Online Learning with Leeds Beckett University

A course of study has a clear mission: personal mastery of an area of knowledge and the skillset that goes with it – and interesting, if unfamiliar, territory to be navigated. The rewards are significant – not least the sense of achievement and recognition by others. Importantly, it’s personal work: the academics challenge students to make the best of themselves, although success is mostly a matter of personal discipline and resilience – signals of character that employers recognise and seek out.

Additionally, studying for a qualification needs careful planning and sustained effort. However, the personal logistics of post-Services life, with jobs and commuting, can get in the way. This is where online learning at Leeds Beckett University comes in: it offers the same academic challenge, personal skills and sense of community that a classroom course does, but it’s convenient, handy and time-efficient. Course participants can find it easier to reconcile the demands of study and of life – there’s no time wasted in commuting, for example.

As distance learning courses offered by Leeds Beckett University are eligible for ELC Scheme funding, we offer several courses, delivered online from the heart of a large, thriving, successful university. Leeds Beckett is a very well-established university: our origins go back to 1824 and we have over 28,000 students, in four faculties, from 100 different countries. We have 2,900 staff spread over two campuses, a network of international partners, and major badges of distinction such as an award-winning library service, Investors in People “Gold” and Customer Service Excellence. Our disciplines range from management, business, civil engineering and computing, to health, teacher training, politics, tourism and sport, all underpinned by a vibrant and robust research programme. Leeds Beckett is also a key centre for leadership training in the “Northern Powerhouse” region.

We’ve been running distance learning courses for over 15 years. Our portfolio of online courses includes: Executive MBA, MSc Accounting (top up), MA Sport Business, LLM (International Business Law), MSc Computer Security, MSc Facilities Management, MSc Building Services Engineering, MSc Quantity Surveying, MSc Building Surveying, MSc Responsible Tourism, MSc Travel Business Leadership, MA International Relations, MSc Public Health: Health Promotion, MSc Psychology Conversion, Postgraduate Certificate in Education, MA English Language Teaching, amongst others.
The Leeds Beckett online Executive MBA (Masters of Business Administration) is designed to encourage you to develop the skills and qualities needed in managing commercial and public sector organisations. In particular, it enables students to shape their leadership skills for a post-Service employment setting, looking at business and organisational problems with a fresh pair of eyes, understanding and applying strategic thinking and improving analysis and decision making skills. In other words, it makes participants fluent in the many, often complex, languages of business and organisational life. Our MBA was developed in consultation with the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), so students, on successful completion, can earn up to three additional awards from CMI. These are Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management & Leadership, Level 8 Certificate in Strategic Direction & Leadership and Diploma in Management Consultancy.

Participants will master key business disciplines: Strategic Management, Contemporary Marketing, Accounting and Finance for Decision Making, Organising and Managing for Performance. You will hone your leadership skills in the Self Effectiveness and Leadership Performance module, and the Business Consultancy Project offers participants the chance to address a strategic problem related to a real organisation. In addition, students will choose two of four option modules: Advanced Project and Risk Management; Cross-cultural Human Resource Management; Forensic Accounting; and Consumer Behaviour & Research.

The Leeds Beckett online Executive MBA is delivered via an e-platform developed by the education giant, Pearson. Accessing an easy-to-use “virtual learning environment”, participants will follow a structured, organised weekly programme, with introductions, activities, readings (all online), and access to a community and collaboration tools on your course. Participants will have regular contact with our tutorial team as they progress through the course, with 24-hour access to course materials – where and when they need it.
An MBA is widely recognised by business and government organisations in civilian life. With three starts a year, plus the opportunity for ELC funding, it is easy to access the course and get on with your career.

Edmund Hewson

Director of Distance Learning, Leeds Beckett University