2025/26 entry
MBA Business Administration Senior Leadership Apprenticeship
About your course
This Senior Leader Degree Apprenticeship programme provides an opportunity to gain business skills whilst in employment.
- You will be studying 120 credits of an MBA programme as part of your apprenticeship (this is a PGDip in Business Administration)
- Opportunity to self-fund a top-up (60 credits) to achieve a full MBA qualification upon completion of this programme.
- Delivered in blocks for extra flexibility and to fit studies around existing commitments.
- Benefit from research-based teaching and assignments that investigate real issues in your own workplace.
- Senior Leaders Apprenticeship is designed for those with at least 3 years management experience.
This Senior Leaders Apprenticeship (SLA) is designed to transform participants into confident and strategic leaders. It focuses on the practice of leadership and management, has a real-world focus and is delivered by staff who are respected experts, researchers, consultants and business practitioners.
This programme has been carefully crafted to cluster the knowledge, skills and behaviour standards into a set of facilitated modules over 4 semesters (years 1 and 2). If you opt to top-up to the full MBA qualification, you will undertake a supervised, business project researching a strategic issue in your workplace.
Reflecting on and showing evidence of a strategic learning journey and skills development is a key part of the apprenticeship philosophy and good leadership and management development practice.
Throughout the learning phase (semester 1-4), you will need to complete a portfolio evidencing how you have met the knowledge, skills and behaviours required of the Senior Leader Apprenticeship standard.
You will also prepare a strategy business case proposal with a presentation and professional discussion about your portfolio for the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) End Point Assessment.
"The knowledge developed throughout the MBA Senior Leader Apprenticeship has been transformative for CNC Robotics. We have been able to utilise the learning to write a collaborative bid for an innovative UK research project. This will further our organisations capability, accelerate transformative technology nationally and internationally, and inspire and strengthen resilience and responsiveness in the global supply chain – with a positive impact to the Liverpool City Region, creating high value, highly skilled jobs."
Fees and funding
There are many ways to fund study for home and international students
Fees
The fees quoted above cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as:
- library membership with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources
- access to programme-appropriate software
- library and student IT support
- free on-campus wifi via eduroam
Additional costs
Although not all of the following are compulsory/relevant, you should keep in mind the costs of:
- accommodation and living expenditure
- books (should you wish to have your own copies)
- printing, photocopying and stationery
- PC/laptop (should you prefer to purchase your own for independent study and online learning activities)
- mobile phone/tablet (to access online services)
- field trips (travel and activity costs)
- placements (travel expenses and living costs)
- student visas (international students only)
- study abroad opportunities (travel costs, accommodation, visas and immunisations)
- academic conferences (travel costs)
- professional-body membership
- graduation (gown hire etc)
Funding
There are many ways to fund study for home and international students. From loans to International Scholarships and subject-specific funding, you'll find all of the information you need on our specialist funding pages.
For information on fees and finance please contact: degreeapprenticeships@ljmu.ac.uk
Employability
Our applied learning techniques ensure our students can apply knowledge learned to real world contexts.
You will see a marked improvement on your day-to-day performance, confidence and learning in the workplace, as well as improvements in your ability to demonstrate new skills learnt during the course of your studies. By combining experience with new management thinking developed over the lifetime of your apprenticeship, you will see improvements in decision-making, contributions to idea generation and strategic business thinking.
It is expected that Senior Leader Apprentices will use the confidence and skills they have developed on the programme to achieve their aspirations and move more quickly up the career ladder within their organisations.
Another benefit of studying with Liverpool Business School is joining a network of senior professionals. This enables you to continue building meaningful, long-term relationships beyond the classroom, as part of the Liverpool Leadership Network.
Student Futures - Careers, Employability and Enterprise Service
A wide range of opportunities and support is available to you, within and beyond your course, to ensure our students experience a transformation in their career trajectory. Every undergraduate curriculum includes Future Focus during Level 4, an e-learning resource and workshop designed to help you to develop your talents, passion and purpose.
