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Studying for an MBA in the UK is a powerful way to accelerate your career, build global networks, and position yourself for leadership roles. But the cost of tuition and living expenses can be a major barrier, especially for professionals from lower-income countries or those working in sectors like healthcare where salaries do not always match ambition.
The Oxford Brookes Global MBA offers a compelling solution: a high-quality, flexible, internationally accredited MBA programme combined with targeted scholarship opportunities. Through schemes such as the Global Diversity Scholarship and Global Healthcare Scholarship, Oxford Brookes University helps talented professionals access an MBA that fits around their careers, families, and location.
This blog post breaks down the key details of the Oxford Brookes Global MBA, its scholarships, who they are for, how they work, and how you can position yourself for success if you are planning to apply for the March or September 2026 intakes.
Overview of the Oxford Brookes Global MBA
The Oxford Brookes Global MBA is designed for experienced managers and professionals who want to become more strategic, responsible, and impactful leaders. It is not a beginner’s programme: it targets people who already have real-world experience and want to deepen their understanding of global business, leadership, and organisational performance.
Key highlights include:
- Start dates: March 2026 and September 2026
- Study mode: Part-time, typically completed in 24–30 months depending on the learning style and module choices
- Location options:
- Fully online (distance learning)
- Mostly on-campus in Oxford (Headington Campus)
- A flexible blend of both
- Fully online (distance learning)
The programme is accredited by some of the most respected global bodies in business education, including the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD). This means your MBA carries international recognition and meets rigorous standards of quality and relevance.
A flexible MBA for busy professionals
One of the strongest advantages of the Oxford Brookes Global MBA is its flexibility. It is structured around the needs of people who are already working, managing teams, or juggling multiple responsibilities.
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You can:
- Choose how much of your programme you complete online or on campus
- Attend live online sessions and engage in asynchronous activities when your schedule allows
- Participate in intensive block weeks on campus if you prefer more face-to-face learning
- Progress at a pace that fits your workload and personal commitments
This is ideal for professionals who cannot afford to pause their careers to study full-time but still want a rigorous and transformative MBA experience.
Learning environment and global network
The Global MBA attracts students from over 60 nationalities, working across 16 time zones and industries such as banking, healthcare, IT, energy, education, charity, manufacturing, and technology.
As a student, you will:
- Work in cross-cultural teams on real organisational challenges
- Join webinars, workshops and networking events with other MBA students and alumni
- Learn from academically strong tutors who also have practitioner and research experience
- Build a long-lasting global network that supports your career far beyond graduation
Through annual summer schools and ongoing community events, the alumni network remains active and engaged, giving you access to contacts across different countries and sectors.
Overview of tuition fees
For distance learning students, the tuition fees for the Global MBA are:
2025 / 26 academic year
- Home (UK) distance learning: £19,500 (non-ACCA) or £14,800 (ACCA member)
- International distance learning: £19,500 (non-ACCA) or £14,800 (ACCA member)
2026 / 27 academic year
- Home (UK) distance learning: £19,950 (non-ACCA) or £15,150 (ACCA member)
- International distance learning: £19,950 (non-ACCA) or £15,150 (ACCA member)
Payment can usually be made in instalments across the academic year, and ACCA members benefit from reduced fees and a shorter completion time (around 18–24 months) due to module exemptions.
Because these are advanced professional fees, scholarships and financial support play a crucial role in improving access, especially for applicants from lower-income countries and the global healthcare sector.
Scholarship opportunities for the Oxford Brookes Global MBA
Oxford Brookes University offers specific scholarships to support students on the Global MBA and to ensure that the programme remains truly international and inclusive. Two key funding routes are:
- Global Diversity Scholarships
- Global Healthcare Scholarships
There may also be additional university discounts or financial support mechanisms for certain groups.
Global Diversity Scholarship
The Global Diversity Scholarship is aimed at supporting MBA students who live and work in lower-income countries. It is designed to:
- Make high-quality business education more accessible
- Celebrate the global spread and inclusiveness of the MBA programme
- Encourage talented leaders from underrepresented economies to participate
The scholarship is available to students in specific countries, based on international development indicators such as the UN Development Index and World Bank national income data.
Value of the Global Diversity Scholarship
The scholarship provides a fee reduction of:
- £4,000 for students on the full MBA programme
- £1,500 for ACCA route students (for ACCA members who have completed all papers and are eligible for the reduced-fee pathway)
This funding directly reduces your tuition fee, making the MBA more affordable while you continue working and studying part-time.
Global Healthcare Scholarship
The Global Healthcare Scholarship targets professionals working in the global healthcare sector. This builds on the programme’s growing intake of students from hospitals, healthcare systems, pharmaceutical companies, and health-focused NGOs.
The scholarship recognises the importance of leadership, innovation, and responsible management in health-related organisations—particularly in a world that increasingly depends on strong healthcare systems and evidence-based decision making.
For the purpose of eligibility, the healthcare sector is defined broadly and includes:
- Hospitals, hospices, clinics, and care homes
- Medical and healthcare service providers
- Pharmaceutical and drug development companies
- Healthcare and medical research organisations
If your role does not fit neatly into these categories but is clearly connected to healthcare, the university may still consider you, and you are encouraged to discuss your situation with the MBA team.
The scholarship provides financial support towards tuition fees and is aimed at helping healthcare leaders and managers access advanced training that they can take back into their organisations and health systems.
