with – host countries. You’ll work on a real-life consultancy project focusing on a business problem. This allows you to use your knowledge, as well as practical and interpersonal skills, to design, initiate and carry out an approach to address the issue. You’ll become a confident, knowledgeable and responsible manager with the practical skills needed for global challenges.

You’ll be based at the University of Sussex Business School. We’re a member of the United Nations Global Compact network, committed to creating a sustainable and inclusive global economy. We follow the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME). This means we incorporate global social responsibility and sustainability values into our teaching and research.The course is jointly delivered by the University of Sussex Business School and the School of Global Studies. You’ll benefit from our interdisciplinary teaching and research culture:

• the University of Sussex Business School is one of the top centres of expertise on international business development in the UK, as well as SPRU – Science Policy Research Unit.
• the School of Global Studies offers a wealth of expertise around globalisation, corporate social responsibility, international finance and labour.

Accreditation

You’ll join the EQUIS and AMBA-accredited University of Sussex Business School. Learn more about all of our course accreditations here. Find out more

Information for international students

We are pleased to announce that all international applicants who study a full time Masters course at the University of Sussex Business School starting in September 2025 will receive a £2,000 award towards their overseas tuition fee. A range of unlimited country specific scholarships are also available.

Fees and funding

Please see our prospectus for the latest information on fees. Visit our website for more information Funding and Scholarships. Our goal is to ensure that every student who wants to study with us is able to regardless of financial barriers, so that we continue to attract talented and unique people.