Postgraduate Certificate in Business Administration
On this page
Certificate
- Code
- C66
- Level
- Postgraduate
- Made up of
- 60 credit points
Description
Business administration is about performance and change. To respond quickly and flexibly to rapidly changing markets and environments, organisations put great emphasis on lateral coordination. Managers need a broad, integrated picture of how their organisations work. They also need to consider compromises, tensions and interdependencies between various specialist functional issues (e.g. marketing, finance and ‘people’ issues).
The Postgraduate Certificate in Business Administration will provide you with a comprehensive grounding in managerial work disciplines, in particular the management of teams, departments and projects. You will become familiar with a wide variety of techniques and approaches, improve your interpersonal skills and self-awareness, and be exposed to a diverse range of managerial challenges and contexts. By the time you have completed this qualification you will have a broad base of practical skills that will enable you to be an effective, productive manager anywhere in the world. The skills of the reflective practitioner are an important theme throughout the course.
The study programme offers you the opportunity to step back from your current situation and concentrate on understanding and improving performance, managing projects and change. The emphasis is on your own professional development and everything you study is related to management roles and responsibilities you exercise. The elements of the programme – course texts, activities and assignments, online resources, and personal and group support – ensure that you can immediately apply newly learned skills and techniques in very practical ways. You can build on your experience and satisfy your management development needs wherever you are and whatever the size of your organisation, whether it is commercial, nongovernmental or public sector.
The Postgraduate Certificate is a recognised qualification. It also provides direct entry into Stage 2 of the masters degrees we offer in business and management, which comprise three MBAs, the MPA, the MSc in Human Resource Management and the MSc in International Finance and Management.
Planning your studies
The formal entry requirements for this qualification are a degree or equivalent qualification. Further details are set out under Approved Minimum Entry Requirements below. You must have a minimum of three years’ experience in a managerial, professional or technical role. Usually this means that you are at least 25 years old.
You must normally complete the required credit for your award within four years.
For this certificate, you must include at least 20 credit points from OU courses that have not been counted in any other OU qualification you have been awarded.
Courses
For this postgraduate certificate you require:
60-point from the following compulsory course:
| Postgraduate compulsory course | Points | Next start |
|---|---|---|
|
60 | May 2010 FINAL |
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes of this qualification are described in four areas:
- Knowledge and understanding
- Cognitive skills
- Practical and professional skills
- Key skills
Read more detailed information about the learning outcomes, and how they are acquired through teaching, learning and assessment methods.
Credit for previous study elsewhere
For this qualification, we do not allow you to count credit for study you have already done elsewhere.
On completion
On successful completion of the required course you will be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate of Business Administration entitling you to use the letters PG Cert Bus Admin (Open) after your name.
Approved minimum entry requirements
Awards from higher education institutions (including the OU)
A bachelors or masters degree from a university or other recognised degree awarding body in Europe, the Commonwealth or the rest of the world. Your degree must be at least equivalent to a bachelors degree from an English, Welsh or Northern Irish university. For further information, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Awards from professional bodies
Professional qualifications, Accountancy
*Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA, FCCA)
*Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (ACMA, FCMA)
*Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants (CPFA)
*Institute of Chartered Accountants (England & Wales) (ACA, FCA)
*Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland (CA)
*Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ireland (ACA)
Chartered accountant or certified public accountant members of one of the Institutes of Chartered Accountants in Australia (CA), Canada (CA), Malaysia (CA), New Zealand (CA) or South Africa (CA), or Institutes of Certified Public Accountants of America (CPA), Australia (CPA), Hong Kong (CPA), Malaysia (CPA) or Singapore (CPA).
Professional qualifications, Engineering
The equivalent of Chartered Engineer (CEng) or Incorporated Engineer (IEng) members of bodies in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States of America that are signatories to the Washington Accord (see www.washingtonaccord.org).
