Management MA (Hons) 2019 entry

The MA (Hons) in Management introduces you to organisations in all sectors and teaches you to understand techniques which draw from the subject including marketing, organisational behaviour, managing in diverse and challenging situations, and analysing financial data. From your studies, you acquire interpersonal skills in problem solving, critical thinking and self-reliance, and are empowered to interrogate evidence, challenge logic, and question existing ways of doing things.

You learn from a team of international scholars whose teaching and research are based on the concept of responsible enterprise, which entails an ethical approach to managing organisations and their social and environmental impacts.

The MA course is particularly suited for those wanting a range of options across Arts subjects, but who want to give most of their attention to Management. For those interested in studying Management alongside Science subjects, the BSc in Management may be of interest instead of the MA.

Applications for 2019 entry for this course have now closed, see which courses are available for the upcoming academic year.

UCAS code

N200

Course type

Master of Arts (single Honours degree)

Course duration

Four years full time

  • Start date: 9 September 2019
  • End date: 30 June 2023

If you started this programme in 2018, you can find information about 2018 entry on the 2018 Management MA page. Information about all programmes from previous years of entry can be found in the archive.

Entry requirements

SQA Highers AAAB
GCE A-Levels AAA
IB points 38

We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry on to our programmes, please see our entry requirements for more information.

For degrees combining more than one subject, the subject with the higher entry requirements determines the grades you need. You will also need to meet any further subject specific entrance requirements as outlined on their pages.

International applicants

If English is not your first language you will need an overall IELTS score of 7.0, with a minimum score of 6.5 in each component (Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking), or an equivalent English Language qualification.

Do I need to have studied this subject before?

No previous knowledge of this subject is required.

Faculty entry requirements

You must also meet the Faculty of Arts minimum qualifications. These vary depending on which qualifications you hold.

Other qualifications

Passes in other examinations at equivalent levels and subjects may be accepted by the Dean of the Faculty. More information on how to apply via other entry routes or accreditation of prior learning and experience can be found on the University’s entry requirements webpage.

Find out more about Faculty of Arts entry requirements.

Timetables

St Andrews students must meet with their Adviser of Studies at the beginning of Semester 1 in September to complete advising – a compulsory part of the matriculation process. After module choices have been decided, a timetable will be allocated indicating the dates and times of classes.

Reputation

The School of Management at St Andrews was ranked first in the UK (overall and for graduate prospects) by the Complete University Guide 2019. The University was also ranked first in Scotland (overall) and first in the UK (satisfied with teaching) for Business, management and marketing by the Guardian University Guide 2019.

The School is also known for its research impact and was ranked second in Scotland for research quality by the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, with over 78% of its research rated as world-leading or internationally excellent.

The University of St Andrews as a whole was voted top in the UK for student academic experience in The National Student Survey 2018 as 94% of St Andrews final year students gave the University top marks for the quality of the learning and teaching experience.

The University as a whole was named third best University in the UK and first in Scotland by the Guardian University Guide 2019.

The University has secured a TEF Gold Award for the quality of teaching and the undergraduate experience.

Find out more about studying Management at St Andrews.

Course information

The MA (Hons) in Management is a four-year course run by the School of Management.

In the first two years, you will learn about organisations and how they operate in society as well as the core functions of managers within these organisations.

Alongside Management, in the first year of your studies, you will be required to study an additional two subjects. In the second year, you will usually carry on at least one of these subjects, sometimes two. Find out more about how academic years are organised.

From there, you will be able to explore a wide range of specialist subjects at a more advanced level in your third and fourth years. Special subjects may include (but are not limited to):

  • advertising and marketing communications
  • corporate social responsibility, accountability and reporting
  • entrepreneurship and small business development
  • human resource management
  • international banking
  • sustainable development and management.

During your studies, you will obtain knowledge of international trends and develop interpersonal and transferable skills, as well as an orientation towards creativity and innovation.

The University of St Andrews operates on a flexible modular degree system by which degrees are obtained through the accumulation of credits. More information on the structure of the modules system can be found on the flexible degree structure webpage.

Find out more about studying Management at St Andrews.

Modules

In the first two years of your degree (known as sub-honours) you will take the required modules in Management alongside modules in at least one other subject.

Typically, you will take one Management module per semester during your first two years, and two to three Management modules per semester during your third and fourth year (known as Honours). Find out more about the modular Scottish degree system.

