Practice-based learning isn’t an afterthought – it’s a carefully constructed approach to understanding business complexity. Our MBA programmes recognise that true leadership emerges from navigating real challenges, not just studying them.

Business doesn’t exist in theoretical silos. It’s a dynamic ecosystem where success depends on applying knowledge, adapting quickly, and generating innovative solutions. This understanding is the cornerstone of the Bath MBA’s approach.

Traditional education often separates learning from doing.  We invert this model so that learning is doing – a continuous process of engagement, reflection, and transformation. Whether this is through the full-time MBA‘s Multi-Project Suite or the part-time Executive MBA‘s consulting projects, you don’t just study business problems; you become active participants in solving them.

“Great leaders need to be able to navigate the increasing complexity of the business landscape. They must have a comprehensive understanding of business operations, and the confidence to be innovative and creative when leading transformation,” explains Dr Jane Ellis-Brush, Director of Teaching on the University of Bath’s MBA programmes.

“Our approach to the MBA is intentional. We’re not simply teaching business; we’re cultivating leaders who can read, respond to, and reshape complex organisational landscapes,” she states.

Take our Multi-Project Suite – a revolutionary replacement for the traditional dissertation on our full-time MBA. Instead of writing about business in abstract terms, you’ll engage directly with live organisational challenges.

George Peters, a current Bath MBA student, shares his experience: “Our team worked with BMT on the Consulting and Change Project. They are primarily a maritime and defence consultancy, and our task was to come up with solutions to help the maritime industry move towards greener, sustainable fuels. It really felt like we were working with them towards a common goal and was a fantastic experience.”

The sustainability strategy project wasn’t just an academic exercise; it was a real intervention requiring research, strategic thinking, and practical implementation.

Jake Rigby, Head of Innovation & Research at BMT, has seen this first-hand: 

“Working with Bath MBA students has transformed our recruitment. Project participants gain valuable experience before their formal start, developing a solid understanding of our business. These projects deliver tangible results we implement with customers. 

“The students collaborate effectively, asking challenging questions and producing high-quality work. Their professionalism—coming prepared with research and setting clear agendas—enables us to provide guidance while building experience within our company.” 

Leadership is as much about understanding yourself as understanding others. We recognise that professional transformation is a deeply personal journey of growth, resilience, and self-discovery.

Throughout your MBA, you’ll engage in a comprehensive development process that goes beyond traditional skill acquisition. You’ll build emotional intelligence, develop adaptive leadership capabilities, and create a profound understanding of personal and organisational dynamics.

It’s a transformative process that delves deep into your personal strengths, challenging you to understand not just what you can do, but who you want to become as a leader.

Karl Fearnley, an Executive MBA alumnus and Director at Babcock International Group, reflects on his experience: “The MBA gave me the opportunity to elevate my perspective and approach business with a more strategic context. I was able to see things from a C-Suite level and apply modules at a board-level perspective. This was the step change in my career that I wanted and needed.”

Through coaching, mentorship, and experiential learning, you’ll develop the confidence to lead with authenticity, empathy, and strategic insight. This prepares you, not just for you next role, but for a lifetime of meaningful leadership.

As businesses face unprecedented challenges – from technological disruption to sustainability imperatives – the world needs leaders who can see beyond conventional boundaries.

The Bath MBA transforms theoretical understanding into practical wisdom, demonstrating that true leadership is learned not through passive study, but through deliberate, engaged action.

Throughout my extensive corporate career at executive level, where I built and mentored high-performing teams across multiple organisations, I’ve consistently observed a critical pattern among rising leaders: the transition from operational management to executive leadership demands far more than accumulated experience – it requires a fundamental transformation in both perspective and approach. 

At the University of Bath School of Management, we’ve designed our Executive MBA precisely for this transformation. The programme’s flexible structure combines on-campus learning with online components, enabling busy professionals to balance their studies with demanding careers. 

Our team recently conducted a comprehensive 360-degree review examining what employers, employees and entrepreneurs seek in great leadership. Industry insights highlighted three critical needs: 

1. Leaders who can navigate the increasing complexity of today’s business landscape
2. Professionals with a comprehensive understanding of business operations 
3. Executives with the confidence to be innovative and creative when leading organisations 

The way we structure learning at Bath is deliberately challenging. We’re not just teaching theory – we’re asking our participants to apply their knowledge to complex business situations, often working with organisations facing real strategic challenges. 