Note: It is recognised that members of various bodies (e.g. Institution of Mechanical Engineers MIMechE, British Computer Society MBCS) do hold the above qualification. However, what is important is the holding of one of the above qualifications rather than being a member of a particular body.
Professional Qualifications, Other in the UK and Ireland
Army Office Training (Junior Officer) Training and Education Scheme Parts 1 and 2
Chartered Building Societies Institute (ACBSI, FCBSI)
*Chartered Institute of Bankers (ACIB, FCIB)
*Chartered Institute of Bankers of Scotland (MCIBS – not ACIBS)
Chartered Institute of Building (MCIB, FCIB)
*Chartered Institute of Marketing (MCInstM, FCInstM)
*Chartered Institute of Marketing, Professional or Postgraduate – Diploma (see note)
*Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) (see note)
Chartered Institute of Transport (MCIT, FCIT)
Chartered Insurance Institute (ACII)
Chartered Society of Physiotherapists (MCSP)
Institute of Actuaries (AIA, FIA)
Institute of Biology (MIBIOL)
Institute of Bio Medical Science (FIBMS)
Institute of Data Processing Management Graduate Diploma (IDPM)
*Institute of Marketing, Ireland - Graduateship
Institute of Medical Laboratory Scientists – Associate (AIMLS)
Institute of Physics – Member (MInstP)
Institute of Production Control – Member (MIPC)
Institute of Industrial Managers – Associate Diploma and Postgraduate Diploma (ADIIM, PDIIM)
Law Society
Library Association (ALA)
*Plassey Management Centre Diploma in Management
*Police Senior Command Course
*Professional Diploma of the Hotel, Catering and Institutional Management Association (post 1990 syllabus)
*RAF Officer Training – Officers’ Command Course, Individual Studies Course and Basic Staff Course
Royal Institute of British Architects (ARIBA)
Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (ARICS)
Royal Society of Chemistry (GRSC)
Royal Town Planning Institute – Member (MRTPI)
Note: The CIM Professional Postgraduate Diploma from 2004, CIPD Postgraduate Diploma and CMI Executive Diploma in Management are at the same level as the Certificate in Business Administration course Fundamentals of senior management (B713). They can be used in place of B713 for Stage 1 of a masters degree, provided credit transfer is applied for.
Holders of items in the above professional qualifications list marked * may choose between courses Managing performance and change (B700) and Fundamentals of senior management (B713) as the Stage 1 course for our masters degrees in business and management. Otherwise, the choice is restricted to B713 on the grounds that you have not studied sufficient business and management at undergraduate level.
If you hold a qualification that is not on the list but that you believe is at bachelor level, you are advised to bring this to the attention of our Student Registration & Enquiry Service with full details. The OU Business School Masters Programme Committee is responsible for judging whether applicants’ qualifications meet the requirements for admission to any award.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Award Regulations and the Student Regulations.
Award Regulations
- Introduction to the Award Regulations
- General Award Regulations
- Postgraduate Certificate in Business Administration
Student Regulations
The Student Regulations (including the Code of Practice for Student Assessment and the Code of Practice for Student Discipline) are available on our Policy Documents for Students website.
How to register
To register for this qualification, read the description and check you meet any specific requirements (for example, some of our qualifications, require you to be working in a particular environment, or be sponsored by your employer). Then select the course you wish to study first and ensure it is suitable for you before following the registration procedure for that course.
About this page
A postgraduate qualification in Business and Management.
Study explained
- Credit points
- - show how much study is required to complete a course or qualification. One credit point represents roughly 10 hours of study.
- Financial support
- - find out if you qualify for support with your fees with our eligibility checker.
- Study explained
- - all you need to know about studying with the OU.
Got a question?
Contact an adviser in our Student Registration & Enquiry Service
Email or call +44(0) 845 300 60 90
Browse the prospectus
Request a print prospectus
Share
This PageThe University wishes to emphasise that, while every effort is made to regularly update this site, the material on it is subject to alteration or amendment in the light of changes in regulations or in policy or of financial or other necessity.