MBA Advanced Entry (Top Up)
Programme Handbook
2025 - 2026
Updated: January 2026
Table of Contents
Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 2
General Course Information .................................................................................................. 4
1.1 Teaching Staff ........................................................................................................................... 4
1.2 Course Management ................................................................................................................ 4
1.3 Assessment Resubmissions ...................................................................................................... 4
1.4 Resubmission Fees.................................................................................................................... 4
Welfare ................................................................................................................................ 5
2.1 Mitigating Circumstances ......................................................................................................... 5
2.2 Extension to Candidature/ Special Cases ................................................................................. 6
2.3 Plagiarism / Academic Misconduct .......................................................................................... 6
Contacts and Useful Information ........................................................................................... 7
Referencing..................................................................................................................................... 8
Library and other Support Services ................................................................................................ 9
1
Introduction
Welcome to the MBA Advanced Entry (Top Up) programme situated at the School of
Management, which is led by the Senior Dean, Professor David Brooksbank.
I trust you will find your studies both challenging and enjoyable. The purpose of this
Programme Handbook is to provide additional guidance on certain aspects of the programme
besides the Cardiff Metropolitan University Handbook which can be found online.
Most of the study and support material will be provided through distance learning lectures, 1-
2-1 sessions, Teams and Moodle (our Virtual Learning Environment). The lectures and 1-2-
1 sessions have a synchronous online delivery with all the benefits of face-to-face classes
where questions can be asked as the material is discussed.
It is important to remember that you are embarking on a significant piece of individual study,
and you will need to be disciplined and realistic in your use of time. To be successful, you
need to adopt a methodical and systematic approach to your studies. Please familiarise
yourself with the following:
• Cardiff Metropolitan University Student Handbook Student Services Student
Handbook ([Link])
• Online material accessed via Moodle Home | Cardiff Metropolitan University Moodle
The programme of study for the MBA Advanced Entry adheres to the benchmarks set by the
Quality Assurance Agency in the UK, an organisation that is guiding educational
developments throughout the world. While you study with us, there is a lot to be covered in a
short space of time and so, you must maximise this opportunity. Those of you who attend an
induction session will know the importance of active participation. Please participate and
realise your potential.
The MBA Advanced Entry Programme is led by the MBA Programme Director who works
with the MBA Programme Manager and colleagues in the School of Management. The
Programme leadership requires making key decisions about the development as well as
helping students in their day-to-day progress. The MBA Administrative Team support this
process ensuring students are directed to the relevant departments within the University,
whilst a number of tutors work together to deliver the teaching of the programme. All
academics and support staff will do their best to help students manage their studies and
succeed in their qualifications.
Assessments will be marked and checked following quality systems to include internal and
external verification. Students should be aware there is a considerable rigour in the design
and delivery of their assessed work, which should be returned to them within a reasonable
timeframe to progress to their future study. There are School of Management guidelines on
student assessment, and academic staff and students alike, are required to adhere to these.
All students should have the opportunity to understand the marks awarded and these will be
formally recorded in a transcript at the end of the study period. More information on transcripts
can be found here: Transcripts, Certificates and Award Verification
2
Students who have completed their MBA are welcome to join Cardiff Metropolitan Alumni
(Cardiff Met Alumni). Studies have shown that the majority of students have improved their
careers and almost three quarters have demonstrated that they draw upon knowledge and
skills obtained during their MBA study.
The importance of planning ahead and thinking about personal development will be
introduced during your induction. This time will be used to explain the details of the timetable
and delivery methods, as well as introducing students to the guidelines and expectations of
the programme of study within the School of Management. Matters like the attendance policy
and expectations about study time are explained as are the appropriate referencing style
(Harvard), and the importance of avoiding plagiarism and collusion.
