MRes Business
Lead research efforts to solve today's major global issues.
Overview
Are you driven by the key global issues facing us today? Do you want to contribute and develop research that is used to confront these issues?
This two-year research Master's course will challenge and advance your thinking, preparing you for doctoral studies and careers in further research.
Through lectures, workshops and seminars, you'll explore themes from digital transformation to sustainable development to financial and institutional resilience. You'll learn the theories, tools and methodologies needed to undertake research to solve critical, real-world issues through attending practical sessions with industry experts and analysing case studies.
In your second year, you'll complete a research project in an area of your interest, allowing you to execute the research skills taught on the course. You can opt to take a specialist management and entrepeneurship pathway, where you'll deepen your knowledge of this area and use it for the basis of your research project.
Professional accreditation
We are among a handful of business schools worldwide to achieve triple accreditation:
- Association of MBAs (AMBA)
- Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
- European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS)
We have also been recognised for our work in tackling gender inequality in higher education with a Bronze Athena SWAN award.
Structure
This page reflects the latest version of the curriculum for this year of entry. However, this information is subject to change.
The curriculum of this programme is currently being reviewed as part of a College-wide process to introduce a standardised modular structure. As a result, the content and assessment structures of this course may change for this year of entry.
We recommend you check this page before finalising your application and again before accepting your offer. We will update this page as soon as any changes are confirmed by the College.
Find out more about the limited circumstances in which we may need to make changes to or in relation to our courses, the type of changes we may make and how we will tell you about any changes made.
Page last reviewed on 25 October 2021.
Structure
Core modules
You study all of the core modules below.
- Data Analysis Tools
- Research Project
- Plaigarism Awareness (non-assessed)
- Systematic Reviews (non-assessed)
Optional modules
You choose three research methodology modules from Group A and three to four specialist modules from Group B.
Group A – Research methodology
- Quantitative Methods 1
- Econometrics 1
- Applied Microeconometrics
- Qualitative Methods 1
- Applied Microeconometrics
- Empirical Asset Pricing
- Optimisation
- Topics in Operations Management and Analytics
Group B – Specialist modules
- Consumer Behaviour
- Corporate Finance
- Microeconomics
- Asset Pricing
- Health Economics
- Probability and Stochastic Processes
- Traffic Theory and Queuing Systems
- Retail and Marketing Analysis
- Digital Marketing Analytics
- Logistics and Supply Chain Analytics
- Workforce Analytics
- Industrial Organisation
- Machine Learning in Economic Analysis
- Contemporary Topics in Health Policy
- Optimisation and Decision Models
- Business Models and Intellectual Property
- Healthcare and Medical Analytics
- Advanced Machine Learning
Teaching and assessment
Teaching methods
- Lectures
- Practical classes
- Equipment/technique demonstrations (e.g. Bloomberg, Datastream)
- Seminars
- Workshops
- Case studies
- Group work exercises
- Formal presentations
- Pre-programme on-line modules
- Individual Project
Assessment methods
- Participation
- Peer review
- Presentation
- Project
- Written examination
- Problem sets
- Term paper
- In-class test
- Literature review
- Article critical review
- Weekly summaries
- Research proposal
- Academic articles
- Essay questions
- Research questions
- Essay
- Journal entries
- Referee report
Entry requirements
We welcome students from all over the world and consider all applicants on an individual basis.
Entry requirements
Minimum academic requirement
Our minimum requirement is a Merit in a UK Master's degree, or an equivalent international qualification, in a subject related to your research interests.
In exceptional circumstances, applicants who hold a 1st (Hons) in a UK Bachelor's degree, or an equivalent international qualification, in a subject related to your research interests, may be considered.
Applicants are expected to sit the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) and Graduate Record Examination (GRE):
- A GMAT score of 700/800 is preferred for students with a research interest in management subjects
- A GRE quantitative score of 159/170 (new-style GRE) or 750/800 (old-style GRE), or higher, is preferred for students with a research interest in finance and economics subjects
International qualifications
The academic requirement above is for applicants who hold or who are working towards a UK qualification.
We also accept a wide variety of international qualifications. For guidance see our Country Index though please note that the standards listed here are the minimum for entry to the College.
If you have any questions about admissions and the standard required for the qualification you hold or are currently studying then please contact the relevant admissions team.
Selection process
Personal statement
All applicants will need to complete a personal statement which outlines their motivation for undertaking this MRes and their area of research interest.
Interview
Eligible applicants are invited to interview by two faculty members.
Interviews are assessed on the following criteria:
- Capability: top-level intellectual capacity
- Commitment: demonstration of serious intent and ability to pursue PhD studies on a full-time basis
- Compatibility: research interests that are compatible with those of the research faculty
Applicants may be invited to a second interview if required.
English language requirement (all applicants)
All candidates must demonstrate a minimum level of English language proficiency for admission to the College.
For admission to this course, you must achieve the ICBS requirement in the appropriate English language qualification. For details of the minimum grades required to achieve this requirement, please see the English language requirements for Business School applicants.
Competence standards
Our competence standards highlight the core skills students should be able to demonstrate by the end of this course.
