Postgraduate Certificate in Business Administration, by distance learning

This is for you if... you want to study for the first stage of our AMBA-accredited MBA. Our Postgraduate Certificate provides the knowledge, skills and internationally recognised qualification to advance your career in management.

The Postgraduate Certificate in Business Administration allows you to take the first steps in pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme whilst keeping your future study options open. It is ideal if you are unable to commit to undertaking the MBA in one go.

Studying online with recorded lectures and live seminars means you can study anytime and anywhere. You can supplement your studies with face-to-face learning at our residential workshops and the annual Leicester Masterclass, held at Brookfield, our new £16 million School of Business campus.

You will be taught by academic staff who combine teaching and research and who bring the latest knowledge and skills to their teaching. Studying in small groups allows extensive opportunities for teamwork and building professional networks with tutors and international business leaders.

The programme takes 12 months to complete and consists of three modules. You will start with a three-week induction into your studies before moving on to focus on people management, leadership and developing your 'soft skills'. In module two you will combine the areas of entrepreneurship and innovation, marketing and operations so you can familiarise yourself with the process of product and service development, from inception to execution. Your Learning and Professional Development Portfolio runs across each module. In your portfolio, you will collect evidence of your knowledge and skill development on the programme. You will evidence this through reflective exercises undertaken in your modules and is an excellent way to demonstrate your achievements to current or prospective employers.

Flexible, distance learning study allows you to continue to work whilst gaining a valuable qualification and offers a great return on investment. Your team and company will benefit from your newly gained knowledge and skills and you can apply real-world situations and problems to your assignments, giving you the opportunity to look at topics relevant to your work and professional career aspirations.

Upon successful completion of your Postgraduate Certificate, you can progress onto the Leicester Global MBA Programme.

Why Leicester?

• We have over 30 years of experience offering high quality flexible, distance learning courses. Our courses have been specifically designed to be studied at a distance, giving you the flexibility to study from any location within a structured and supportive framework.
• The School of Business attracts students and academics from all over the world, ensuring a truly global feel and letting you become part of an inclusive, diverse and professional international network.
• You'll have the opportunity to visit the School of Business to attend our week-long Leicester Masterclass held every August at Brookfield. The Leicester Masterclass is a great opportunity to meet your tutors and network with your distance-learning students.
• We are a proud signatory to PRME – the Principles for Responsible Management Education, organised by the United Nations and business schools worldwide.

Teaching and learning

You will be taught by academics who have international research and teaching expertise, as well as practical experience in their respective fields. You will also have an academic personal tutor who will provide support and guidance to enable you to make the most of your studies.

Our programme gives you the flexibility to fit your studies around your professional and personal commitments while ensuring that you meet the learning and progression requirements.

The Postgraduate Certificate in Business Administration has two modules, each taking 6 months and each week you will have either a two-hour recorded lecture or participate in a one-hour live online seminar. These will be further supported by our online study guide, additional learning materials, and online forum discussions with your tutors and peers. Online teaching takes place via our Leicester learning environment, which also houses your learning materials. Live seminars are undertaken in small study groups and scheduled so that they are convenient for different time zones.

During each module, you will have the opportunity to participate in a weekend-long residential workshop, held in February and August. Once a year you will also have the opportunity to attend a Leicester Masterclass, held at the University of Leicester in mid/late August/early September. The residential workshops and Leicester Masterclass form a valuable part of your learning and allow you to benefit from face-to-face interaction and networking with your tutors and fellow students. Currently, both the residential workshops and Leicester Masterclass are being offered online only.

Your two core modules are assessed by both a mid-term online open-book examination and an individual assignment, submitted at the end of your module.

Distance Learning

Online learning is an important feature of this course, therefore it is essential that you have reliable, regular access to the internet (preferably with a broadband connection) in order to participate.

As a distance learning student, you will have access to the University Library's electronic service, the Leicester Digital Library, which includes a large number of e-journals and e-books.

If you live close to Leicester you can, of course, visit the Library in person. For UK-based students who wish to use other libraries, we can issue you with a card which allows you to do so. This is a national scheme which allows distance learning students to borrow material from up to three other participating libraries.