Who can benefit from these scholarships?
The Oxford Brookes Global MBA scholarships are particularly valuable if you:
- Are based in a low- or middle-income country
- Work in a healthcare or medical-related sector
- Are an experienced professional seeking to enhance your leadership and management skills
- Plan to use your MBA to drive change in your organisation, sector, or country
- Need financial support to make an international MBA viable
Both scholarships are typically awarded to candidates who demonstrate:
- A strong professional track record
- Clear leadership potential
- Motivation to apply learning in real-world settings
- Commitment to responsible, ethical, and impactful management
Key features of the Oxford Brookes Global MBA curriculum
The MBA is designed as a transformative learning journey, not just a set of disconnected modules. Throughout the programme, you will be supported by an academic advisor, work closely with your peers, and apply your learning directly to your organisation.
Compulsory modules
Some of the core modules include:
- Transformative learning journey – Runs through your entire MBA. You build a personal learning portfolio, develop action plans for your growth, reflect on your progress, and demonstrate your development in a final viva.
- Client project – Part of your transformative learning, where you work in cross-cultural teams on a real challenge inside a client organisation.
- Driving excellence through marketing and operations – Builds your understanding of how marketing and operations support competitive advantage in any sector.
- Analysing and designing organisations – Uses systems thinking to explore how organisations are structured, why they function the way they do, and how they adapt to digital disruption and climate changes.
- Developing enterprising and impactful leaders – Focuses on transformational leadership, leading diverse and virtual teams, managing change, encouraging innovation, and working sustainably.
- Innovation, creativity and enterprise – Prepares you for uncertain environments and develops your ability to think creatively, innovate, and solve complex problems.
- Global strategy under uncertainty – Explores how organisations of all sizes develop strategies for growth and competitiveness in volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environments.
- Accounting for decision making – Introduces management and financial accounting as tools for better decision making.
- Methods of enquiry – Prepares you for your final MBA project by developing your research skills and your ability to evaluate published research and ethical business issues.
Optional modules
You can personalise your MBA by choosing from a range of electives such as:
- Digital transformation and leadership
- Enhancing entrepreneurial capabilities
- Beyond marketing
- Creating a new business venture
- Project and contract management
- Strategic corporate finance
- Business in emerging markets
- Business analytics for decision makers
- Contemporary issues in finance and accounting
You then complete a final project, which can be a dissertation, an individual consultancy project, a group consultancy project, a business start-up plan, or a design project. This capstone work ties your learning together and allows you to create something that is directly valuable to you or your employer.
Research-informed teaching and impact
Many of the tutors on the Oxford Brookes Global MBA are active researchers, working on issues related to digital transformation, innovation, global business, organisational behaviour, and ethics. Their research insights are integrated into teaching, ensuring that you are exposed to current thinking rather than outdated theory.
Some MBA capstone projects even lead to published research, conference presentations, or internal organisational changes. This means your studies can produce real-world impact—not just a certificate.
Career outcomes and leadership development
The Global MBA is designed to help you become the kind of leader who can:
- Navigate complexity and uncertainty
- Lead diverse and international teams
- Drive innovation and digital transformation
- Think strategically and act responsibly
- Influence stakeholders across different levels of an organisation
You will learn alongside professionals from various functions—project managers, engineers, healthcare professionals, accountants, public sector leaders, and more—giving you a rich environment to exchange ideas and learn from different perspectives.
Graduates often move into:
- Senior management roles
- Strategic project leadership
- Consultancy
- Entrepreneurship and start-ups
- Sector-specific leadership within healthcare, finance, technology, and NGOs
Application deadlines and process
For the Global MBA intakes in 2026, the key application deadlines are:
- 13 February 2026 – Deadline for March 2026 intake
- 1 September 2026 – Deadline for September 2026 intake
The basic steps are:
- Check that you meet the entry requirements for the MBA, including professional experience and English language level.
- Complete the online application form for the Oxford Brookes Global MBA.
- Provide required documents such as your CV, academic transcripts, professional references, and personal statement.
- If relevant, discuss scholarship options such as the Global Diversity Scholarship or Global Healthcare Scholarship with the MBA admissions team.
- Once accepted, plan your finances, including scholarships, employer support, and instalment payments.
ACCA members follow a slightly different route, receiving module exemptions and not usually being interviewed as part of the admission process.
Tips for a strong scholarship and MBA application
If you want to strengthen your chances of both admission and scholarship consideration:
- Clearly explain your professional background and responsibilities
- Show how the MBA will help you create measurable change in your organisation or sector
- Demonstrate leadership, even if informal (team coordination, project ownership, mentoring)
- Highlight any challenges you have overcome, especially related to working in difficult economic or healthcare environments
- Make a strong case for financial need if applying from a lower-income country or underfunded sector
- Connect your goals to the values of responsible, sustainable, and ethical leadership
Final thoughts
The Oxford Brookes Global MBA offers an attractive combination of flexibility, accreditation, global diversity, and career relevance. With dedicated scholarships like the Global Diversity Scholarship and Global Healthcare Scholarship, it becomes a realistic opportunity even for professionals working in challenging economic contexts or demanding sectors.
If you are an experienced manager or professional who wants to grow into a more impactful, globally-aware leader—and you are looking for a part-time MBA that fits around your life—this programme and its scholarships may be exactly what you need to take the next step in your career.
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