Weekend MBA
Our flexible part-time course offers the chance to study an MBA at Imperial while continuing your current job.
Overview
Applications for 2021 entry are now closed and we will be in touch with applicants in due course. Applications for 2022 entry will open later this year and we will update this page accordingly.
Our 21-month Weekend MBA allows you to accelerate and develop your career, balancing studying at Imperial in London in your spare time with a demanding job. This enables you to study in London without the need to relocate, providing access to a global business hub.
The programme allows you to develop a strong international network of ambitious students and graduates, leading faculty members and business practitioners.
Study programme
This programme is taught on weekends once a month from April to January (Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning). Completing this MBA will require you to take 32 – 46 days out of the office in a 21 month period, depending on the electives chosen.
The first year of the programme focuses on core modules, which cover the foundations for business success. There is a careful balance of teaching and learning, individual work and group work. There are also regular seminars by expert external speakers.
In the second year, you tailor your MBA and choose optional modules which cover all of the key management and business disciplines as well as a final project. With our flexible modules, you can choose to study electives on campus at Imperial, or online through our unique, high engagement learning platforms. The Global Experience Week in your second year is an intensive exploration of a country’s business practices and challenges using company visits to learn through practical case studies.
There is also an opportunity to participate in The Entrepreneurial Journey in place of one elective module. This is a live entrepreneurial project that provides insights into the challenges of introducing products and services to market.
Professional accreditation
We are among a handful of business schools worldwide to achieve triple accreditation:
- Association of MBAs (AMBA)
- Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
- European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS)
We have also been recognised for our work in tackling gender inequality in higher education with a Bronze Athena SWAN award.
Structure
Modules shown are for the current academic year and are subject to change depending on your year of entry.
Please note that the curriculum of this programme is currently being reviewed as part of a College-wide process to introduce a standardised modular structure. As a result, the content and assessment structures of this course may change for your year of entry. We therefore recommend that you check this course page before finalising your application and after submitting it as we will aim to update this page as soon as any changes are ratified by the College.
Find out more about the limited circumstances in which we may need to make changes to or in relation to our courses, the type of changes we may make and how we will tell you about changes we have made.
Structure
Non-assessed modules
- Induction
- Plagiarism Awareness
- Study Skills
Pre-study modules
- Accounting Primer
- Finance Primer
- Maths Primer
- Data Analysis Primer
- Introduction to Corporate Sustainability, Social Innovation and Ethics
Core modules
- Decision Analytics
- Capstone Consulting Experience (see below)
- Corporate Finance
- Decision Analytics
- Financial and Management Accounting
- Global Experience Week
- Global Macroeconomics
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- Managerial Economics
- Marketing Management
- Organisational Behaviour
- Personal Leadership Journey
- Strategy
Capstone Consulting Experience
The Capstone Consulting Experience is an independent report on a relevant theme, where you will demonstrate that you are able to address a specific theme in an autonomous way and bring together your learning across different subjects.
For more information about the course structure, including comprehensive descriptions of each component, please see Imperial College Business School's website.
Optional modules
You will choose six optional modules, developing your expertise with your future career objectives in mind. There are a wide range of optional modules, from which approximately 20 are run each year depending on student interest.
The list of electives below gives a sample of the kinds of modules run in a given year.
- Advanced Corporate Finance
- Banking and FinTech: Strategies and Challenges
- Big Data, AI & Machine Learning
- Brand Management
- Breakout Strategy
- Business Analytics
- Business Problem Solving
- Building and Managing Reputations During Good Times and Bad Times
- Clean Technology Investment
- Climate Change, Business and Finance
- Consumer Behaviour
- Design for Business Transformation
- Design Management
- Digital Business
- Digital Business Model Design
- Digital Opportunities: Insights from the Startup Nation
- Digital Transformation: Leading Real-World Change
- Economics of Information and Intellectual Property
- Energy Business
- Entrepreneurial Finance
- Entrepreneurial Journey (see below)
- Family Business
- Final Report
- Financing the Blue Economy
- IdeaSMART Camp
- International Business
- Leadership
- Leading and Executing Strategic Change
- Leading Social Innovation
- Leading YourSelf
- Management Challenges in Healthcare
- Managing Negotiations
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Pricing Strategy
- Private Equity
- Project Management
- Strategic Networks for Innovation and Change
- Strategy in Volatile and Uncertain Environments
- Sustainability and Competitive Advantage: Rethinking Value Creation
- The Future of Cities
- Topics in Asset Management
The Entrepreneurial Journey
The Entrepreneurial Journey is an optional module that can be taken instead of one elective. It is a live entrepreneurial experience that provides insights into the challenges of introducing products and services to market.