Every student has access to Careers Zone 24/7, LJMU's suite of online Apps, resources and jobs board via the LJMU Student Futures website. There are opportunities for flexible, paid and part-time work through Unitemps, LJMU's in-house recruitment service, and we also offer fully funded Discovery Internships.
One-to-one careers and employability advice is available via our campus-based Careers Zones and we offer a year-round programme of events, including themed careers and employability workshops, employer events and recruitment fairs. Our Start-Up Hub can help you to grow your enterprise skills and to research, plan and start your own business or become a freelancer.
A suite of learning experiences, services and opportunities is available to final year students to help ensure you leave with a great onward plan. You can access LJMU's Careers, Employability and Start-up Services after you graduate and return for one-to-one support for life.
Go abroad
LJMU aims to make international opportunities available to every student. You may be able to study abroad as part of your degree at one of our 100+ partner universities across the world. You could also complete a work placement or apply for one of our prestigious worldwide internship programmes. If you wanted to go abroad for a shorter amount of time, you could attend one of our 1-4 week long summer schools.
Our Go Citizen Scheme can help with costs towards volunteering, individual projects or unpaid placements anywhere in the world. With all of these opportunities at your feet, why wouldn’t you take up the chance to go abroad?
Find out more about the opportunities we have available via our Instagram @ljmuglobalopps or email us at: goabroad@ljmu.ac.uk.
A life-changing experience
There's so much more to university than just studying for a degree.
-
Your future awaits -
Fees, funding and scholarships -
University life -
Accommodation -
Get involved
News and views
Browse through the latest stories and updates from the University and beyond
What you will study on this degree
Please see guidance below on core and option modules for further information on what you will study.
This course is currently undergoing its scheduled programme review, which may impact the advertised modules. Programme review is a standard part of the University’s approach to quality assurance and enhancement, enabling us to ensure that our courses remain up to date and maintain their high standard and relevancy.
Once the review is completed, this course website page will be updated to reflect any approved changes to the advertised course. These approved changes will also be communicated to those who apply for the course to ensure they wish to proceed with their application.
Please note:
This course is currently undergoing its scheduled programme review, which may impact the advertised modules. Programme review is a standard part of the University 's approach to quality assurance and enhancement, enabling us to ensure that our courses remain up to date and maintain their high standard and relevancy.
Once the review is completed, this course website page will be updated to reflect any approved changes to the advertised course. These approved changes will also be communicated to those who apply for the course to ensure they wish to proceed with their application.
Further guidance on modules
Modules are designated core or optional in accordance with professional body requirements, as applicable, and LJMU’s Academic Framework Regulations. Whilst you are required to study core modules, optional modules provide you with an element of choice. Their availability may vary and will be subject to meeting minimum student numbers.
Where changes to modules are necessary these will be communicated as appropriate.
Level 7
Core modules
Research Strategies for Practitioners
10 credits
This module enables you to develop a conceptual framework from which research philosophies, strategies and methods associated with leadership business and management can be critically reviewed. You will apply research methods in the strategic leadership/business consultancy project to develop yourself as a reflective, scholarly practitioner.
Scale-up Leadership
10 credits
This module aims to help you identify your own leadership needs through self-review and an assessment of your business scale-up context; through considering the way leaders engage and equip those around them to scale the business and in developing a growth mind-set.
Responsible Strategic Growth
10 credits
This module aims to help you assess strategy approaches to accelerate business growth by:
- investigating routes to market growth and building customers
- identifying strategies for high growth potential businesses
- learning about support for market entry and access to markets
- assess current barriers and opportunities for sustainable growth
People and Performance for Scale Up
10 credits
This module aims to help you to understand the interplay between productivity, people and performance within excellence frameworks and to identify key business issues that are recognised to underpin sustainable growth.
Finance for Scale-Up
10 credits
This module aims to provide knowledge and understanding of the financial aspects of scaling up a business. Helping learners to develop business acumen, which is needed to understand the finances of the business and how to inform and shape decision-making. It also explores the implications of different sources of funding and investment for sustainable business.