I’ve seen this approach resonate with participants from diverse industry backgrounds. As Karl Fearnley, one of our Executive MBA Alumni and now Director of ISTAR and Cyber at Babcock International Group, reflected: “The MBA gave me the opportunity to lift myself up as an individual and look at business with more strategic context and thinking. I was able to see things from a C-Suite level and apply modules to board level. That was the step change in my career that I wanted and needed.” 

Our newly enhanced curriculum moves beyond traditional academic silos to mirror real business functions. Working with partner companies, our participants tackle everything from market entry strategies to digital transformation initiatives. 

The Executive MBA mirrors the interconnected reality of modern organisations to cultivate a big-picture mindset essential for great leadership. You’ll develop self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and resilience needed to inspire and guide others at the highest levels. We track progress through innovative measurement tools that benchmark growth in leadership capabilities. 

For many participants, this growth marks a turning point in their leadership journey. Anastasia Rodina, who completed her Executive MBA with us in 2024 and works as a Product Manager at Dreamdaze Technology Inc, shared: “Engaging in group projects and collaborating with classmates from different backgrounds has provided me with invaluable insights for tackling complex business challenges.” 

One of the most valuable aspects of our programme is the diversity of our MBA cohort. Participants bring experience from different sectors and cultural contexts, enriching classroom discussions and team projects. 

We want students to be comfortable and confident working in teams. This is really important in terms of boosting the students’ experience – working together, getting hands-on experience, working with groups they wouldn’t have a chance to otherwise. 

The business world is rapidly evolving, particularly in areas like sustainability and artificial intelligence. Our research shows business students are eager to understand these topics, especially executives aiming to future-proof their organisations. 

When designing the Executive MBA, it was important that we consulted with the Faculty of Science to drive programme innovation and incorporate developments in areas like AI and disruptive technology into the learning experience. 

The University of Bath is one of the UK’s leading universities with world-renowned research, and we leverage this expertise throughout our Executive MBA curriculum. 

In my experience, the most successful executive education creates space for experienced professionals to step back, reflect, and prepare for greater responsibilities.  

Through our combination of academic rigor and practical application, participants develop the strategic mindset needed for executive roles – not just for their next promotion, but for sustainable leadership growth throughout their careers. 

A challenging and engaging programme

I’m currently working as a planning engineer for PepsiCo working on their snacks business in the UK. I’ve been with the company for nearly two years but have worked in the industry for almost 15 years. It’s a challenging role and every day is different but I feel very passionate about it and like that it’s constantly changing.

I considered many factors when choosing a university for my MBA but felt that the programme at Bath offered a wide range of modules, from finance to supply chains and marketing, modules that were very interesting for me. I’ve noticed already some opportunities to bring this knowledge into my role at PepsiCo. In five years’ time I want to be a part of the senior leadership team, making decisions and being a part of the process to support and drive the business in the right direction.

Building the business case

It took some time to get confirmation from PepsiCo to sponsor me through the MBA programme. I was quite new at the company but had made it clear from joining that one of my goals was to develop myself further through an MBA. PepsiCo wanted to see a clear business case for their investment and to understand what benefits this would bring to their business, but they also needed to understand my aspirations and commitment to the company’s future.

Corporate responsibility and sustainability have become key factors in today’s global business world. Sustainable business practices have become increasingly important considerations for companies seeking to maintain a competitive edge. As a result, more and more organisations are embracing ESG (environmental, social, and governance) principles to guide their decision-making.

Professor Andrew Crane is the Director of the Centre for Business, Organisations, and Society at the University of Bath School of Management. He also leads the delivery of Responsible Business on the Bath Executive MBA programme, helping professionals to develop the skills and knowledge needed to navigate sustainability challenges.

“There are so many challenges facing the world with everything from climate change and inequality to biodiversity. Business has a role in contributing to those problems, but also for solving them,” he explains.

“Contradiction in organisational priorities can be difficult for business leaders. The MBA programme can be a powerful tool to empower and liberate them to do something positive and be the changemakers in their organisations,” he adds.

The Bath MBA programmes are designed to provide students not only with an awareness of ESG issues within business, but also to equip them with the practical skills needed to tackle them. Teaching is underpinned by a deep focus on embedding sustainability and responsibility throughout both teaching and research.

“Students leave Bath, not only with a passion to enact change, but with the tools needed to effectively execute positive change throughout the duration of their management careers,” he continues.