Teaching and assessment
Teaching methods
- Case studies
- Equipment/technique demonstrations (e.g. Bloomberg, Datastream)
- Formal presentations
- Group work exercises
- Interactive content including video and module quizzes
- Lectures
- Online discussion forums
- Online lecture materials
- Practical classes and field work
- Pre-programme VLE modules
- Seminars
- Workshops
Assessment methods
- Case Studies
- Continuous assessments
- Essays
- Formal Presentations
- Multiple Choice Tests
- Participation
- Reports
- Written Examinations/Tests
Entry requirements
We welcome students from all over the world and consider all applicants on an individual basis.
Entry requirements
Minimum academic requirement
Our minimum requirement is a 2.1 degree or approved qualification.
Acceptable qualifications include:
- Any Institute of Chartered Accountants in the UK or Ireland (Full membership)
- Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accounting (Full membership)
- The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (Full membership)
- Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (Associateship or Fellowship)
If you don't have a first degree (but have suitable experience and/or professional qualification) you may be eligible for entry via a Special Qualifying Examination. You may be asked to take the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) at the discretion of the Programme Team.
You must also hold at least three years' relevant postgraduate work experience.
If your maths does not seem to be at the required level, you may be asked to sit a short maths test prior to an offer being made.
International qualifications
The academic requirement above is for applicants who hold or who are working towards a UK qualification.
We also accept a wide variety of international qualifications. For guidance see our Country Index though please note that the standards listed here are the minimum for entry to the College.
If you have any questions about admissions and the standard required for the qualification you hold or are currently studying then please contact the relevant admissions team.
English language requirement (all applicants)
All candidates must demonstrate a minimum level of English language proficiency for admission to the College.
For admission to this course, you must achieve the higher College requirement in the appropriate English language qualification. For details of the minimum grades required to achieve this requirement, please see the English language requirements for postgraduate applicants.
Competence standards
Our competence standards highlight the core skills students should be able to demonstrate by the end of this course.
View the Department's competence standards for the Weekend MBA. [pdf]
We believe in providing the widest practicable access to all of our degree programmes and will make reasonable adjustments wherever possible to support your study. For more information, please contact the Department using the contact details below.
Imperial College Business School
T: +44 (0)20 7589 5111
E: business.school@imperial.ac.uk
How to apply
Making an application
Apply online
Applications for entry in 2021 are closed. Applications for entry in 2022 will open later in the year and this page will be updated accordingly.
All applicants must apply online.
Visit our Admissions website for details on the application process.
If you are applying to the Business School, you may only be considered for one programme per admissions cycle, with the exception of applicants to our Finance Master's programmes, who may select two programmes.
Application fee
For 2021–22 entry, we are introducing a pilot application fee for our Master's courses. This helps cover some of the administrative and staffing costs associated with processing the large volume of applications we receive.
The fee for April 2021-22 entry is as follows. It applies per application and not per course:
- £125 for MBA applications
We will waive the fee for any applicant – Home or Overseas – who demonstrates that they are experiencing financial hardship.
ATAS certificate
An ATAS certificate is not required for overseas students applying for this course.
Further questions?
Find answers to your questions about admissions. Answers cover COVID-19, English language requirements, Visas and more.
Tuition fees and funding
The level of tuition fees you pay is based on your fee status, which we assess based on UK government legislation.
Find out more about fees and funding opportunities.
Scholarships
Imperial College Business School is pleased to offer a range of scholarships to our most talented applicants of the Weekend MBA.
Imperial offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students to support you through your studies. Try our scholarships search tool to see what you might be eligible for.
There are a number of external organisations also offer awards for Imperial students, find out more about non-Imperial scholarships.
Tuition fees
Tuition fees (Home and EU students)
April 2021 entry
£ 24,950 per year
Fees for this course are fixed for both years and will not increase with inflation.
Tuition fees (Overseas and Islands students)
April 2021 entry
£ 24,950 per year
Fees for this course are fixed for both years and will not increase with inflation.
Postgraduate Master's loan
If you're a UK national, or EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you may be able to apply for a Postgraduate Master’s Loan from the UK government, if you meet certain criteria.
For 2020-21 entry, the maximum amount was of £11,222. The loan is not means-tested and you can choose whether to put it towards your tuition fees or living costs.
Accommodation and living costs
Living costs, including accommodation, are not included in your tuition fees.
You can compare costs across our different accommodation options on our Accommodation website.
A rough guide to what you might expect to spend to live in reasonable comfort in London is available on our Fees and Funding website.
Further information
Got a question?
T: +44 (0)20 7589 5111
E: business.school@imperial.ac.uk
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