The MBA Advanced Entry office should be your first point of contact for all administrative
queries. Our office hours are from Monday – Friday, 8.30am - 5.00pm (4.30 on Friday) UK
time. If you experience any difficulty whilst undertaking this course as well as any issues
relating to your attendance, please email the MBA Advanced Entry inbox as soon as possible
at CSM-MBAAdvEntry@[Link]
When contacting all members of staff, please use your Cardiff Met email account and
provide the cohort you are on in the subject heading. All communications from the
MBA Advanced Entry office will be sent to your Cardiff Metropolitan University e-mail
account, therefore you must check and use this account regularly.
It is your responsibility if you miss any communication and if any of your contact
details change, you MUST inform us immediately. Please take the time to read this
handbook, the Research Methods handbook and Dissertation handbook, they will provide
key information that will help you on your MBA journey.
Good luck in your studies.
Dr Mukul Madahar
Associate Dean Partnerships
MMadahar@[Link]
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General Course Information
Please see your individual cohort teaching schedule. If you fail an element on the course,
revised deadlines will be given in your results email following the examination board. Further
meetings with the supervisor can be arranged through Microsoft Teams if needed.
1.1 Teaching Staff
Associate Dean – Dr Mukul Madahar
MBA Advanced Entry Programme Manager – Mrs Andrea Steel
Research Methods:
Tutors to be confirmed on your cohort teaching schedule.
During your Research Methods module, you will have a class tutor. If you have any queries,
please contact your tutor directly. After successfully completing Research Methods, you will
be notified of your Dissertation Supervisor in your results email following the examination
board.
1.2 Course Management
The MBA Advanced Entry programme is made up to two modules, Research Methods
(session code: MBA7004) and the Dissertation (session code: MBA7099). Research Methods
has two parts, Assessment 1 (PRES1) and the Proposal (WRIT1) and the Dissertation has
one part (WRIT1).
If you fail the Research Methods module, you will have two more attempts. If you fail
Research Methods and are out of attempts, you will be exited from the programme as you
cannot move onto the Dissertation without clearing the Research Methods module first.
After you have passed the Research Methods module, you will proceed to the Dissertation
module where you be assigned a Dissertation Supervisor. It is the student’s responsibility
to contact their supervisor and attend the meetings as arranged by the supervisor. You MUST
attend ALL the face-to-face/ Microsoft Teams meetings agreed with your supervisor. If this
does not happen, your Dissertation will NOT be accepted.
1.3 Assessment Resubmissions
You will only be allowed two resubmissions of a failed assessment, and resubmissions will
be capped at 50%. You must adhere to the strict deadlines set and unless you have an
approved deferral a non-submission is also classed as a fail.
1.4 Resubmission Fees
From academic year 2025/26, if you need to resubmit work you may be required to pay
a resubmission fee.
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If you obtain less than 30% in the module, you may be asked to retake the whole module,
including attendance for all classes, and pay the fee for retaking that module.
If you fail to pay your fees within the allocated time, you may lose access to your Cardiff Met
e-mail account and to Moodle. Should this happen after you have submitted payment, please
contact the IT Helpdesk at IThelpdesk@[Link] to reset your password.
Welfare
The MBA Advanced Entry is designed to be challenging. If you are struggling with your work,
it is understandable, and you must share your problem. Rather than just thinking about it
more and more, please contact your tutor or supervisor as soon as possible.
If your problem is more personal in nature, there are also counselling services within Cardiff
Metropolitan University with professionally trained counsellors to help, please find the link
here: Student Services Home ([Link])
2.1 Mitigating Circumstances
The Mitigating Circumstances procedures are available in the Academic Handbook.
Students are encouraged to attempt their assessments in line with the original assessment
schedule to enable and support their learning. For students who experience unexpected
short or longer-term challenges, the following options are available with no requirement to
provide medical or third-party evidence.
Late Submission (with permit) Late Submission (with max 50%)
Key Points Key Points
• Submit coursework-based assessments • If a late submission permit option is not
within 5-working days of the original available, you can still submit during the
deadline (during the late submission 5-working day late submission window.
window).
