Leadership

Leadership and Organisational Change

MA

Apply now – no fee
Enquire now Download brochure
  • Next start date: Sep 2024
  • Study: Full-time
  • Duration: 12 - 16 months
  • Fee: See Fees tab below

Overview

Discover your potential as a manager, leader and influencer of change – able to maximise new opportunities and respond to cultural shifts and technological advances 

You’ll gain an advanced understanding of leadership styles and effective people management techniques, discovering how to act and communicate differently based the situation or individual. You'll learn how to structure and lead global organisations, gaining tools to design, analyse and improve different departments’ operational capabilities – and explore techniques used to promote adaptability, innovation, creative problem solving and confidence in the workplace.

You’ll also be taught how to manage organisational change, which is often complex, costly and challenging – from mergers and acquisitions to restructuring and utilising new technology – exploring techniques and frameworks, including strategic visioning, to instil confidence and shape expectations.

Graduate business-ready

From global organisations to new start-ups, studying in London offers opportunities to engage with all aspects of the business arena – gaining valuable work experience and meeting influential industry contacts.

Graduate with strong leadership skills and the ability to confidently adapt – ensuring you and your team thrives in the global business arena. You’ll be able to work in a huge range of industries, from private and public sector management to business development, consulting, and more.

Dual accreditation

This course is accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) – allowing you to register for an additional professional qualification. Registering with the CMI gives you access to a range of opportunities, detailed below, and means (if successful) you’ll gain a Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice.

This can fast-track your professional development – helping you to quickly become a Chartered Manager (CMgr).

  • Mentorship from a member of the CMI
  • Activities accredited for Continuing Professional Development
  • A variety of CMI events with networking opportunities
  • Consultations with specialist advisers to develop your career
  • A vast library of the latest research and thinking

Please note, this is an opt-in arrangement and isn't automatic. You’ll be invited to a seminar in your first few weeks, that provides more information and enables you to register, if you wish.

Download course specification

How to apply

Applying to Regent's is quick and easy. We accept direct applications year-round and there's no application fee. If you haven't received your exam results, you can still apply and we'll issue you with a conditional offer. You just need be clear in your application which qualifications you're currently studying for.

Step 1: Apply

During the application process, you'll have the chance to upload supporting documents, including:

  • A copy of your passport (photograph ID page)
  • Academic transcripts and certificates from all previous studies
  • A 500-700 word personal statement (view guidance)
  • If you're not a native English speaker, proof of your English proficiency

Credit transfer

If you’ve already studied part of your degree elsewhere, you may be able to apply for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and join your new course at an advanced entry point. To apply for RPL, you'll need to state this clearly in your application and provide us with the certificates, transcripts and module descriptions for your previous course.

Step 2: Receive a response

You can expect to receive a decision on your application within 10 working days. We'll assess whether you meet our entry requirements and will notify you of our decision via email. UCAS applicants will also receive official notification via the UCAS system.

For some of our courses, the selection process may include an interview or audition. They can take the form of a one-to-one interview, a group interview or a portfolio review, which may be conducted by telephone or online. Arrangements of these are made between you and the Admissions department.

Step 3: Accept your offer

If you wish to accept your offer, you must pay your (non-refundable) advance tuition fee deposit. This will confirm your place. Here's how.

Step 4: Register 

Closer to the start of term, our Admissions team will send instructions regarding your registration process. This will include information on completing your online enrolment before you arrive, as well as a checklist of documents you'll need to bring with you to campus.

Information for international students

If you're an overseas student, you'll likely require a visa to study in the UK. Here's how to apply.

Scholarships and funding

There are a wide variety of funding and scholarship opportunities to help you finance your studies. For more information, please visit our scholarships and funding page.

Fees

Tuition fee: 

  • £23,000 per year for intakes starting in September 2023 and January 2024.
  • £26,000 per year for the intake starting in September 2024. 

Non-refundable advance deposit:

UK students: £1,000
International students: £4,000

Read more about tuition fees.

If you receive an offer for a course, you’ll receive a pro forma invoice. To accept your offer and secure your place, pay your deposit payment as soon as possible.

