Leadership MSc 2025 entry

Develop the knowledge and skills needed to be a leader in today's global business world. Learn how to lead effectively in all industries, from higher education to aeronautics, and from politics to sustainable development.

Start date
October 2025
End date
September 2027
Duration
Part time, online with mandatory in-person sessions twice a year
School
Business School

Application deadline

Thursday 7 August 2025

Applicants should apply as early as possible to be eligible for certain scholarships.

Entry requirements

  • An undergraduate degree: 2.1 or higher from a UK institution or equivalent qualification from elsewhere. If you studied your first degree outside the UK, see the international entry requirements.
  • At least two years’ experience in a professional role in business or the public sector, or the same minimum length of experience in an entry or mid-level management position in an organisation.
  • English language proficiency.

We define professional role as a role that requires a certain level of learning, for example, a Bachelor’s, Masters or PhD, specialised knowledge and advanced skills. Examples of such roles include teachers, nurses, accountants, lawyers, engineers, scientists, designers, architects, artists or authors.

The qualifications listed are indicative minimum requirements for entry. Some academic Schools will ask applicants to achieve significantly higher marks than the minimum. Obtaining the listed entry requirements will not guarantee you a place, as the University considers all aspects of every application including, where applicable, the writing sample, personal statement, and supporting documents.

Application requirements

  • A CV that includes a history of your education and employment to date
  • Academic transcripts and degree certificates
  • A personal statement explaining why you have chosen the programme, which should detail:
    • information about your existing leadership role or your potential to occupy a leadership role
    • your motivations for undertaking a postgraduate degree focused on leadership
    • your reasons for choosing the MSc in Leadership at the University of St Andrews Business School
  • Two original signed academic or professional references, which should detail:
    • how long they have known you and in what capacity
    • their opinion of your experience, achievements, professional interests and the capabilities which you will bring to the programme
    • whether they believe you will fit well on a Master’s level course focused on leadership which uses a wide range of assessment techniques from analytical reports to reflective pieces, creative writing and original research both on an individual and group basis
    • whether they consider you to have the enthusiasm, commitment and determination necessary to complete the course successfully

Letter of support

The MSc in Leadership is designed for those in full-time employment and assignments are often undertaken in a work-based context. If you will be in employment during your studies, please ask your employer to provide a letter stating that they support your application and understand that in undertaking the course you will need time away from work to attend the residentials.

The letter should also indicate whether the employer will support the research you undertake during the Applied Leadership project. This final module of the degree requires a presentation of the research you have undertaken to the supporting employer. 

If you are self-employed or in any other position not requiring the approval of an employer, then please provide a note signed by yourself in lieu of the letter of support from an employer.

For more guidance, see supporting documents and references for postgraduate taught programmes.

English language proficiency

If English is not your first language, you may need to provide an English language test score to evidence your English language ability. See approved English language tests and scores for this course.

Course details

Modules

The modules published below are examples of what has been taught in previous academic years and may be subject to change before you start your course. For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the module catalogue.

The overall programme is divided into three parts:

  • Part 1: Leadership Foundations – delivered in its entirety in year one
  • Part 2: Leadership Challenges – begins in the summer between years one and two
  • Part 3: Leadership Project – studied in its entirety in year two

The schedule for the programme is non-standard but the start and end points of the qualification fit within a two-year PGT cycle. The programme will begin in independent learning week (ILW) of Semester 1 in 2025, with year one students studying four 15-credit modules in the first year and two 15-credit modules in late summer of the first year, and finishing during Semester 1 of the second year.

Modules are paired and begin with a seven-day residential, after which they are studied online for ten weeks. The timing of the residentials has been considered in relation to teaching and living accommodation restrictions and administratively busy times of year.

This programme consists only of core modules.

Leadership Foundations focuses on building students’ understanding of themselves as leaders and equipping them with the latest knowledge about leadership theory and practice. They will be encouraged to reflect on their own development as the programme unfolds.

Modules delivered in residential one (October 2025):

  • Foundations of Strategic leadership (15 credits): focuses on the theoretical foundations of leadership and introduces the contemporary issues faced by developing leaders.
  • Transformative Leadership Practice (15 credits): focuses on reflexive practice, vulnerability and learning, will link to individual coaching sessions for students, and will be the first module of Semester 1.

