Management (Management Consulting)
MSc
1 year full-time
Durham City
N2PE09
Course details
The MSc Management (Consulting) programme will enable you to develop your consulting capabilities for working across the globe. The programme will equip you with the essential knowledge, skills, and ethical grounding necessary to excel in various consulting roles. This comprehensive program blends rigorous academic grounding with real-world applications to prepare you for high-impact roles across global industries.
At the heart of the programme are core modules that lay a solid foundation in management consulting, where you will explore the essential theories, current practices, and emerging trends in consultancy. The curriculum covers a number of current and relevant topics including consulting frameworks, leading and managing change and the ethical dimensions of consulting. This ensures that you develop a well-rounded understanding of the consulting landscape and are well-prepared to tackle the complex challenges faced by today’s businesses.
Choosing from a selection of elective modules will allow you to specialise in areas of management such as consulting in international environment through our international study trip, where you will explore global markets, or Digital Transformation, which delves into the impact of AI and modern technologies on business strategies. Modules like Thinking Entrepreneurially and Advanced HRM strategies offer additional dimensions to your expertise, aligning with your career aspirations.
The program culminates in either a traditional dissertation or a hands-on business project. Opt for the dissertation route to conduct extensive research under the guidance of experienced academics, or choose the business project to engage directly with external organizations. This capstone experience is your opportunity to apply your learning in real-world settings, honing skills like problem-solving, project management, and client relations. This applied fieldwork is not just an academic exercise but a critical career stepping stone, offering practical insights and networking opportunities that are invaluable in the consulting domain.
World class Business Education
- 8th (UK) 35th (Europe) 50th (Global) - QS World University Rankings: Masters in Management 2025
- 4th (UK) 12th (Europe) 21st (Global) - QS World University Rankings: Masters in Supply Chain Management 2025
Course structure
Core modules:
Strategy aims to explain business success or lack of success by looking at a firm’s resources and capabilities in relation to the commercial opportunities that arise. This module considers both the relationship between a firm’s strategy and the external environment and with its own internal set-up.
Organizational Behaviour focuses on key issues concerning the behaviour of individuals in organisations and will include subjects such as personal and mental ability, management of attitudes and work motivation, leading others and corporate social responsibility .
Business Analytics will develop critical insights into the decision-making processes essential for contemporary business and management. This module is designed to develop your capabilities in data analytics, covering descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive methods, and provides hands-on experience with real-world business challenges. You will dive deep into the essential role of data within organizations, exploring the technical infrastructure, governance, and ethical practices that support effective data management .
Leading and Managing Change will develop your capabilities to lead change with the increasing complex and volatile global environment. The module focuses on theoretical frameworks and models and importantly how you can apply them in practices. The focus is on engaging people with change to ensure that benefits are realized and the change is successful.
Consulting focuses on the knowledge, skills and attitudes you need to be an effective consultant. The different types of consultants and their responsibilities are explored, along with the impact of AI on the role of consulting. The focus is the application of the Consulting Cycle which you will have the opportunity to apply to a real-life business challenge.
Consultants, Consultancies and Ethics will provides an in-depth understanding of the consulting profession, including the organisation of consultancies and their societal responsibilities. You will critically explore the roles and rhetoric of consultants, the dynamics of consultant-client relationships, and the broader ethical and professional impacts of consultancies.
Research Methods and Dissertation (General Management or International or Business Project route) provides the necessary training to undertake advanced-level research. You will investigate a relevant topic, and, using material from core and optional modules, complete a dissertation or business project. Dissertation can be undertaken here at Durham or abroad at a partner university.
You have the option to choose between a traditional dissertation format or a business project. The business project involves working with an external organisation to carry out a business issue-led investigation, addressing specific management challenges across a range of organizations. This practical approach allows you to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world problems, gaining invaluable experience and insights.
This module will introduce you to a variety of research methods in the social sciences, including both quantitative and qualitative methods. You will learn to review research studies, understand their theoretical principles, and evaluate their methods and findings, equipping you with the skills necessary for conducting rigorous academic or applied research.