The remaining portion of your first year’s tuition fees will be due when you enrol. At this time, you’ll receive your invoice for the full year. You can choose to pay for the year in full before the start of your first academic year or in two instalments, spread out across the academic year. The dates of these instalments will be determined by when your course starts.

What do fees include?

Fees cover the cost of all tuition and access to the University’s IT infrastructure and library learning resources. Fees are presented for the first level of study which equates to two terms.  

What other costs should I budget for?

You will need to budget additional funds for accommodation and living expenses, travel, and any additional trips, visits, activities or courses that you choose to participate in outside of the tuition offered as part of your course.

The library holds a limited number of copies of core textbooks and where possible in e-format. You will be encouraged to purchase your own textbooks and will need to budget approximately £80-£100 per year, depending on your course.

How you'll learn

At Regent's you’ll have the freedom to explore your interests in a supportive and nurturing environment with interactive classes, regular one-to-one contact with tutors, specialist facilities, industry opportunities and tailored careers advice – ensuring you develop the skills, experience and confidence you need to succeed.

We centre our teaching around your individual goals, identifying support you need to thrive. You'll be part of a collaborative environment, that brings all the nuances of content creation to life in the classroom: facilitating creativity, innovation and teamwork as you explore current issues and propose solutions to real problems.

You’ll pair deep industry knowledge with hands-on experiences, taking part in a blend of learning formats to give your studies context:

  • Seminars and lectures
  • Practical workshops
  • Industry masterclasses 
  • Case study analysis
  • Bootcamps and live briefs
  • Industry placements

Based in London, you'll also have opportunities to meet employers through guest lectures, live briefs, field trips and industry visits – giving you insights into the world of content marketing and enabling you to put theory into practice.

Teaching staff

You'll be taught by a variety of business leaders and research-active academics, who regularly have work published in journals and collaborate with institutions, such as BBC News. Their knowledge and experience ensure your classes are shaped by the most current industry practices.

You'll also be allocated a personal tutor, who'll meet you on a one-to-one basis at various stages throughout the year to provide you with guidance and advice to support your personal and professional development.

We're really proud of the global nature of our business courses, and our tutors also reflect this ethos – coming from a wide variety of countries and cultures across the world. In every way, you'll feel part of a global family.

Independent learning

Throughout the course, you'll be expected to undertake extra reading, research, revision and reflection, as well as preparing work for workshops, and working collaboratively with other students in preparation for assessment.

Method of assessment

Your skills and knowledge will be assessed via a wide range of task-based projects, reports and presentations – as well as business plans, case study analysis and research proposals. It's important to us that your learning and assessment is:

  • Inclusive – fostering a student-focused approach
  • Engaging – encouraging interaction and participation
  • Authentic – based on real business challenges

Disability support

We welcome and support students with a wide range of disabilities and health concerns, including learning difficulties, visual and hearing impairments, mental health difficulties, autism conditions, mobility difficulties and temporary or chronic health conditions. 

Our Student Support & Welfare team is here to support you. We ask that you speak with us as early as possible to enable us to support you. Find out more about our disability support and contact us.

Academic requirements

We're interested in your potential, as well as your prior achievements – and review each application comprehensively on its own merit.

Minimum entry requirements for Level 7 – you'll need one of the following qualifications:

  • Minimum second class UK undergraduate degree
  • Equivalent international qualifications, as deemed acceptable by Regent's

We also welcome applications from students who don't meet our entry requirements. In order to be accepted for exceptional entry, you must:

  • Have one year of work experience (if you hold a degree lower than a 2:2)
  • Have three years of work experience (if you don't hold a degree)
  • Provide a 500-700 word personal statement outlining your reasons for applying, and how your previous experience is of relevance to the programme you are applying for
  • Be prepared to attend an interview with the Postgraduate Admissions Panel
  • Provide evidence of your English language proficiency

This will be assessed on a case-by-case basis by academic referral only.

English language requirements 

Minimum English proficiency requirement through one of the following qualifications (or equivalent):

Qualification Subject Grade
GSCE* English C (4)
PTE Academic Academic Overall score of 67, with 59 or above in each component
IB SL or HL* English A 4
IB HL* English B 5
US HSD (studied in a majority English-speaking country)* Cumulative GPA 2.5
IELTS* Academic Overall score of 6.5, with 5.5 or above in each component
UG degree From English-speaking countries – defined by the UKVI Second class

Please note, we do not accept home/online editions of English language tests.