“We try to instil the conversation of social responsibility and concern for social impact across the breadth of business, from finance and marketing to operations and HR practices. We tackle the challenges in these areas and then empower students to bring this conversation into their organisations and to have the right literacy to do so. They have the language but now they also the skills and knowledge to become as close as possible to an expert.”

Professor Crane adds: “We want our graduates to be leading employers who know how to achieve impact in their communities.”

Testimony to the University’s commitment to ESG is its place in the Top 100 of the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2024 demonstrating a commitment to infuse sustainability throughout programme delivery at the University. The University of Bath ranked 92nd out of 1,403 universities, scoring highly in each of the three performance categories of Environmental Impact, Social Impact and Governance.

This article was first published in Bath Life magazine. Reproduced with permission.

In business, sustainability is non-negotiable. How you choose to incorporate it into what you do affects relationships with your employees, your supply chain and your customers. Having clear ethics regarding sustainability is so important for the long term – you’ll suffer if you don’t.

When I finished university in 2022, I took up an internship in corporate strategy with local green energy supplier, Good Energy. This led to a permanent role, focusing on diversifying the energy supply – which is currently more important than ever, due to the current energy crisis affecting the day-to-day lives of millions.

Due to the sharp rise in energy prices and a high number of suppliers going bust, our services are changing to try and reduce the impact this has on our customers.

I’m currently transitioning our supply to sustainable resources, with the aim of reaching net zero emissions. Green energy alternatives can be cheaper than conventional fossil fuels, too. Because of this, solutions such as solar panels and heat pumps are becoming increasingly popular.

If it wasn’t for my time at the University of Bath, I wouldn’t be in my current job role. The School of Management has great links with local businesses, which I made the most of to get my internship.

Throughout my studies, I learned a lot about sustainability management, which I use daily at work. At the School of Management, sustainability was always incorporated into what we did, from lecture content to the campus itself.

I made great friends there, too. I’m still in contact with other MBA alumni, we have a WhatsApp group and try to catch up whenever we can.

The way business works is changing, you need to take sustainability into account no matter your job role or sector. My goal is to eventually run my own business and because of my experience, I have the skill set to do this.

To me, ambition is realising your potential and trying to push to exceed your own expectations. The more effort you put into your studies, the more value you’ll get out of them. Rather than waiting for someone to give you opportunities, go and get them.

Why I wanted to do an MBA

My life has always been entwined with my family’s company. I joined the company as an intern and now, after eight years, hold a successful managerial position as the sales and marketing manager. I have always been interested in knowing more about business and am passionate about what I do. I have an entrepreneurial spirit and leadership enchants me: I like to inspire people to act; to understand the value of things that people cannot see; to share and to teach people to make the best decisions.

Working in a family business means that you must prove yourself all of the time. I felt that I had reached a ceiling and needed to find another way to reach new professional levels, build on my knowledge and bring new insights and better direction to the team. My family had always encouraged me to study abroad so this was perfect timing for me.

Why I chose The Bath MBA

Coming from a family business, I was looking for a programme that would enable me to work in other industries, get to know other leaders and prove myself in different ways. The multi-project suite offered experience and engagement with other industries where I had to solve real problems and I needed this to make my view wider. I had only my father’s way of doing business, now I know much more.

Learning beyond the classroom

The Multi-Project Suite was tense and demanding but fulfilling. The project expanded my knowledge into sustainability, explored other ways of doing business and broadened my views on how to be a CEO in future. I was so keen to help with the continuity of the work that I contacted the CEO to ask if I could remain on the project and am now volunteering for the company that I was part of. It’s been an amazing experience and I have learned so much from his knowledge on sustainability.

Discovering new skills

The MBA has already impacted on my career and behaviours. I identified that I love people so much, sharing knowledge and improving efficiencies, so decided to switch from sales and marketing to human resources. Results are led by people all of the time and the failures we have are because of the lack of people management. My father and I have realised how the business needs someone to look after and care about employees. It makes sense for me to take over this area of the business in future and I’m so happy and excited.

Developing as a leader

The course has been a considerable investment for my family, but I am so pleased to have found it. I was looking for a programme that was about strategic decision-making and that was exactly what I received. I loved that I could write about my own company but it also allowed me to think about business from another perspective. I am sure that my intellectual ‘luggage’ is full of knowledge and insights to take back to my organisation – not only hard skills, but a lot of soft skills too. The MBA has shaped me into an even better leader.

Inspiring future leaders

In the future I would like to be the CEO of my own business and the decisions and choices that I have made during the programme have been in that direction. I will be so happy to share my experiences and knowledge with future students of the Bath