View Imperial College Business School's competence standards [pdf]
We believe in providing the widest practicable access to all of our degree programmes and will make reasonable adjustments wherever possible to support your study. For more information, please contact the Department using the contact details below.
Imperial College Business School
T: +44 (0)20 7589 5111
E: business.school@imperial.ac.uk
How to apply
Making an application
Apply online
All applicants must apply online.
Visit our Admissions website for details on the application process.
If you are applying to the Business School, you may only be considered for one programme per admissions cycle, with the exception of applicants to our Finance Master's programmes, who may select two programmes.
Application fee
For 2021–22 entry, we are introducing a pilot application fee for our Master's courses. This helps cover some of the administrative and staffing costs associated with processing the large volume of applications we receive.
The fee for 2021-22 is as follows. It applies per application and not per course:
- £135 for MBA applications
- £80 for all other Master's applications
We will waive the fee for any applicant – Home or Overseas – who demonstrates that they are experiencing financial hardship.
ATAS certificate
An ATAS certificate is not required for overseas students applying for this course.
Further questions?
Find answers to your questions about admissions. Answers cover COVID-19, English language requirements, Visas and more.
Tuition fees and funding
The level of tuition fees you pay is based on your fee status, which we assess based on UK government legislation.
Find out more about fees and funding opportunities.
Tuition fees
Home rate of tuition
2022 entry
£4,596 per year
Fees are charged by year of entry to the College and not year of study.
Except where otherwise indicated, the fees for students on courses lasting more than one year will increase annually by an amount linked to inflation, including for part-time students on modular programmes. The measure of inflation used will be the Retail Price Index (RPI) value in the April of the calendar year in which the academic session starts e.g. the RPI value in April 2022 will apply to fees for the academic year 2022–2023.
Fee status
Whether you pay the Home fee depends on your fee status.
Your fee status is assessed based on UK Government legislation and includes things like where you live and your nationality or residency status.
Find out more about how we assess your fee status.
EU/EEA/Swiss students
The Government has confirmed that EU/EEA/Swiss students who begin a course before the 31 July 2021 will be eligible to pay the same fee as Home students and have access to student finance for the duration of their course, as long as they meet certain requirements which are unchanged from previous years. This includes students who begin the course remotely.
EU/EEA/Swiss students starting a course on or after 1 August 2021 will no longer be eligible for the Home fee rate and so will be charged the Overseas fee. Please note we do not expect this to apply to Irish students or students benefitting from Citizens' rights under the EU Withdrawal Agreement, EEA EFTA Separation Agreement or Swiss Citizens’ Rights Agreement respectively. However, we are currently awaiting the formal publication of the amended Fees and Awards regulations.
The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) website has useful information on the conditions you currently need to meet to be entitled to pay tuition fees at the Home rate for study on a higher education course in England and reflect the regulations as they currently stand (not the amended regulations which are subject to publication).
Overseas rate of tuition
2022 entry
£17,000 per year
Fees are charged by year of entry to the College and not year of study.
Except where otherwise indicated, the fees for students on courses lasting more than one year will increase annually by an amount linked to inflation, including for part-time students on modular programmes. The measure of inflation used will be the Retail Price Index (RPI) value in the April of the calendar year in which the academic session starts e.g. the RPI value in April 2022 will apply to fees for the academic year 2022–2023.
Fee status
Whether you pay the Overseas fee depends on your fee status.
Your fee status is assessed based on UK Government legislation and includes things like where you live and your nationality or residency status.
Find out more about how we assess your fee status.
EU/EEA/Swiss students
The Government has confirmed that EU/EEA/Swiss students who begin a course before the 31 July 2021 will be eligible to pay the same fee as Home students and have access to student finance for the duration of their course, as long as they meet certain requirements which are unchanged from previous years. This includes students who begin the course remotely.
EU/EEA/Swiss students starting a course on or after 1 August 2021 will no longer be eligible for the Home fee rate and so will be charged the Overseas fee. Please note we do not expect this to apply to Irish students or students benefitting from Citizens' rights under the EU Withdrawal Agreement, EEA EFTA Separation Agreement or Swiss Citizens’ Rights Agreement respectively. However, we are currently awaiting the formal publication of the amended Fees and Awards regulations.
The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) website has useful information on the conditions you currently need to meet to be entitled to pay tuition fees at the Home rate for study on a higher education course in England and reflect the regulations as they currently stand (not the amended regulations which are subject to publication).
Postgraduate Master's loan
If you're a UK national, or EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you may be able to apply for a Postgraduate Master’s Loan from the UK government, if you meet certain criteria.
For 2020-21 entry, the maximum amount was of £11,222. The loan is not means-tested and you can choose whether to put it towards your tuition fees or living costs.
Scholarships
We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students to support you through your studies. Find out more about our scholarships to see what you might be eligible for.
There are a number of external organisations also offer awards for Imperial students, find out more about non-Imperial scholarships.
Accommodation and living costs
Living costs, including accommodation, are not included in your tuition fees.
You can compare costs across our different accommodation options on our Accommodation website.
A rough guide to what you might expect to spend to live in reasonable comfort in London is available on our Fees and Funding website.
Further information
Got a question?
T: +44 (0)20 7589 5111
E: business.school@imperial.ac.uk
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