Executive Human Capital

Our unique Executive MBA programme, delivered in partnership with Grant Thornton combines the best of academic insight and commercial application. We’ll use this to help you develop your leadership and management skills with a specific focus on business growth and innovation. This Executive MBA programme will allow you to join a community of skilled individuals developing the necessary know-how and confidence to stand out from the crowd.

Grant Thornton in the UK is part of a global organisation, the world’s 6th largest accounting and advisory firm with more than 40,000 clients. We encourage you to come and experience a world-class university programme delivered by a university famous for innovation, career-enhancing services and world-renowned faculty and a company reputed for the quality of its service and advice, with a passion for shaping a vibrant economy.

Who is it for?

Our Executive MBA is especially designed for middle managers wanting to move into a senior management role and those on a fast-track career path within their organisations.

Businesses increasingly seek strategic thinkers with sound leadership capabilities, strong financial skills, an intrapreneurial mind-set, global understanding and excellent people skills. The Cranfield Executive MBA, delivered in partnership with Grant Thornton, will take you out of your comfort zone and transform you to reflect, question and find solutions to complex business challenges.

Why this course?

The collaboration of Cranfield and Grant Thornton on the delivery of this programme ensures you will be exposed to industry-leading education, incorporating teaching from current practitioners, business simulations and one-to-one leadership coaching.

You will study with a cohort of experienced professionals drawn from a range of industries and countries, building your network and giving you insights into best practice internationally. In addition, you will be able to apply the knowledge and skills you develop during the programme immediately in the workplace.

You will carry out projects and assignments and participate in competitions and business simulations, designed to help you apply the theories, tools and techniques you learn. The programme is designed to support your career progression, preparing you to carry out senior strategic roles successfully or to build your own business.

The course meets the requirements of the Level 7 Senior Leader Master's Degree Apprenticeship. Subject to eligibility, your organisation may be able to use their apprenticeship levy to cover the costs of you attending this course. Please see our funding section for further details.

The programme covers all the core management subjects in a series of 14 modules, but is also highly flexible. You will choose 8 electives* and tailor projects to suit your organisation's needs, your interests and your professional aspirations. The programme is structured in two main parts. Year 1 comprises 11 core management modules. In year 2, you will take a further 3 core modules, you will then choose 8 elective modules, and have the option to complete an International Business Assignment or company-based project. Leadership development and career development activities run throughout the programme.

Group project

The programme includes an optional consultancy project. Working in small groups, you will apply what you have learnt in your core and elective modules to the project. You will help an organisation to tackle a contemporary challenge, researching the problem, analysing data and making recommendations for action.

Individual project

Independent work-based project

The programme includes an independent work-based project. Working in small groups, you will apply what you have learnt in your core and elective modules to your project. You will help your organisation to tackle a contemporary challenge, researching the problem, and making impactful recommendations for action.

Assessment

You will be assessed through a mixture of exams, written projects and presentations.

School of Management Disclaimer

Keeping our courses up-to-date and current requires constant innovation and change. The modules we offer reflect the needs of business and industry and the research interests of our staff and, as a result, may change or be withdrawn due to research developments, legislation changes or for a variety of other reasons. Changes may also be designed to improve the student learning experience or to respond to feedback from students, external examiners, accreditation bodies and industrial advisory panels.

To give you a taster, we have listed the core modules and some optional modules affiliated with this programme which run in the academic year 2018–2019. There is no guarantee that these modules will run for 2019 entry. All modules are subject to change depending on your year of entry.