*Qualification satisfies the English language requirements of the UKVI for non-UK/Irish nationals.

We also offer conditional students a free, online diagnostic test known as the Regent’s English Proficiency Test (REPT). This must be booked in advance. Discover more.

Careers

You'll graduate with strong leadership skills, and have the ability to confidently adapt to ensure you thrive in the global business arena. This will set you up for a successful career in:

  • Private and public sector management
  • Social enterprise
  • Management consulting
  • A family business
  • A start-up
  • Business development

You'll graduate with the transferable skills needed to choose any career that aligns with your interests.

Graduate visa

After you've completed your course, you may be eligible to apply for a Graduate visa. This enables you to work, or look for work, in the UK for up to two years after you leave Regent's, without the pressure of having to secure a job immediately – applying your skills and advancing your career with valuable experiences and industry connections.

Careers support

Don't worry if you feel overwhelmed – our Careers, Enterprise and Industry team are here to provide personalised advice and access to resources for life!

  • 24/7 access to online guidance and resources
  • Exclusive internships, networking opportunities and industry events
  • Personalised consultations – from interview and CV prep to business advice
  • Access to Handshake, connecting you with 650k+ global employers

Structure

You can choose to start in either January or September. A course starting in September will last 12 months, while a course starting in January will last 16 months.

View the 2024-25 academic calendar.

MA Management and Organisational Change

Core modules

Module title
Financial Analysis for Managers The aims of the module are to enable students to understand the uses and limitations of the different elements statutorily required Annual Report, apply this knowledge both to company valuation applicable to equity investment decisions and to lending decisions and, as a director, use this knowledge in conjunction with other techniques to achieve optimal financing.
Marketing for Managers The course is designed to equip students with a theoretical and up-to-date profound insight and competence in the field of marketing. This module allows students to take a strategic approach in marketing planning to achieve competitive advantage. By its very nature, marketing represents the interface between the organisation and the marketplace and therefore contains a strong practical dimension that is inseparable from the conceptual frameworks that underpin the components within it. Students are able to relate key concepts to everyday observable phenomena such as branding and advertising.
Operations Management Businesses buy and sell. They have inputs and they have outputs. The object of this module is to introduce students to the transformation processes that convert – at a profit – those inputs into outputs. To achieve this goal, the module covers three broad areas: The first is operations management: how to structure and to run the internal workings of an organisation, including planning for production and/or service provision. The second area is supply chain management: extending operations management beyond the boundaries of the organisation to include suppliers and customers. The third area is project management: dealing with discrete, time-limited projects instead of on-going and repeating activities. This course provides students with concepts, techniques and tools to design, analyse and improve the operational capabilities of an organisation. The module makes extensive use of simulation exercises to give students the opportunity to learn by practice.
Research Methods Managers in organisations often need to rely on research-based information to make decisions. In order to make proper use of such material and to ensure that any decisions made on the basis of research findings are soundly based it is necessary to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the methods and techniques used to collect and analyse such information. There is a wide range of possible approaches to conducting research or consultancy studies which vary in terms of the kinds of questions they seek to answer and the methods used to provide answers are explored in this module.
