How long is the MSc in Business Planning and Strategy?

One year full-time (two years part-time via online or distance). The MSc in Business Planning and Strategy schedules cohort calls across UK and APAC time zones.

Can the MSc in Business Planning and Strategy be studied online?

Yes. The MSc in Business Planning and Strategy runs fully online, on-campus in London and by distance learning against the same dissertation or sponsor consulting project.

Is the MSc in Business Planning and Strategy recognised by UK employers?

Yes. The MSc in Business Planning and Strategy is designed around CMI Level 7, Institute of Consulting practitioner practice and IoD governance content.

What are the entry requirements for the MSc in Business Planning and Strategy?

A UK 2:2 or three years' strategy / founder experience on portfolio, GCSE English (grade 5), IELTS 6.5 for international applicants and a 600-word statement.

What does the MSc in Business Planning and Strategy cost?

Tuition varies by mode and domicile. Contact LSIBM admissions for the current schedule and bursary eligibility for the MSc in Business Planning and Strategy.

MSc Business Planning and Strategy | LSIBM London | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The MSc in Business Planning and Strategy at the London School of International Business and Management (LSIBM) is a research-informed master's inside the Entrepreneurship & Executive Studies faculty, written for heads of strategy, corporate-development leads, scaling founders and consulting managers. Across one year full-time (two years part-time online) it consolidates senior strategy competence — group strategy, portfolio choice, corporate development, M&A basics — and closes with a substantial dissertation or sponsor consulting project.

Study runs on-campus in central London, fully online with UK / APAC cohort calls, or by distance learning from 2026. The capstone is defended in front of a working board adviser or partner-track consultant.

Key Features

Designed around the CMI Level 7 in Strategic Management, Institute of Consulting practitioner practice and IoD governance content.
Three study modes — central London campus, fully online with UK / APAC calls, or distance learning.
Dissertation supervision from working board advisers and partner-track consultants.
Sponsor consulting project option with a UK PLC or mid-market strategy team.
M&A workshop — target screening, valuation, integration.
Executive-application coaching in the final term.

What You Will Learn

The MSc is written around what a head of strategy actually delivers — a defensible three-year group strategy, a portfolio call a CEO signs, an M&A thesis a board funds, a publishable case-study paper.

Group strategy at senior level.
Portfolio choice and corporate development.
M&A — target screening, valuation, integration.
Corporate finance for strategists — WACC, ROIC, EVA, DCF.
Scenario planning and stress-testing at group level.
Board narrative aligned with UK Corporate Governance Code.
Consulting practice — engagement design, hypothesis-driven work.
Change and transformation strategy at group level.
Research methods — case-study, mixed methods.
Dissertation or sponsor consulting project.

Who This Course Is For

Heads of strategy consolidating an academic credential.
Corporate-development leads at UK PLC and mid-market groups.
Scaling founders moving from Series A to B and B to C.
Consulting managers targeting partner track.
Family-business successors taking on group planning at senior level.

Career Pathways

Graduates typically move into head-of-strategy, corporate-development-manager, partner-track-consulting and MD roles across UK PLC, mid-market, consulting and startup employers. The master's supports applications but does not by itself guarantee job offers or visa outcomes. Typical destinations include:

Business Planner (senior)
Strategy Analyst (senior) / Strategy Manager
Founder (scaling)
Startup Programme Manager (senior)
Head of Strategy
Corporate Development Manager

The MSc in Business Planning and Strategy is the natural step toward CMI Chartered Manager status and doctoral study.

Entry Requirements

A UK 2:2 honours degree in a relevant discipline, or an equivalent international qualification. Applicants with three years of substantive professional strategy, founder or consulting experience may apply on a portfolio route.
GCSE English Language at grade 5/C (or equivalent) is required for domestic applicants; international applicants meet the language rule below.
IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers.
A short statement of intent (600 words) explaining research or applied interests, plus two references (one academic, one workplace or professional-body).

Why Study at LSIBM

The London School of International Business and Management (LSIBM) is a specialist business-education provider based in central London and part of Harold International College. Postgraduate cohorts run in small tutor-visible groups, are shaped by working senior practitioners (partner-level at a Big Four firm, Fellow-level at CIM or CIPD, CFA charter-holders in investment routes) and close with a substantial dissertation, sponsor consulting project or applied capstone defended in front of a working panel.

London puts the City, Canary Wharf, Whitehall, Companies House, the FCA, the Bank of England, the West End and the major consulting, banking and multinational headquarters within a short tube ride of every classroom. LSIBM postgraduates attend a fortnightly senior-practitioner clinic and a structured executive-application coaching programme in the final term.

Apply for the MSc in Business Planning and Strategy

Step into the senior track with the MSc in Business Planning and Strategy. Click Enrol Now and admissions will reply within one working day with intake dates, dissertation supervisor allocation guidance and the current fee schedule. LSIBM postgraduates are supported by dedicated executive-application coaching in the final term.