Study level
Postgraduate
Duration
1 to 5 years
Course Overview
Ready to gain the leadership expertise required to be a strategic manager who is fluent in digital technology? Ready to explore the challenges presented by ‘big data’ sets and evaluate methodologies for data analysis? Our Master of Business Administration (Digital Business) is designed for you!
Arden’s digital MBA enables you to gain hands-on experience with the technology your business can use to succeed. You’ll build on the fundamental professional experience you have and explore the impacts of digitisation and how to do it well.
You’ll become a strategic leader in the digital space – with highly sought after and transferable skills for a huge range of industries. As well as these key academic skills, you’ll also develop your resilience, people and ethics skills, and collaboration skills.
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Find out more about this degree programme and the modules covered by downloading our degree brochure.
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Fast track your career with Arden
Arden courses are designed so that you can study additional programmes alongside them. Find out more about how you can study an additional industry certified course alongside your studies.
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Course details and modules
Our MBA (Digital Business) has been designed to engage and inspire students via a range of activities that maintain a ‘real world’ focus. You’ll be exposed to a range of software applications that are geared towards business effectiveness and efficiency. These include and are not limited to Salesforce and Amazon Web Services.
Students will be required to work collaboratively. You’ll work with peers to exchange your professional experiences to learn and grow as a group – ensuring you leave with a network of supportive peers who you can continue to engage with well beyond graduating.
Technology and digitisation are at the heart of this programme. You will explore contemporary business practices and will be expected to evaluate the contribution of digital applications, develop hands on technology skills, and reflect on their contribution to business progress.
Throughout the modules listed, you will be required to cast a critical eye on the business world of the past, present, and future.
Here at Arden we know the decision to undertake postgraduate study is a major one for all students.
Core Modules (20 credits each)
- The digital business environment
- Leading and working in the digital business environment
- Introduction to the digital supply chain
- Competitive strategy in the digital business environment
- Digital finance and ledger systems
Elective, choose one (20 credits)
- Managing customer and user experience
- Marketing in the digital and social media environment
- Managing cloud-based business solutions
- Digital customer relationship management
- Analysing big data
Final project (60 credits)
- Digital business project
*The order and availability of the optional modules within each level may vary depending on intake and subject to demand.
How do we assess you?
The assessment strategy centres on a strong alignment with real-world business transformation issues and embraces a range of group and individual-based assessment types including:
- Reflective analyses
- Transformation plans
- Stakeholder engagement plans
- Digital business analyses
- Work products
- Software appraisals
- Digital leadership strategies
- Digital business project (as above)
Students are expected to apply knowledge and theory explored in the modules and produce assessments that simultaneously focus on real business situations and demonstrate the high levels of critical and diagnostic thinking required to meet the standards of a Level 7 business qualification.
The programme culminates in the submission of the independent study assessment (digital business project) that builds upon content examined in the other modules and requires students to develop a digital transformation plan.
Entry requirements
At Arden University we consider applications on a case by case basis. If you have significant work experience, have qualifications you have gained elsewhere, or a degree or qualification that isn't a clear pathway to this degree - we are more than happy to discuss your application.
What do you need to study with us?
Our aim is to make learning as accessible as possible by ensuring that you can join us, wherever you are.
That's why we keep our requirements simple. All you need is a laptop or computer (we recommend one running the latest version of Windows), and a good stable internet connection.
With this one tool, you'll be able to access information, advice, support, learning materials and our online library, as well as create assignments, keep notes, and collaborate with other students effectively.
Find out more
Eligibility
To be eligible for this Master of Business Administration (Digital Business) course at Arden University, you must normally have:
- A UK Honours Degree at a minimum of second class (2.2) or equivalent
- AND, two years’ experience at management level.
English proficiency
- IELTS 6.5 (no less than 6.0 in any element); or TOEFL iBT 90; or equivalent
- Alternatively, evidence you have previously studied in English; a letter to show that the Medium of Instruction was in English can be accepted
We also offer an internal English test for applicants who are unable to provide an English Proficiency letter. More information on this can be found here.
Candidates who lack formal qualifications but possess significant relevant experience will also be considered, we recommend five years’ experience at a management level.
Course fees and funding
Meet the team
Arden’s Master of Business Administration (Digital Business) is taught by the Arden Faculty of Business. Dr Alison Watson, Head of the School of Leadership and Management, is one of the designers of our digital first business degrees. Alison is passionate about guiding businesses through change and has taught business for nearly 20 years. Our business team are a group of forward-thinking academic professionals, that place an emphasis on applied teaching and giving students the opportunity to solve real-world problems with innovative solutions. The course programme is designed with a focus on business applications and our graduates’ career progression.
Career prospects
The MBA is the most internationally recognised postgraduate degree in the world, and the most coveted. The MBA (Digital Business) takes the fundamentals from a more traditional MBA and modernises the content so you can become a truly contemporary leader.
The skills you gain will be transferable to the public and private sector, so the opportunities are endless! Our MBA (Digital Business) degree will give you the skills you need to demonstrate senior-level leadership, enhancing your CV for current and future employers.
What will a Master of Business Administration (Digital Business) do for my career?
By the time you graduate, you will have gained experience across a suite of software, in a hands-on, practical capacity, so you will be armed with the tools you need to be a leader within this emerging area of business. You will have explored competitive strategies, digital finance, and the digital business environment, all within a real-world context. Because we focus on the practical application of what you learn, you’ll find that this knowledge and expertise is valuable to a range of different roles. Whilst studying, you’ll:
- Evaluate and analyse data sets using digitally-driven analytical tools
- Explore the various leadership approaches and styles that are appropriate in the digital business environment
- Assess the compliance issues, ethical considerations and legal constraints (for example, GDPR) that impact the digital business environment
- Develop and evaluate business leadership strategies for success in the digital business environment
What can I do after Arden University?
Completing an MBA (Digital Business) will help to arm you with the right skills and knowledge to accelerate your career to a senior leadership role. Whether you want to join or continue working for, an already established business, start your own company or become a consultant, this degree can give you everything you need to explore any avenue. Some roles you might want to consider are:
- Entrepreneur
- Chief Technological Officer
- Business Director
- Head of Marketing
- Digital Transformation Manager
- Database Lead
Industry skills
Prepare for the next step in your career
Achieving your Master of Business Administration (Digital Business) will give you the skills you need to be a strategic leader. Beyond the core MBA itself, Arden students can also benefit from 1-2-1 support and online learning resources, enhancing their CVs even further.
Throughout your studies, you’ll have access to student support advisors. They’ll help you to enhance your academic skills, guide you with your orientation and offer tailored career support. This means you’ll have guidance at every stage of your degree from our extensive community of students and fellow alumni, who can offer 1-2-1 advice for your future beyond Arden University.
Outside of this, you’ll also have unlimited access to our online platform, iLearn – providing you with all the learning resources and tools needed to excel in your studies.
Study options
You’ll complete your Master of Business Administration (Digital Business) degree via online learning meaning you have full flexibility on when and where you study. You can choose to continue to work while you pursue your MBA, and learn anytime, anywhere.
As a mature student the key factors that I wanted when deciding which university was best for me was quality content, a flexible learning schedule, and programme accreditation. During my research I found that Arden really stood out, and I could study without having to give up my job.
Abdulrahaman Usman
Master of Business Administration
Online Learning
How does it work?
With online learning, you decide when and where you work through your self-guided learning materials, without being held to a set lecture timetable. If you’re interrupted during a lesson, simply pause the materials and continue later. You can also communicate and collaborate with your tutor and classmates through live online forums and email.
Find out more about how online learning works.