The modules listed are indicative of this course. If you would like to know more about the content of the modules for this programme, you can view the School of Management module guides for the current year of study.

You will take two compulsory modules, one in each semester. Taken together, the modules explain why we have organisations, how they operate in society and what information is required of them by the external environment.

  • Organisations and Analysis: examines some of the main analytical approaches and techniques required by managers and provides an introduction to financial accounting concepts and techniques.
  • Organisations and Society: introduces students to three key aspects of management in the external and internal environment – understanding the business environment, people and organisations, and economic principles.

You will take two compulsory modules, one in each semester. These modules explore the core functions of managers, including marketing, organisational behaviour, managing in diverse and challenging situations and the analysis of financial data.

  • Management and Analysis: examines some of the alternative perspectives on management and the changing policy and business environment for organisations, and engages with accounting from a broader sociological perspective.
  • Management and Society: examines the conceptual frameworks and techniques of marketing and organisational behaviour.

In addition, you may choose to take an innovative module on enterprise and creativity, which helps you develop creativity and enterprise skills and take a proactive role in managing your learning.

If you decide to take Management in your third and fourth years, you will take two compulsory modules:

  • Contemporary Issues in Management: provides a learning experience in which management students can understand and respond to current and likely future challenges that will face them in the near and intermediate future as managers and citizens.
  • Organisation Studies: examines major organisational theories, surveys key topics in this area, and explores organisational forms that have emerged in recent times.

In addition, you will take optional modules chosen from a wide range which reflects the expertise of staff in the School. Here is a sample of Honours modules which have been offered in previous years:

  • Corporate Finance and Control
  • Financial Markets and Investments
  • International Business
  • Human Resource Management
  • Knowledge of Work: Practice and Context
  • Leadership Development. 

In fourth year, you also have the option of undertaking a research project and submitting a dissertation.


The sub-honours modules listed here are the compulsory modules that students must take in order to graduate in this subject. However, most students at St Andrews take additional modules, either in their primary subject or from other subjects they are interested in. For Honours-level, students choose from a range of Honours modules, some of which are listed above. A full list of all modules available for the current academic year can be found in the module catalogue.

Teaching

Teaching format

Teaching is delivered through lectures; class sizes are around 200 to 300 students at sub-honours level and 20 to 170 students at Honours level.

Lectures are often supplemented by small-group tutorials of around 15 students. These tutorials are structured around material that coordinates with lectures, and are small enough that tutors can give special attention to particular needs.

When not attending lectures and tutorials, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve:

  • working on individual and group projects
  • undertaking research in the library
  • preparing coursework assignments and presentations
  • preparing for examinations.

You will be taught by an experienced teaching team with expertise and knowledge of Management. Postgraduate research students who have undertaken teacher training may also contribute to the teaching of tutorials under the supervision of the module leader.

You can find contact information for all Management staff on the School of Management website.

In addition to your studies in the School of Management, optional academic support is available through practical study skills courses and workshops hosted within the University.

The University’s student services team can help students with additional needs resulting from disabilities, long term medical conditions or learning disabilities. More information can be found on the students with disabilities webpage.

Assessment

Students’ progress is carefully monitored through a system of continuous assessment and tutorials. All Management modules are assessed by at least 30% coursework, with a balance made up of either written examinations or more coursework.

Written examinations are held at the end of each semester during a dedicated exam diet with revision time provided beforehand.

The School provides feedback on every assessment, with a view to improving your performance in future, and aims to provide feedback on assessments and coursework within three weeks.

Undergraduates at the University of St Andrews must achieve at least 7.0 on the St Andrews 20-point grade scale to pass a module. To gain access to Honours-level modules, students must achieve the relevant requisites as specified in the policy on entry to Honours and in the relevant programme requirements. Please note that some Schools offer qualified entry to Honours, and this will be clearly specified in the programme requirements. To find out the classification equivalent of points, please visit the common reporting scale webpage.

Fees

Tuition fees for 2019 entry

Scotland and EU £1,820
Rest of the UK £9,250
Overseas £22,350

For overseas students, tuition fees will be fixed at this level for the duration of your programme.

More information on tuition fees can be found on the undergraduate fees and funding page.

Accommodation fees

Find out about accommodation fees for University accommodation.

Funding and scholarships

The University of St Andrews offers a number of scholarships and support packages to undergraduate students each year.

Crowther Scholarship

The Julian and Ludmila Crowther Scholarship is available for students entering their final two years in the School of Management's single Honours undergraduate programmes.