Modules delivered in residential two (February 2026):

  • Inclusive Leadership (15 credits): adopting a social identity approach, this module will explore the ethical dilemmas and questions of inclusivity that are inherent in leadership practice.
  • Leadership Decision Making (15 credits): will introduce students to decision-making theory and practice and will acquaint students with their own biases as they make decisions.

Leadership Challenges will encourage students to apply the insights gained in Part 1 to a series of contemporary leadership challenges.

Modules delivered in residential three (August 2026):

  • Leading Digitally (15 credits): focuses on the challenges of leading virtual teams and organisations and utilises gaming in its pedagogy.
  • Leading Organisational Change (15 credits): focuses on the challenge of leading change and equips students with skills to navigate contrasting stakeholder interests, power and resistance, and to communicate and negotiate effectively during change.

Part 2 continues with residential four (December 2026):

  • Leading Sustainable Transitions (15 credits): focuses on the challenge of embedding sustainability in and around organisations and will acquaint students with the policy, audit and governance challenges arising in this area.
  • Leading for the Future (15 credits): will draw on futures methodologies to explore how existing and aspiring leaders can influence individual, organisational and systemic change in pursuit of a more inclusive, sustainable world.

Some other themes are also being considered, and other modules developed with or by other Schools may be connected to the programme in due course. The modules described above have specifically incorporated market research feedback and feature elements of technology, ethics and policy as well as leadership theory.

External modules will not form part of the initial offering in order to avoid complexity at this time. As the programme is firmed up and established, we will specifically seek to incorporate industry professionals and high-profile visiting speakers into the programme. The programme already incorporates interaction with professionals from industry and public service during every module in a parallel programme that complements formal learning.

Delivered wholly online this will not be a dissertation as such, but instead a practical leadership, development, change project in a company, public sector body, or third sector organisation.

The Director of Executive Education would be heavily involved in making necessary connections should a student need a host organisation for their project, but Individuals sponsored by or taking a leave of absence from their organisations may choose to conduct their project in their ‘home’ context.

Teaching

A combination of in-person residential teaching sessions, such as lectures and seminars, and independent study with online workshops, peer-to-peer sessions, and one-to-one sessions with tutors.

Continuous assessment: a mixture of individual written assessments, group assessments and a six-month leadership project, rather than a traditional dissertation.

Access to academic staff online in one-to-one sessions, access to student support and other services in line with what is provided to students on other online programmes. 

Events

This programme will have its own series of events during residentials in St Andrews, including speakers, field trips and other extracurricular activities.

Fees

£15,000

The total fee will be £30,000 for a part-time course over two years (£15,000 per year). The annual fee is for tuition only and does not include any accommodation costs.

Application fee

Before we can begin processing your application, a payment of an application fee of £50 is required. In some instances, you may be eligible for an application fee waiver. Details of this, along with information on our tuition fees, can be found on the postgraduate fees and funding page.

Funding and scholarships

The University of St Andrews is committed to attracting the very best students, regardless of financial circumstances.

The Jane M Klausman Women in Business Scholarship is for women pursuing a business or business-related degree.

15% Recent Graduate Discount

If you have graduated from the University within the last three academic years, you may be eligible for a 15% discount on postgraduate taught tuition fees. Terms and conditions apply.

Taught postgraduate scholarships    Postgraduate loans

After your degree

Careers

Alumni from the Masters programmes in the University of St Andrews Business School have secured employment in the fields of general management, marketing and brand management, marketing research, management consultancy, fund administration and other aspects of the financial services industry. 

In the past, students in this school have also gone on to set up their own businesses and have become successful entrepreneurs in different sectors.

The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students in building their employability skills.

Further study

Many Management graduates continue their education by enrolling in PhD programmes at St Andrews or elsewhere.

The ESRC Scottish Graduate School of Social Science offers fully funded awards for PhD students in the School of Management.

The University of St Andrews Business School often offers Management PhD studentships comprising a stipend at RCUK level and a fee waiver at Home and EU level.

Postgraduate research

Contact us

Phone
+44 (0)1334 46 2200
Email
pgmgmt@st-andrews.ac.uk
Address
Business School