Strategy and Decision-Making Why is it that some firms are more successful than others or better at doing business than their competitors? Why it is that one firm can be said to have a “competitive advantage” in one industry and provide “superior returns” while other firms in the same industry provide “average” returns? How and where should a firm compete? These and other similar questions are at the heart of strategic management. The module aims to provide students with an insight into how firm can compete and succeed in a complex, fast changing global environments. The module has a solid theoretical foundation, but the focus is on the practical application of various theoretical frameworks and concept. In addition to developing students’ analytical skill emphasis is placed on strategy implementation and how managers can improve their strategic decision-making processes. Strategy concepts are applied to a range of organisations from the entrepreneurial, startup situation to medium-sized businesses as well as multi-national enterprises operating globally.
Dissertation or Business Project Dissertation Project is a major research-based activity. It is the final stage of the Master’s degree and provides the student with the opportunity to demonstrate that they have gained the necessary knowledge, understanding, conceptual awareness and skills in order to organise and conduct a research project. The project can take shape as a more traditional dissertation or a consultancy assignment with a live company of on a project that is of strategic importance to the firm. Consultancy assignments may be taken in groups but each student consultant will submit an independent written piece of work.
Change Management Today’s managers and leaders are tasked on the one hand with building and providing a stable, effective and successful organisation and on the other hand to ensure continuing relevance in the global marketplace, this is a challenging balancing act. Managing change is complex, costly and challenging. According to some, close to 70% of change projects fail to achieve their defined goals. Mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, moving to a new technology platform are all changes that affect many organisations in the 21st Century. Understanding the types of organisational changes that take place and how they affect the organisation as a whole as well as how to work with fear and resistance to change at the individual level, are essential competencies for those leading organisations as well as those who find themselves in the role of change agent. From strategic visioning, to conceiving a change initiative through to implementing change, this module will explore the many tools, frameworks that are commonly found in change management, both in business and in various academic texts.
Leadership The leadership module is designed to focus on and support the wider objectives of the programme as well as the overall mission of Regent’s University London to ‘Developing Tomorrow’s Global Leaders’. Leaders today not only face a turbulent business environment, but operate in a world that include significant challenges including climate disruption, pollution, unequal distribution of wealth, politically unstable environments, wars and terrorism. This module then will enable students to have a greater understanding of leadership and people management challenges. Furthermore it asks students to reflect on their own beliefs, values, skills and behaviour with respect to the demands and challenges of leadership in the global (business) world. A key aim is to go beyond the mainstream, leader-centric and predominantly psychologically driven theories, to offer a more balanced perspective by including sociologically driven studies, which are gaining in voice. We will also explore emerging issues in the leadership literature.
Managing Complexity This module was shortlisted for the Pearson HE Innovate Award 2021. Complexity is one of the salient hallmarks of the 21st century for global managers / leaders. The demands of managing in a complex landscape require knowledge and understanding to promote adaptability, learning and creative problem solving, as well as confidence, which enables the distributed intelligence of the organisation / community to flourish. This complexity arises from operating in multiple geographical markets, engaging in multifunctional activities and dealing with heterogeneity in terms of different businesses, countries (cultures, legislations), and tasks. In other words, global managers / leaders function in many different contexts across cultural geographical and socio-political environments. Hence, they should be prepared to think, act and communicate differently based on a given situation, rapidly accommodating global business challenges. Therefore, complexity is determined by the environment in which global managers / leaders and live. Although naturally different, environments that drive complexity share four common conditions: multiplicity, interdependence, ambiguity, and flux.