Compulsory modules

• Organisational Behaviour: Personal and Professional Foundations of Leadership and Change
• Accounting
• Strategic Operations Management
• Strategic Marketing
• Entrepreneurial Finance for Early Stage Businesses
• Economics and Business Strategy
• Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation
• Financial Management
• Strategic Management
• Programme and Project Management
• Global Macroeconomics and Business Environment
• Challenges for Leaders: Managing People, Change and Sustainability
• Data Analytics and Decision Making
• Leading with Impact

Elective modules

• International Business Assignment
• Entrepreneurial Finance for Later Stage Businesses
• International Strategy
• Managing International Mergers and Acquisitions
• Corporate Financial Strategy
• Corporate Finance Transactions
• Strategizing in Challenging Contexts
• Strategic Human Resource Management in the 21st Century
• Driving Value Through the Supply Chain
• Negotiating in Business and Organisations
• Managing Strategic Innovation
• Business Law
• Independent Project
• Leading Sales and Customer Management Organisations
• Leading and Managing the Family Enterprise
• Challenges in Creating Organisational Cyber Resilience
• Strategic Quality Management
• Major Critical Projects and Programme Management - a Sectoral Approach

We welcome MBA applications from talented candidates from all backgrounds. Professional experience and personal qualities are equally important to us. We want students who will challenge us and their classmates, people, that know their own mind and strive for both personal and team success. We want to know how ambitious you are, how determined you are, your potential to develop and make a difference.

If you are unsure if you qualify for our MBA programmes we are happy to assess your profile and give you feedback on your suitability for the programme before you make a formal application.

You will need to have:

• A minimum of five years' post-qualification work experience
• A good degree and/or professional qualification
• Applicants who do not have a degree are welcomed provided they can demonstrate high levels of achievement, exceptional career progression or evidence of leadership potential.

GMAT

We welcome candidates with Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores over 600. The average score for our Full-time MBA students is currently 680. You will need to contact GMAT directly to book an appointment to take the test. 

You can also try a sample GMAT test paper on The Princeton Review website

Cranfield's GMAT registration number is:

• Executive Part-time MBA - K2H-N3-41

Where we are satisfied that your career progress demonstrates the kind of skills and competencies assessed by GMAT, we may offer exemption from these tests. This waiver is granted at the discretion of the Executive MBA Director.

GRE

We welcome candidates with a minimum GRE score in the 80th percentile for both verbal and quantitative reasoning. Our Designated Institution Code is 3641.

Sample Cranfield admission tests

If you are able to come to Cranfield for interview, you may be able to take the Cranfield admission tests as an alternative to GMAT. These are two paper-based tests, designed to assess your numeracy and problem-solving skills. The Cranfield admission tests serve the same purpose as GMAT but provide us with greater flexibility. If you have a GMAT score of 600 or more you will not need to take the Cranfield tests.

Test 1: Numeracy

This is a test of your numerical ability. There are a total of 25 questions to be attempted in 30 minutes. You are not expected to complete every question but should complete as many as possible in the time available. We strongly advise that you bring a calculator for use during this test.

• Sample test questions
• More sample test questions 

Test 2: Problem-solving

This is a test of your ability to solve a variety of verbal, numerical and spatial problems. The questions are similar to those used in intelligence tests. There are a total of 35 questions to be attempted in 30 minutes. You are not expected to complete every question but should complete as many as possible in the time available.

• Sample test questions
• More sample test questions 

Further reading

If you feel that you need some more practice on numeracy and problem-solving questions, we recommend that you read the following:

• The Official Guide for GMAT Review by Graduate Management Admission Council - the chapters on math review and problem-solving
• Quantitative Approaches in Business Studies by Clare Morris, Pitman publishing - chapter 1
• Improve your Maths: A Refresher Course by Jon Curwin and Roger Slater, Business Press, Thomson Learning 2000
• The Ultimate IQ Test Book - 1000 Practice Test Questions to Boost Your Brain Power by Philip Carter
• Succeed at IQ Tests: Improve Your Numerical, Verbal and Spatial Reasoning Skills by Philip Carter and Ken Russell

English Language

If you are an international student you will need to provide evidence that you have achieved a satisfactory test result in an English qualification. Our minimum requirements are as follows:

• IELTS - 7 overall
• TOEFL - 100
• Pearson PTE Academic - 68
• Cambridge English Scale - 190
• Cambridge English: Advanced - C
• Cambridge English: Proficiency - C
• Trinity College London Integrated Skills in English III - pass

In addition to these minimum scores you are also expected to achieve a balanced score across all elements of the test. We reserve the right to reject any test score if any one element of the test score is too low.