In recent years, optional modules have included:
- East Asian Business and Management
- Employee Reward Strategy
- Global Business
- Global Sport Business
- International Study Tour
- The Science of Leadership
- Competitive Strategies and Organisational Fitness
- Human Resource Development
- Thinking Entrepreneurially
- Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation
- Digital Marketing
Learning
The course is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars and practical sessions. Lectures provide the base knowledge on key course subjects and from time to time are delivered by guest speakers who share with you their experiences in the business world.
Seminars take a small-group format, providing the physical and mental space to engage in debate and discussion as a follow-up to the lecture topics, and practical sessions take place in medium-sized groups, when you will practice working with computer software using the topics explored in lectures and seminars.
You will be expected to carry out significant independent study outside the timetabled contact hours to prepare for seminars, to follow up on lectures and for assessments.
Teaching staff are available to provide support on a one-to-one basis through weekly consultation hours, and you will also have individual guidance meetings with your dissertation supervisor.
Assessment
Modules are assessed via a combination of examinations, written assignments and reports, projects and presentations.
The range of assessment methods is designed to assess your knowledge and understanding of the material, test your capacity to solve problems, enhance your written and oral communication skills, and assess your ability to relate your learning to real-world issues.
The dissertation makes up one-third of your final-year marks.
Entry requirements
Application deadlines
Please note: The application process will open 1st October for entry the following academic year.
There is a high demand for places on these programmes. To maximise your chances of being offered one of these places, we recommend that you submit your application to the University as early as possible.
We aim to have a diverse student body and recognise that we can only offer places to a finite number of applicants. To help achieve our aim, we look to ensure we offer places to applicants from all nationalities and close applications when we receive the allocated numbers.
The University is under no obligation to make any offer of a place on the programme to any applicant, nor is the University obligated to fill all spaces available on the programme.
Masters in Management programmes are intended for graduates in any subject or discipline; no previous study in business or management is necessary. For example, in the past we have had graduates from a diverse range of degrees such as Music, Anthropology, Medicine and Geography. Business and Management undergraduate students may find some content overlaps with their first degree.
What do I need first?
The equivalent of a UK first or upper second class honours degree. Check the full list of equivalent qualifications .
If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take a pre-Masters pathway programme at the Durham University International Study Centre .
NB Chinese Applicants: Applications will be accepted from students who have graduated from a prestigious university in China. Entry requirements may vary depending upon the reputation of the university you have graduated from and the academic programme you have applied for. As a guide, applicants are expected to have achieved an overall average of 85%.
How do I apply?
You will need to complete an online application form.
Please note you can only apply for one Masters Management programme.
To support your online application form, you will need to provide the following documents.
- Official transcript of marks
- Copy of degree certificate (if available)
- Copy of English test results (if available).
You can either upload your supporting documents with your online application or email or fax them to the Postgraduate Admissions Office using the contact details below.
Note:Only files of type .doc, .docx, .gif, .jpg, .pdf, .png, .rtf are permitted to be uploaded.The maximum file size is 5MB.
Application fee
Once we receive your online application form, you’ll get an automatic email within 48 hours asking you to pay the £60 application fee* which is required to progress your application.
You’ll need to follow the link in the email to the webpage where you can confirm your details and make the payment using a debit or credit card. This is a secure website operated by Secpay, which will send you an automatic receipt of payment.
Once we receive confirmation that your application fee has been paid, we’ll be able to progress your application. If you do not pay the application fee your application will be automatically withdrawn.
*Please note you will only be able to make a payment for one programme in each suite i.e. one MSc Finance programme, one MSc Management programme, one MSc Economics programme.
College membership
If you’re applying for a full-time programme you’ll need to become a member of one of our Colleges as well as being accepted by a department. Here’s more information about how the college system works . Once you accept your programme offer, the College Postgraduate Office will get in touch with you to arrange accommodation. Please note that demand for college accommodation usually exceeds availability, so please try to arrange it as soon as possible.
