Course summary
This two year MA Business Communication for International Leadership (with Professional Experience) degree course will help you achieve all three. You'll spend your first year at university, developing your business communication and leadership skills with international markets in mind, including how to negotiate and positively influence people. You'll sharpen your verbal and written communication style and multi-cultural interpersonal skills – crucial for becoming an effective international communicator. During your second year, you'll put your learning into action on a 12-month work placement in business or taking part in a professional experience programme tailored to your chosen career. When you graduate, you'll be ready to take on managerial positions in multinational or international companies in fields such as corporate communication, marketing, public relations, social enterprise, management consultancy, human resource management, banking, logistics and distribution. On this course you'll experience
- Get invaluable first-hand business experience on a 12-month professional experience module or work placement in a field related to your chosen career, such as banking, marketing, healthcare or logistics
- Work alongside expert business people to apply your learning and improve your employability
- Develop your verbal and written business communication and interpersonal skills, so you can engage effectively in dialogue and negotiations across international boundaries
- Learn how to understand and address cross-cultural differences, so you can lead an international workforce effectively
- Immerse yourself in current business practice by engaging with experts during your studies, through guest lectures, interviews and discussion forums with industry personnel and practitioners
- Explore strategies for sustainable leadership, managing diversity, change management and negotiation
- banking
- marketing
- advertising & PR
- digital media/social media
- retail
- NGOs and charity organisations
- logistics and transport
- healthcare industry/NHS
- information technology
- recruitment
Modules
Year 1 Core modules
- Communication in Professional Contexts (30 credits)
- Intercultural Communication in Business (30 credits)
- International Leadership and Managing Diversity (30 credits)
- Strategies for Sustainability Leadership (30 credits)
- Dissertation / Major Ma Business Communication for International Leadership (60 credits)
- Project Management: Tools and Techniques (30 credits)
- Work Based Project (30 credits)
Assessment method
You'll be assessed through:
- exams
- case study analysis
- oral presentations
- report writing
- written assessments
- role plays/simulation
- dissertation
Professional bodies
Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.
- Chartered Management Institute
Entry requirements
A second-class honours degree or equivalent in a relevant subject. Equivalent professional experience and/or qualifications will be considered.
English language requirements
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6 | English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.0 with no component score below 5.5. |
| Cambridge English Advanced | Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) (taken after January 2015). An overall score of 169 with no component score less than 162. | |
| Cambridge English Proficiency | Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) (taken after January 2015). An overall score of 169 with no component score less than 162. | |
| PTE Academic | 54 | An overall score of 54 with a minimum of 51 in each skill. |
| TOEFL (iBT) | 79 | 79 with a minimum of 18 in Reading, 17 in Listening, 20 in Speaking and 17 in Writing. |
| Trinity ISE | Pass | Trinity College Integrated Skills in English (ISE) Level III with a Pass in all 4 components. |
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| EU | £10400 | Year 1 |
| England | £10400 | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £10400 | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £10400 | Year 1 |
| Wales | £10400 | Year 1 |
| Channel Islands | £10400 | Year 1 |
| Republic of Ireland | £10400 | Year 1 |
| International | £17900 | Year 1 |
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
Students who are resident in EU countries: please note that the net fee is inclusive of the Transition Scholarship
Fees are accurate at the time of publishing and are subject to change at any time without notice.
Fees may also go up in later years, in line with inflation.
A tuition fee will also apply for the Professional Experience placement module, £1,800 / £2,875 depending on fee domicile (subject to increase for 2025/26).
Provider information
University of Portsmouth
University House
Winston Churchill Avenue
Portsmouth
PO1 2UP