We can only accept tests taken within two years of your registration date (with the exception of Cambridge English tests which have no expiry date).

Students requiring a Tier 4 (General) visa must ensure they can meet the English language requirements set out by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and we recommend booking a IELTS for UKVI test.

Want to improve your English level for admission?

Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.

• ✔️ Flexible study schedule
• ✔️ Experienced teachers
• ✔️ Certificate upon completion

📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.

Enroll in the course

The Cranfield Trust Scholarships

Cranfield School of Management and The Cranfield Trust* are delighted to offer scholarships for candidates working for a European charitable, voluntary organisation involved in issues of poverty, disability or social exclusion.

Value: £36,000 (full tuition fees)

Number of awards: 1

Scholarship details: The selection criteria for the scholarship will be based on the following:

• the strength of the application and the accompanying essay
• the candidate's potential to become a leader within the voluntary sector as a result of the 'Cranfield Experience'
• the candidate's likely contribution to the voluntary sector in the future

It is anticipated that successful candidates will also contribute to the work of The Cranfield Trust* during the course and in the future.

Additional requirements: In addition to the MBA application form, you should submit a short essay of no more than 500 words on "Why I should undertake the Cranfield MBA and how I think this will increase my contribution to the voluntary sector".

Once offered a place on the MBA course, short-listed candidates will be invited for a second panel interview with the Executive MBA Course Director and a representative from The Cranfield Trust*. These interviews are likely to take place in mid-December.

Cranfield-Grant Thornton Scholarship for Social Impact and Inclusion

Applicable to the following sectors: Charity, Not-For-Profit, Voluntary, Community Benefit and Civic Sectors.

As part of Cranfield and Grant Thornton’s commitment to promoting access to world-class education, we are delighted to be offering a bursary for employees working for organisations tackling issues of social impact and inclusion who want to study towards the Cranfield Executive MBA.

What is covered? Tuition fees for the Cranfield Executive MBA programme are £27,000. Eligible organisations will be able to use £18,000 of their Apprenticeship Levy towards the overall cost, with the remaining £9,000 payable by the company to Cranfield over two years.

We recognise that for some of these organisations, providing the additional £9,000 may not be possible and will restrict access to this programme.

In recognition of the above, from January 2019 onwards there will be a limited number of £9,000 bursaries to sponsored employees of organisations in the eligible sectors.

Process

• Applicants will follow the same application process as all other EMBA candidates
• Bursaries to be offered competitively through an award panel process with representatives from Cranfield Admissions and Grant Thornton
• In the event that a bursary candidate changes organisation during their EMBA, the bursary will be reviewed. 

A candidate joining another third sector organisation would usually (although not automatically) qualify for a continuation of their bursary. Where a candidate joins a for-profit organisation then their organisation may be required to pay a pro-rata top up.

Your career

The Cranfield Executive MBA will enable you to develop your knowledge, skills and abilities while applying what you learn directly in your workplace. The programme will support your career progression, preparing you to carry out senior strategic roles successfully or to build your own business.

The Cranfield Executive MBA has a strong focus on leadership development. You will work with accredited coaches, members of faculty and careers advisors to create and implement a personalised development plan. Leadership development continues throughout the year and will enable you to:

• Discover and develop your leadership and team-working style
• Identify how to enhance your personal effectiveness
• Work out where you want to go professionally
• Learn the techniques of effective team leadership
• Become more sensitive to situations, cultures and contexts
• Prepare to lead change and face future challenges.

Our Career services team offer: individual career consultations, speaker events, alumni networking, networking workshop, personal and executive career coaching, leadership assessment centre, and more practical skills-based workshops on writing CVs and cover letters, and interview skills.