Admissions process
Here are the steps in the admissions process:
- We will let you know when we’ve received your application.
- Once we’ve received all of your supporting documents, we will email you to let you know our decision.
- If the decision is to make you an offer of a place on the programme we will let you know by email. Please note we do not issue hard copy offer letters as these are not required to obtain a student visa.
- You should confirm acceptance of your offer as soon as possible. In order to secure your place, you are required to pay a deposit within six weeks of the date of your original offer (check your offer documents for details of payment methods).
- International students requiring a student visa will receive a CAS (Certificate of Acceptance of Studies) via email once all offer conditions are met, acceptance and deposit have been received and you are within five months of the start date of your programme.
Please note: You must let us know your own personal email address when applying. Please do not use a University-linked email which may stop working once you complete your Bachelor degree.
Fees and funding
Full Time Fees
Home students | £15,000 per year |
---|---|
EU students | £32,500 per year |
Island students | £15,000 per year |
International students | £32,500 per year |
The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees will be subject to an annual inflationary increase and are expected to rise throughout the programme of study. The fee listed above is for the first year of the course only. More information is available here: Tuition fees - how much are they - Durham University
Please also check costs for colleges and accommodation.
Scholarships
We are committed to supporting the best students irrespective of financial circumstances and are delighted to offer a range of funding opportunities.
Find Out MoreCareer opportunities
Management and Marketing
Our postgraduate programmes with a focus on employability fully equip you with the skills and industry insight to embark on a successful and rewarding business career.
The knowledge and understanding you develop reflect the Department’s values of sustainability, wellbeing and equality of opportunity across the globe.
You gain a combination of analytical and practical skills that employers value, such as independent thinking and problem-solving, and are able to enhance your people skills that are essential in business and much sought after by employers.
Department information
Management and Marketing
Our Business, Management and Marketing programmes are delivered by the Department of Management and Marketing, one of four departments at Durham University Business School (alongside the Department of Accounting, Department of Economics and Department of Finance).
The School is one of the UK’s longest established business schools and one of an elite group of institutions in the UK to be accredited by all three major bodies – the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS).
We consistently rank highly in independent league tables for both the quality and reputation of our Department, with teaching delivered by a world-class academic community that includes experienced business professionals and researchers who work across a wide variety of business disciplines.
We recruit students from around the world onto our postgraduate programmes. Our students take part in live business projects, internships and placements as part of their studies, enabling them to apply their knowledge to practical challenges in the most forward thinking companies. We have an active alumni network of more than 36,000 graduates in over 140 countries.
Facilities
You’ll be taught across the university campus by world leading academics from the Business School. You’ll have access to the Business Schools modern, spacious meeting rooms and study areas.
The university campus is within walking distance of the historic centre of Durham, a city with UNESCO World Heritage Status. Resources include up-to-date financial information and online databases. In addition, you’ll have access to Durham University’s prestigious libraries and archives.
Apply
Start your application now.
You can save your application and complete it later.
Our Events
Join one of our virtual events, webinars, open events or recruitment fairs.
Similar courses
-
Business Administration (Online) - MBA
Program Code: N1T717Start: September 2025 -
Business Administration (Online) - MBA
Program Code: N1T717Start: April 2025 -
Human Resource Management - MSc
Program Code: N2PA09Start: September 2025 -
Management - MSc
Program Code: N2P109Start: September 2025 -
Management & Finance - MSc
Program Code: N2PC09Start: September 2025 -
Management (Entrepreneurship) - MSc
Program Code: N2P309Start: September 2025 -
Management (Supply Chain Logistics) - MSc
Program Code: N2P909Start: September 2025 -
Master of Business Administration - MBA
Program Code: N1T517Start: September 2025 -
Supply Chain Management (Executive) - MSc
Program Code: N2PB09Start: September 2025 - See more courses