Course options
Key information
Duration: 1 year full time
Institution code: R72
Campus: Egham
UK fees*: £16,100
International/EU fees**: £26,100
The course
International Business Management (MSc)
The Royal Holloway International Business Management MSc is a rigorous - and rewarding - programme aimed at ambitious and self-motivated individuals at the outset of their professional working life. It is ideal for those who wish to pursue a postgraduate degree in general management with an international orientation and will prepare you to enter the globalised world of work on a competitive footing, maximising your potential and widening your choices.
On graduating you will have a comprehensive and integrated knowledge and understanding of organisations, their management and the environment in which they operate. As part of this, you will have examined accounting and finance from a manager's point of view and evaluated the impact of internal and external factors on the kinds of human resource strategies drawn up by international organisations. The course will provide an understanding of how international management fits into the organisation and running of a company or multi-company corporation. There is also the option to participate in a field study trip, involving visits to a range of companies in a different country and an examination of how businesses operate at an international level. Read more about the 2024 trip to Helsinki and Tallinn here.
As a member of the School of Business and Management you will join an intellectually stimulating, friendly and supportive research environment and, through working closely with our expert and experienced academic staff, you will be in a position to realise your full potential.
Reasons to choose International Business Management MSc at Royal Holloway:
- Career management and employability skills to make competitive applications to multinational enterprises, non-governmental organisations or as a platform to pursue additional qualifications (such as in accounting or Marketing).
- Conversion course so therefore particularly relevant if you did not study management as part of your undergraduate degree or have less than two years full-time work experience. It is also applicable to graduates who are involved in family-owned and own businesses.
- Inspiring international community; approximately 60% of our Management students come from overseas, with over 130 countries represented across the University.
From time to time, we make changes to our courses to improve the student and learning experience. If we make a significant change to your chosen course, we’ll let you know as soon as possible.
Course structure
Core Modules
This year we will be running the following insightful modules which are all mandatory:
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This module provides you with an understanding of the substantial issues a firm and its managers have to deal with. It contains two halves. The first half of the module introduces you to (a) the strategic decisions a manager must make in order to survive and compete in the marketplace, and (b) the resource allocation problems between and within firms, their consumers, and how to address them. The decisions to address these ‘big issues’ are discussed in the context of varying economic characteristics of a firm and the competitiveness of its environment. The second half of the module aims to give a fundamental understanding of key accounting and finance techniques and practices; provide awareness of the impact of contexts (different countries, industries, markets, and regulatory regimes) on accounting and finance ideas and practices; and develop an awareness of the analytical usefulness of accounting and finance data, in a manner that emphasises the importance of a wider business understanding for such analysis and the limitations as well as the strengths of the data.
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In this module you will develop an understanding of how international strategy and entrepreneurship fit into the organisation and running of a commercial entity. You will look at the ways in which a firm can achieve sustainable competitive advantage through strategy and entrepreneurship, evaluating the processes that firms use to develop, renew and reconfigure these. You will also examine the theoretical frameworks of strategy and entrepreneurship in the real business world.
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This module provides you with an understanding of people management and organisational issues that a firm and its managers have to deal with. The aim of the module is twofold: a) to enable you to consider the impact of globalisation, culture and communication on people and organisation; and b) to enable you to examine managing people in the context of modern geopolitics and employment relations.
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This module provides you with an understanding of the substantial issues a firm and its managers must deal with. It contains two halves. The first half of the module introduces you to some key issues concerning digitalisation in today’s global business environment. Starting with the use of information systems and digital technologies for attaining competitive advantage, the module will address organisational and managerial concerns in the effective implementation and use of information systems. Emphasis will be placed on recent developments such as big data, digital business transformation, and the opportunities and challenges these create for organisations. A variety of case studies will help make explicit the problems involved in the management of technological change in organisations as well as the impact of information systems on organisational culture and context. The second half of the module explores how marketing practice fits into the organisation and running of a global corporation. After an introduction of key marketing concepts, this exploration is guided by a series of contemporary topics, ranging from the global marketing environment and the evaluation of standardisation and adaptation strategies to a discussion of cultural forces and their influence on consumer behaviour. The module concludes with a reflection on common criticisms of marketing practice and discusses typical responses from marketers.
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In this module you will develop an understanding of effective business communication, including public speaking in English, giving feedback and communicating in teams. You will consider the actions and attitudes that comprise professional conduct in the business environment and will look at typical recruitment processes. You will be introduced to a range of quantitative and qualitative research methods commonly used in management studies.