Find out more about undergraduate scholarships.

Joint Honours degrees

You can take Management as part of a joint Honours degree alongside one of the following subjects.

It is possible to combine a degree in Management with two modern languages. Any combination of Arabic, French, German, Italian, Persian, or Spanish is available.

  • Arabic
  • Art History
  • Classics
  • Comparative Literature
  • Economics
  • English
  • French
  • Geography
  • German
  • International Relations
  • Italian
  • Middle East Studies
  • Modern History
  • Persian
  • Philosophy
  • Psychology
  • Spanish

Your future

Careers

A degree in Management not only provides an excellent basis for a career in management, but it can also be used as a springboard into a wide variety of other careers. During your studies, you will gain presentation and group working skills, which provide vocational relevance for careers in commerce, finance, industry and public service.

Popular career areas for Management students include:

  • accountancy
  • human resources or recruitment
  • insurance
  • investment banking and investment management
  • management consultancy
  • marketing and sales
  • retail banking or personal finance
  • starting your own business.

Previous graduates have successfully found positions in a wide variety of organisations including:

  • Accenture
  • Barclays
  • Deloitte
  • JP Morgan
  • KPMG
  • National Health Service
  • Scottish Executive
  • Warner Music.

Some Management graduates continue their academic careers via a postgraduate training degree to doctoral study either in St Andrews or at another university.  Other students have often progressed to postgraduate qualifications in teaching, law or accountancy.

The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students to build their employability skills.

Study abroad

The University is delighted to offer undergraduates a number of exciting opportunities to apply to spend a semester or year abroad as part of a St Andrews degree programme. St Andrews is partnered with large and small institutions, ancient and young, across the globe. What unites all of our programmes is the quality of the academic provision, ensuring that participation in a St Andrews Study abroad programme opens the door to a new and valuable academic experience at another world-class institution. Study Abroad for credit is permitted on existing University-approved programmes only.

Student life

From the outset, the University of St Andrews offers an array of events and opportunities which result in a truly unique student experience. Students participate in a range of traditions, notably, the red academic gown and the academic family, where older students adopt first year students as ‘children’ and help guide them in a system of mentoring. These traditions and the choice of over 150 sports clubs and student societies to choose from ensures a community feel amongst students from first year onwards.

Students of Management may be interested in joining the following student societies:

  • Management Society organises an innovative programme of events offering valuable personal development and networking opportunities.
  • Entrepreneur Society promotes and nurtures entrepreneurship in the St Andrews community and beyond. The society hosts a wide variety of events including talks by fellow students who have started their own business alongside their studies.
  • Investment Society is for students who wish to develop their passion for financial markets and investing. The society even runs a global equities portfolio as an educational tool.

The School of Management is located in the Gateway building on the western edge of St Andrews. The Gateway has state-of-the-art lecture and seminar facilities as well as an extensive study area for all University students.

The town of St Andrews itself has lots to offer. As the campus is located around town, walking around you encounter ancient and modern buildings and areas of greenery and seaside which provide a rich, beautiful backdrop to learning. If you want a change of scenery, St Andrews' position near surrounding towns and cities such as Anstruther, Dundee and Edinburgh make it ideal for getting to know more about Scotland.

Find out more about student life at the University of St Andrews.

“In every aspect, studying in St Andrews is an incredible and unique experience, full of opportunities to develop your personal skills, abilities and employability. The School of Management offers students the choice of a broad range of highly interesting topics, allowing you to tailor a degree path that suits your own particular interests. The incredibly diverse and multicultural student body also provides a wide variety of opinions and perspectives, enhancing any classroom discussion.”

Stephanie (Cheshire, England)

Contact information

School of Management
University of St Andrews
The Gateway
North Haugh
St Andrews
KY16 9RJ

Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 2800 (undergraduate Administrative Assistant)
Email: management.school@st-andrews.ac.uk

Management website

Policies

Admission to the University of St Andrews is governed by our Admissions policy.

Curriculum development

As a research intensive institution, the University ensures that its teaching references the research interests of its staff, which may change from time to time. As a result, programmes are regularly reviewed with the aim of enhancing students' learning experience. Our approach to course revision is described online. (PDF, 72 KB).

Tuition fees

The University will clarify compulsory fees and charges it requires any student to pay at the time of offer. The offer will also clarify conditions for any variation of fees. The University’s approach to fee setting is described online. (PDF, 84 KB).