Elective modules

Module title
Entrepreneurship and Innovation This module combines ideas and concepts from the fields of entrepreneurship and innovation to create a learning environment that allows students to deconstruct taken-forgranted tools, theories and practices by thinking “out of the box”, to create proactive solutions to contemporary business problems as well as develop the ability to stretch boundaries in an attempt to identify innovative entrepreneurial solutions. By stretching the students’ thinking, intellectual, creative and innovative skills, it is hoped they will make better entrepreneurs, managers and leaders.
Private Equity and Venture Capital Venture Capital and Private Equity seem opaque with complicated legal structures and a particularly alienating jargon. An understanding of the way things work, why they are structured in a particular way and how to talk about them properly is a goal of the module. Unlike other forms of finance, there is a ‘hands-on’ aspect to Venture Capital and Private Equity which makes it more intense. Thus deals are more complex and require an extra level of analysis and the incorporation of contextual factors. Finally, the real art of PE investing comes in the valuation of potential investments. Every person involved in the investment process will have different views about its value, and different ways of deriving that value. Understanding these different perspectives is the most important skill, or instinct, to acquire in private equity—even more important than the many various valuation techniques. Also, new techniques are evolving to accommodate some of the more inadequate practices of the past; we will examine and assess these in their appropriate contexts.
Technology and Innovation Economic growth, increased wealth, higher standards of living, and better quality of life all depend upon productivity increases. And increased productivity is primarily a function of technology and innovation. This course will focus on both the macro aspects – how technology and innovation have contributed to the making of the modern world – and the micro aspects – how technology and innovation influence business. The course will also focus on what factors – social, political, economic, cultural, geographic, and religious – have been conducive to or detrimental to the success of technology and innovation, on both the macro and the micro levels. There will be special emphasis on the management of technology and innovation, with case studies in different industries and countries used to illustrate and analyse the concepts and ideas covered.
Coaching The aims of the module are to provide the students with the relevant coaching tools and techniques so that they can “coach” people with confidence, raise the students’ self-awareness, so that they themselves ask questions about themselves, provide the necessary tools so that the students learn not only about themselves, and how to view things from another perspective, but learn from the insights and resolution of the coaching process.
Diversity and Migration Management This module aims to enable students to build on their understanding of human mobility within and across national borders, diversity and repercussions of growing diversity regarding theories, key concepts, and practices. They will have an increased awareness of the processes, contexts and influences associated with human mobility and diversity in a range of environments. Having developed an awareness of processes, contexts and influences, students, by analysing firms’, governments and individuals practices and approaches, will be able to formulate and argue coherently for appropriate policies and strategies. Students will learn to understand and analyse risks and opportunities facing firms, governments and individuals in an ever connected global context, and consider the ways in which to manage diversity and human mobility in such environment.
Family Business Upon successful completion of the module the student should have developed a critical insight into how family vision, values and, goals, are linked to the mission, vision and goals of the business, a critical understanding of the stages in the development of a family business and the issues that the family must overcome at each stage to ensure the business is sustainable, a critical understanding of the roles and responsibilities of being a shareholder, an employee and a family member within the context of the family business and a clearer understanding of the challenges they face in returning to work for their family’s business and the changes they may need to encourage in order to ensure that the business is sustainable
Green Business Environmental problems such as pollution and resource depletion have become key challenges that no forward-looking business can afford to ignore nowadays. This module offers a macro and micro-level approach to green business, which should be understand the kinds of “play to win” or “play not to lose” practices in which companies can engage for the long term without destroying the ecological balance of the planet. Greening processes are both a constraint for business - since they require managers to change their way of organising corporate activities – but also an opportunity to benefit from ongoing global transitions to new forms of economic, political and social organisation. The stakes are enormous and it is no surprise that world business and political leaders view environmental sustainability as a key growth area.
Social Media Marketing and Analytics Marketing communications play the vital role in supporting and maintaining a brand. This once one-way street then moved to dialogue and has now become multilogue with the exponential growth in Word of mouth (WOM) social media marketing. This module will introduce students to the key concepts of social media marketing. Students will learn how to understand, critically evaluate and apply conceptual social media frameworks, theories and approaches relevant to their marketing and promotional mix. They will discover how social media networks are used as part of the marketing strategies of a variety of different organisations. They will appreciate and be able to harness the key metrics tools of social media marketing in order to listen, monitor and manage communications through such tools. The module also aims to develop students’ strategic understanding of how to build and manage social media marketing communications campaign which impacts on the identified target audiences and integrates with all other relevant media.
Sustainability for Managers This module provides students with an understanding of the increasingly central role of Sustainability in business and corporate strategy and examines the trajectory of current management practice. The module will embody a critical understanding of the increasingly need of the business manager to adapt and leverage Sustainability constructs. This module will initially provide students with a contemporary understanding of the external issues that are driving business to engage with Sustainability. This will cover recent ecological and social drivers that are externally impacting businesses around the world and the contemporary moves by stakeholder groups to engage businesses in embedding the full spectrum of sustainability strategies into their operational models. Theories and case studies around sustainability engagement in support of the earnings imperative will also be critiqued. This will be positioned in the context of the maturity of businesses in their development and application of sustainability management strategies.

Apply now

MA Leadership and Organisational Change

Meryem El Hayani
‘I had the idea for my business 10 years ago but was too scared to follow up on it. I felt I didn’t have the skills or experience to become my own boss. But my experience at Regent’s and the encouragement I received allowed me to overcome that fear'. Meryem El Hayani, MA Management (Leadership & Change) alumna
Read Meryem's story
Eric Chan
'This course builds on the ethos and philosophy of the 6Ps: purpose, people, practices, perspectives, problem-solving and processes – teaching students how to be enterprising global leaders and empowering them to be catalysts of change'. Eric Chan, Course Leader, MA Management

Other Business & Management courses