Managing Change Projects
10 credits
This module aims to provide you with:
- an understanding of the need for responsive and responsible projects to grow business and achieve change quickly
- a focus on emerging projects and change practices evidenced in agile and lean approaches
Digital Business Innovation
10 credits
This module aims to help you to develop your knowledge and skills to innovate. It focuses on digital business and technology as a high potential area to scale-up a business. It also helps you to appreciate the value of building a sustainable future and adopting principles for the long-term benefit of the business and its wider contribution to society.
Business Growth Project
60 credits
This module aims to encourage you to undertake a work-based business growth project. This will enable you to:
- put into practice the skills and knowledge gained during the course
- apply concepts from wider management literature
- conceptualise and propose high performance strategies on growth/sustainable outcomes
Teaching and work-related learning
Excellent facilities and learning resources
Study hours
The course is taught in a block of three days each month over two semesters, which amounts to approximately 18 full days classroom-based teaching per year. The philosophy of teaching is 'flipped learning' which means apprentices have to commit to background reading and engaging with variety of online resources, so they can attend classes fully prepared to participate in case-study discussions and other learning activities.
You also have to devote time to the additional 'Off the Job Training' requirements of your apprenticeship, which includes developing the evidence needed for your portfolio and working with your mentors.
Course tutors
Our staff are committed to the highest standards of teaching and learning
Dr Fiona Armstrong-Gibbs
Programme Manager
Fiona McNamara is an experienced senior lecturer and leadership development specialist who has worked on MBA programmes for over ten years. She took over as MBA Programme Leader at Liverpool John Moores in February 2019. Her academic interests encompass leadership, reflective practice, career change and development and the future of work. Fiona is delighted to be working with talented academics on this professionally led programme which brings together leaders and managers across the Liverpool City Region, and is rooted in the local economy, supporting economic growth and social change.
Facilities
What you can expect from your School
The School is based in the Redmonds Building, in the heart of the bustling Mount Pleasant Campus and Liverpool's growing Knowledge Quarter. The building is home to high quality lecture theatres and seminar rooms, social spaces, and a cafe. It is only a short walk from LJMU's Aldham Robarts Library, which contains all the resources you will require for your studies, and is open seven days a week.
Liverpool Business School also has a dedicated Executive Education Suite, based at 4-6 Rodney Street, a listed building in the historic Georgian Quarter of Liverpool and a short walk from the Redmonds Building. The building has recently undergone 1.2 million investment to provide a professional learning space.
Entry requirements
Please choose your qualifications below to view requirements
Grades/points required from qualifications:
Qualification requirements
GCSEs and equivalents
- GCSE Maths and English (or equivalents) either on entry to the programme or on the understanding they will be completed before the end of the apprenticeship
International requirements
-
IELTS
- Where English is not your first language, or your first degree was not taught and assessed wholly in English, an IELTS score of 6.5 must be achieved, with no individual score of less than 6. The programme complies fully with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010
Further information
-
DBS, Occupational Health requirements
- you must be in employment with permission and support from your employer to attend classes and engage in 'Off the Job Training' activities
- previous academic qualifications are less important for entry onto the programme, what we are looking for is your ability to contribute and share in the peer-learning activities
Application and selection
Securing your place at LJMU
To apply for this programme, you are required to complete an LJMU Degree Apprenticeship form. You will need to provide details of previous qualifications and a personal statement outlining why you wish to study this programme.
Please upload a CV with your application, detailing your leadership experience and your experience of contributing to strategic development in an organisation.
The university reserves the right to withdraw or make alterations to a course and facilities if necessary; this may be because such changes are deemed to be beneficial to students, are minor in nature and unlikely to impact negatively upon students or become necessary due to circumstances beyond the control of the university. Where this does happen, the university operates a policy of consultation, advice and support to all enrolled students affected by the proposed change to their course or module.
Further information on the terms and conditions of any offer made, our admissions policy and the complaints and appeals process.