Executive Master of Business Administration

MBA

  • Entry year 2026 or 2025
  • Duration Part time 2 years

Overview

Top reasons to study with us

  • 9

    9th for Executive MBA in the UK

    QS Global MBA rankings (2025)

  • 33

    33rd for Executive MBA in Europe

    QS Global MBA rankings (2025)

  • Ranked in Tier one of the CEO Magazine Global MBA Rankings 2025

Our Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) will reshape your approach to business, leadership, decision-making and innovation.

The Executive MBA programme at Lancaster empowers you to elevate your thinking, broaden your impact, and lead with confidence across functions, industries, and markets. It combines rigorous academic insight with immediate real-world application, allowing you to apply new knowledge directly to your organisation as you learn.

We believe that true leaders are made through a combination of rigorous academic learning, real-world experience, and a community that challenges and supports you every step of the way. At Lancaster, you will be exposed to cutting-edge research, global business strategies, and an international network of professionals while benefiting from our rich 30-year history of delivering Executive MBA programmes at a business school that is triple-accredited by AMBA, AACSB, and EQUIS.

Learn anywhere, lead everywhere

The Executive MBA programme is designed to fit around your working life so you can study and work at the same time. After the in-person introduction days at our wonderful campus, you will join online modules which include weekly online lectures so you can stay connected with your peers.

You will come back onto campus for a couple of in-person days during each module so you can take part in practical and applied learning activities and have further opportunities to network with your tutors and peers. Each module has additional online learning materials and readings to work through in your own time to give you the flexibility you need.

Throughout the two-year programme, we have introduced several reflective weeks, allowing you to pause and reflect on your learning, giving you the space and time to further embed your learning and skills into your daily professional practice.

Experiential learning

What truly sets the Executive MBA apart is our commitment to work-based and experiential learning. You won’t just study models and theories; you will live them by applying them to your own organisation and solving real problems within your business right from the start of your programme. The work-focused approach to the programme means you develop your critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving and decision-making skills to develop strategic and comprehensive recommendations and solutions for your organisation. This is enhanced through:

Responsible leadership

The Lancaster MBA seeks to challenge you, a leader of tomorrow, to consider how you can act as a responsible and adaptable leader, and create value for your organisation that is both balanced and interconnected.

You will graduate with a resilience that allows you to overcome challenges and identify opportunities, even in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environments. After completing the programme, you will be globally fluent and ready to shape businesses and organisations around the world.

Cyber security specialism option

We offer the option to specialise your Executive MBA programme in cyber security, which will provide senior leaders with the expertise they need to manage the challenges of cyber security skilfully in the digital age.

If you select the cyber security specialism, you will complete all the core management modules alongside two focused cyber security elective modules. Lancaster's cyber security tutors have significant academic and industry expertise, whilst guest speakers from various areas of cyber security bring further real-world insight into your learning.

Lancaster University is one of only eight UK universities recognised as both a National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) accredited Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research (ACE-CSR) and NCSC Gold Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education (ACE-CSE).

Course accreditation

Association of MBAs logo

Lancaster MBA programmes have been accredited by the Association of MBAs since 1996. Although AMBA is UK-based in its origins, it is the only accreditation body that focuses on MBA programmes worldwide. Lancaster students and alumni on AMBA-accredited programmes can benefit from complimentary AMBA student and graduate membership for life, giving access to networking opportunities and career development resources.

Learn more about the Association of MBAs accreditation
NCSC Certified Degree logo

This programme holds provisional certification from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) if you choose to take the cyber security pathway.

Learn more about the NCSC Certified Degree accreditation

Careers

The Executive MBA embeds career advancement throughout the whole programme.

Coaching and guidance: Receive support from our dedicated careers advisers and benefit from individual sessions with a careers coach. Address your goals, identify areas for development, and move towards your future career path.

Employer and alumni engagement: Enjoy business networking opportunities that enable you to engage with a wide range of SMEs, multinational companies, and our alumni. Once you graduate, remain part of this network and benefit from our continued support.

Organisational impact: Work-based assessments and application results in organisational impact to your own business right from the start of the programme. You will also engage with our industry experts from a wide variety of sectors, giving you the skills to set you apart in your career.

Career destinations

Lancaster MBA graduates have successfully moved into more senior positions across various sectors, including corporate, government, healthcare, enterprise, nonprofit, and education. They have pursued roles that include:

  • Senior management and executive roles, such as Chief Executive Officer
  • Consulting and advisory roles, such as Management Consultant
  • Brand management and marketing roles, such as Marketing Manager
  • Public sector and healthcare leadership roles, such as Director of Operations in the healthcare and government sectors
  • SMEs and entrepreneurship roles, such as launching their own businesses or social enterprises.

Entry requirements

Academic requirements

2:2 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in any subject or an equivalent professional qualification.

We may also consider non-standard applicants, please contact mba@lancaster.ac.uk for information.

Additional requirements

  • A minimum of five years' full-time professional/managerial work experience.
  • An interview with the programme director.
  • All successful applicants are required to complete the EMBA admissions essay. Further details will be provided with your offer.

English language requirements

We require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 6.0 in each element of the test.

We also consider other English language qualifications.

Help from our Admissions team

If you are thinking of applying to Lancaster and you would like to ask us a question, complete our enquiry form and one of the team will get back to you.

We also have more details on our website about:

Pre-master's programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored pre-master's pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University master's degrees. Visit INTO Lancaster University for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Course structure

Detailed module information for this postgraduate programme will follow shortly. However, if you have any questions please contact the department.

Fees and funding

We set our fees on an annual basis and the 2026/27 entry fees have not yet been set.

Additional fees and funding information accordion

Scholarships and bursaries

Details of our scholarships and bursaries for 2026-entry study are not yet available, but you can use our opportunities for 2025-entry applicants as guidance.

Check our current list of scholarships and bursaries.

Important information

The information on this site relates primarily to the stated entry year and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. Find out more about our  Charter and student policies.