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The aim of the module is to introduce you to some of the main topics in the important field of operations management. Operations management is concerned with the design, planning and control of operating systems for the provision of goods and services. This module provides you with an insight into the tools and techniques used in the management of operational systems and into the factors that affect the choice of operating methods. The module also provides you with a sound understanding of the essentials of modern operations practices and introduces principles of supply chain management, logistics and transportation required to support global supply chains.
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This module will describe the key principles of academic integrity, focusing on university assignments. Plagiarism, collusion and commissioning will be described as activities that undermine academic integrity, and the possible consequences of engaging in such activities will be described. Activities, with feedback, will provide you with opportunities to reflect and develop your understanding of academic integrity principles.
Optional Modules
There are a number of optional course modules available during your degree studies. The following is a selection of optional course modules that are likely to be available. Please note that although the College will keep changes to a minimum, new modules may be offered or existing modules may be withdrawn, for example, in response to a change in staff. Applicants will be informed if any significant changes need to be made.
You will take one of the following:
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This module provides you with the opportunity to investigate, analyse and make recommendations for a business project related to general management areas, developing the skills to critically evaluate and select the appropriate method to conduct the project. Analysis will then be communicated in the form of a project brief and 10,000-word report.
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The module will provide you with direct access to varied industry professionals and management practices in a cross-cultural, international setting. The aim of the module is to provide a variety of opportunities for experiential learning such as company visits, presentations by and discussions with business leaders, and in-class workshops. The study trip will provide you with the opportunity to learn from the business models and practices of major domestic and global businesses operating in the destination country or countries chosen for the field trip each year. An important learning outcome is to enhance your appreciation of the significant cultural challenges entailed in managing business operations in a global context. You will be required to engage in pre-trip preparatory work as well as post-trip reflection activities in-class in groups in order to embed the experiential learning gained through the study trip. You will also be required to submit an assignment that will challenge you to reflect on your study trip while addressing specific questions relating to one of the companies visited.
Teaching & assessment
Assessment is carried out by a variety of methods including written assignments, closed-book examinations, in-class tests, oral presentations, group work and independent research.
Entry requirements
2:2
UK Honours degree or equivalent.
Candidates with substantial and relevant professional qualifications or professional experience in an associated area will also be considered.
International & EU requirements
English language requirements
- IELTS: 6.5 overall. No subscore lower than 6.0.
- Pearson Test of English: 61 overall. Writing 61. No other subscore lower than 54.
- Trinity College London Integrated Skills in English (ISE): ISE III.
- Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) grade C.
- TOEFL iBT: 88 overall with Reading 22 Listening 20 Speaking 22 Writing 24.
- Duolingo: 120 overall and no sub-score below 115.
Your future career
On graduating with a MSc in International Business Management from Royal Holloway you will be in a position to take a variety of different career paths. You may choose to combine this qualification with your first degree studies to indicate a market sector or a functional specialism. Important skills are gained for those entering fields such as finance, accountancy and regulatory bodies; we also recognise the role of family and closely held business enterprises for some.
We will help students to recognise their own strengths, skills and abilities so that they can make strong applications for their chosen job or further study.
Postgraduate students from our School of Business and Management have gone on to roles in a variety of companies including Amazon, Tesco, Accenture, Ogilvy, KPMG, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bloomberg LP, Ocado Group, HSBC, Fuji film, Huawei, Deutsche Bahn and Qatar Airways.
Fees, funding & scholarships
Home (UK) students tuition fee per year*: £16,100
EU and international students tuition fee per year**: £26,100
Other essential costs***: There are no single associated costs greater than £50 per item on this course. For those who select to participate in the Optional Module 'International Business Study Field Trip', there will be some additional costs relating to the expenses of the trip.
How do I pay for it? Find out more about funding options, including loans, grants, scholarships and bursaries.
* and ** These tuition fees apply to students enrolled on a full-time basis in the academic year 2025/26. Students studying on the standard part-time course structure over two years are charged 50% of the full-time applicable fee for each study year.
Royal Holloway reserves the right to increase all postgraduate tuition fees annually. Be aware that tuition fees can rise during your degree (if longer than one year’s duration), and that this also means that the overall cost of studying the course part-time will be slightly higher than studying it full-time in one year. The annual increase for continuing students who start their degree in 2025/26 will be 5%. For further information, see the fees and funding , and terms and conditions.
** This figure is the fee for EU and international students starting a degree in the academic year 2025/26. Find out more
*** These estimated costs relate to studying this particular degree at Royal Holloway during the 2025/26 academic year, and are included as a guide. Costs, such as accommodation, food, books and other learning materials and printing, have not been included.
Please note the above information relates to starting this course in September 2025. Information relating to starting this course in January 2025 is different, and can be found here.
