MA/PG Dip/PG Cert Business Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Degree (in collaboration with Sofra International Restaurants)

Overview & facilities

This course is designed to produce entrepreneurs and executives whose theoretical and practical expertise prepares them for the challenge of setting themselves up in their own business or taking on an entrepreneurial role in a corporation. You will develop your knowledge of the essential content of entrepreneurship with insights from specialist management disciplines and emerging issues and developments in contemporary entrepreneurship practice.

This course builds your abilities to make decisions, spot opportunities, think creatively and critically and develop as an entrepreneur and leader. You will complete an applied project that involves starting up your own business, running your own business or undertaking entrepreneurial work in an organisation, enabling you to address the real requirements and pitfalls of small business enterprise and management.

Practical Applied Project in collaboration with Sofra International

The Applied Project in collaboration with Sofra International will provide professional and practical experiences. It teaches the essential components required to be successful in the catering and hospitality sector with the aim of training entrepreneurial restaurateurs par excellence. You will develop further and integrate the skills and knowledge gained on the taught courses by application to a substantial applied project related to business enterprise development and entrepreneurship.

This course starts in January 2012. Full-time students attend four evenings a week to fit in around standard working hours, and part-time students attend two evenings a week. 

Content & modules

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Modules

• Year 1

  Applied Project (60 Credits) - Compulsory

  This module provides participants with a means of developing further and integrating the skills and knowledge gained on the programme by application to a substantial applied project related to business enterprise development and entrepreneurship. The aim is for participants to develop and implement a project in relation to a specific organizational or entrepreneurial issue or problem. It enables participants to demonstrate proficiency to: scope the project; identify the relevant business enterprise and entrepreneurship issue s ; apply appropriate concepts, theories and practices; assess stakeholder and other people issues in all stages of the project; collect and apply appropriate data; consider the financial implications, including any cost/benefit analysis; make specific recommendations, and justify these via the analysis and evaluation; assess relevant implementation issues; reflect on the experience of developing and delivering the applied project.

  Business Planning and New Venture Development (30 Credits) - Compulsory

  In contrast to MGT4455, this is a practical module which aims to ensure that students can demonstrate they possess the knowledge and skills to develop a business plan, put it into operation, make decisions regarding their business and plan for growth and exit strategies. Students will use appropriate academic theories and analytical tools to achieve a successful business start up, grow the business and make important decisions on future strategies. The module aims to facilitate the development of a unique business plan. A particular emphasis will be placed on planning the business not only at the start-up phase, but beyond the start-up phase. Especially important is the reconciliation of theory to practical realities including interaction with the appropriate government agencies, professional and commercial bodies. Finally, students are encouraged to reflect on whether they are suited to setting up and growing their own small business or continuing their college business on a commercial basis. In particular, the module aims to: - Explore business ideas and entrepreneurship including feasibility, profitability, market analysis, competition and timing; - Enable students to draft a business plan choosing and shaping the best idea and growing their business beyond the start-up phase; - Enable students to formalise the idea to enable the resourcing of the project, especially focusing on practicability, financing and market positioning; - Equip students to report to their investors using an investors meeting and a company report.

  Developing Business Networks for Entrepreneurs (30 Credits) - Compulsory

  Entrepreneurs, small business owners and corporate leaders are always part of a much larger constellation of business networks with suppliers, customers and other stakeholders, and they may be locked into this constellation or be proactive in strategically creating it. Recently, social capital has become an important research focus of entrepreneurial studies. This concept, however, is nothing new: business people have always relied upon personal contacts to create opportunities for gaining referrals, transferring knowledge, improving their reputation and finding new customers and partners. However, these opportunities are affected by a variety of factors, including rationalisation of supply chains, national and regional policies towards small firms and knowledge intensive e-commerce technologies that can transcend national and cultural boundaries. This module develops advanced understanding of and professional skills in evaluating and assessing these relationships and their impact on entrepreneurs in a variety of settings. Students will learn the significance of building business relationships, both outside of their business and internally with staff, and the significance of these relationships at the different growth stages of their business. They will also learn about their strategic options when building business relationships, and the importance of being customer-focused in the electronic age. Students will learn to contextualise the importance of social capital and build practical skills in developing social capital; identify, evaluate and analyse stakeholder interests, and explore how to break into an industry. This covers a variety of channels, from social networking and customer relationships over the internet, to interpersonal and social skills, and joining and forming strategic business networks. In particular, the module aims to: - explore the complexity and integrated nature of business networks; - enable students to understand the reality of business relationships and how to manage them; - explore and develop the student s own aims and abilities concerning the building and management of business networks; - evaluate and use, across a wide range of contexts, the application of tools and techniques for building business networks; - investigate emerging issues and contemporary trends in business networks.

  Entrepreneurship Concepts, Theory and Practice (30 Credits) - Compulsory

  This module builds a broad and advanced understanding of entrepreneurship concepts, theory and practice. It approaches entrepreneurship and business enterprise from both an academic and a practical perspective. It aims to explore the complexity and integrated nature of entrepreneurship and business enterprise. The module provides sufficient knowledge of entrepreneurship and business enterprise to enable students to formulate and execute high level decisions and plans for themselves, having full regard for the impact of these on themselves, their own businesses and other stakeholders, as well as taking account of the dynamics of the external environment. In particular, it aims to: - explore the complexity and integrated nature of contemporary business enterprise and entrepreneurship; - explore the student s own aims and abilities concerning business enterprise and entrepreneurship; - evaluate, across a wide range of contexts, the application of tools and techniques for business enterprise and entrepreneurship; - investigate emerging issues and contemporary trends in business enterprise and entrepreneurship.

  Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Small Business Marketing (30 Credits) - Compulsory

  Entrepreneurship is seen as involving two vital ingredients: innovation and creativity - but with that little extra push to achieve. This module is designed to foster entrepreneurial talent and encourage and develop entrepreneurial/ small business management skills through the review and application of theory and practice in the field. The diversity of entrepreneurship in today s dynamic commercial and social environments will be highlighted, incorporating the application of the latest E-marketing strategies. Students will be challenged to think and act entrepreneurially with the objective of being in a position to start their own business or being able to bring an entrepreneurial approach to existing organisations. It also aims to make them aware of opportunities in the market place and generate a can do mentality - one that empowers students and shows them that they can shape their own destinies.

This course will provide you with an advanced understanding of management for entrepreneurs and develop your skills in putting that understanding into practice.

You will gain the knowledge needed to plan and develop a business from the first concept through to sustainable growth or an exit strategy.

You will also develop your skills in understanding and managing the complex network of relationships with suppliers, customers and other stakeholders that companies and entrepreneurs may either create or be locked into. 

Practical Applied Project in collaboration with Sofra International

The Applied Project in collaboration with Sofra International will provide professional and practical experiences. It teaches the essential components required to be successful in the catering and hospitality sector with the aim of training entrepreneurial restaurateurs par excellence. You will develop further and integrate the skills and knowledge gained on the taught courses by application to a substantial applied project related to business enterprise development and entrepreneurship.

For Masters level, all five modules are compulsory. For diploma level, the four taught modules only are compulsory. For certificate level, two taught modules are compulsory: Management Concepts for Entrepreneurs, and Business Planning and New Venture Development.

Your knowledge and understanding will be assessed through a combination of individual and group coursework, presentations, examinations and an applied project.

Entry & applying

The course is designed for graduates of any discipline who wish to become entrepreneurs. Applicants should normally possess a UK Honours degree normally classified 2.2 or above or an acceptable equivalent. Exceptionally, applicants without a first degree might be considered based on professional or other qualifications.

Standard entry requirements

The MA Business Enterprise and Entrepreneurship is designed for graduates of any discipline who wish to become entrepreneurs. Applicants should normally possess a UK Honours degree normally classified 2.2 or above or an acceptable equivalent. Exceptionally, applicants without a first degree might be considered based on professional or other qualifications.

International entry requirements

We accept the equivalent of the above from a recognised overseas university, to find out more about the requirements from your country, see further information under support in your country.

English language requirements

You must have competence in English language and we normally require Grade C GCSE or an equivalent qualification. The most common English Language requirements for international students are IELTS 6.5 (with minimum 6.0 in all four components) or TOEFL paper based 575 (no less than 4.5 in test of written English) or TOEFL internet based 90 (with no less than 19 in each component) Middlesex also offers an Intensive Academic English course (Pre-Sessional) that ranges from 5-17 weeks, depending on your level of English. Successful completion of this course would meet English language entry requirements. For more information on applying for the pre-sessional please email english@mdx.ac.uk. For details of other equivalent English language requirements that Middlesex accepts see international entry requirements.

How to Apply

Apply now

Applications for postgraduate study should be made directly to the university. The quickest way to apply is by making an online application, once you have created your account and completed your application, you will be able to track the progress of your application online. Alternatively, you can fill in an application form and return it to the appropriate admissions office. UK and EU students should apply directly to the London office. Non-EU international students can apply to our international admissions office in London, or use our network of regional offices across the world to assist you with your application.

Fees & funding

The tuition fee for MA Business Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (in collaboration with Sofra International) for the academic year 2012/13 is as follows:

UK/EU Students

Full-time students: £9,000

Part-time students: £75 per taught credit

International Students

Full-time students £11,700

Careers & placements

As a Business Enterprise and Entrepreneurship graduate you will have developed a sound knowledge of how the commercial world works; a skill which is useful for a number of different graduate careers. The programme’s links with Sofra International mean that the concepts and theories that you are learning are practically applied to current business situations through case studies, company visits, mini projects and assignments. All of this is designed to bring your learning to life and help you with your choice of careers.

As economies emerge from the recession there will be a demand from the market place for postgraduates at masters level who have both the relevant quantitative and qualitative skills and strategic capability, especially in an era of hyper competition and globalisation. You will have cultivated the vital skills, knowledge and confidence to start and run your own business, and gain valuable experience to open up career options in the SME sector.  You'll gain interpersonal, team working and communication skills which will help you to be self-directed in planning and implementing projects. You'll develop positive and critical attitudes towards leadership and change, and the role of enterprise within new and existing venture creation. You'll have an 'enterprise culture' and will have developed the confidence, resilience and reflective practice in leadership and management, which extends beyond the completion of your masters and in to your career.

Your commercial skills will also be useful to other industries, but as graduate positions are still competitive you need to demonstrate all of your transferable skills through a number of extra-curricular activities including work experience, business challenges and volunteer experience.