• Use three late submission permits, one • Your written assessment will be capped
per assessment, to submit in the late at the maximum threshold (pass mark) of
submission window without penalty, i.e. 50%.
your assessment will be treated as on-
time.
• Self-declare a late submission permit • You may be referred to the Support to
when submitting in the Moodle module. Study Process for additional support.
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Deferred Assessment
Important reminder: Deferring assessments is likely to have a significant impact on
your academic journey and may impact your ability to progress to the next period of
the programme or achieve your award.
Key Points
• Use two self-declaration permits during the programme to defer an
assessment attempt with no penalty.
• The Examination Board will confirm the next submission opportunity.
• Declarations are confidential and will not appear on your transcript or HEAR
(Higher Education Achievement Report).
• Once both deferrals have been used, you may be referred to the Support to
Study process for additional support.
Requirements
• Self-declarations must be submitted within 20-working days of the original
assessment deadline.
• Apply through the Mitigating Circumstances - Self Declaration - Deferral Form
(MBA Advanced Entry)l.
• Submit a short statement explaining your situation.
2.2 Extension to Candidature/ Special Cases
These applications are subject to scrutiny by Cardiff Metropolitan University, which
lays down the following limits beyond which candidature will lapse and examination
precluded within:
• Four calendar years from the start of candidature in the case of MBA Advanced
Entry students.
Should you require an extension that takes you beyond your period of candidature,
then you will be required to provide evidence so we can complete and submit a
Special Cases form in accordance with the Guidance on Submission of Special
Cases to the MBA Advanced Entry Office.
2.3 Plagiarism / Academic Misconduct
What is Plagiarism?
The Oxford English Dictionary defines plagiarism as 'writing borrowed thoughts as
original'. Plagiarism is distinguished from the proper use of sources by its failure to
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discuss, analyse and acknowledge the influence of another's work. You will, of course,
use other people's work and ideas, but there is a difference between this and relying
totally on other people’s efforts.
Plagiarism is Academic Misconduct. There are strict University regulations
regarding Academic Misconduct Regulations and Plagiarism. These are given in your
Cardiff Metropolitan University Student Handbook and Academic Handbook and you
are advised to read these carefully: Student Services Student Handbook
([Link]) and Academic Handbook Academic Handbook ([Link]).
What does it cover?
Your sources of material must be acknowledged. All information taken from books,
journals, handouts etc., must be clearly referenced. All written work (practical written
assignments, essays for tutors, assessment essays, essays in examinations, long
essays and dissertations, etc.) must be a reflection of your own efforts. All quotations
from other sources must be acknowledged.
If you reproduce the words of an author, editor, journalist, or critic and attempt
to pass them off as your own original work, you will be heavily penalised and
may be terminated from the programme. This includes both copying word for word
and copying work making slight changes.
A subtle form of plagiarism occurs when there is no deliberate intention to deceive, for
example making notes from a text and then copying those notes without realising that
the words used are the original author's and not your own. However, this is still
Academic Misconduct/ plagiarism and must be avoided.
Direct copying of any material will always be severely penalised and may carry a
financial penalty and will be brought to the attention of the exam board.
Contacts and Useful Information
MBA Advanced Entry inbox: CSM-MBAAdvEntry@[Link]
Cardiff Met IT Systems
Students will be sent an email containing their Cardiff Met username and password
after enrolment. Access to the Cardiff Met IT Systems will normally be available within
24 hours of enrolment. Passwords can be changed via the Password Management
system.
IT Helpdesk (for any issues accessing the site, password/ username problems and
any IT issues with our systems) IThelpdesk@[Link] or raise a ticket on Halo
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(Halo ([Link]) Tel: 029 2041 7000 option 3 (Please include all relevant
details about your problem as well as your student ID).
Office 365
Every Cardiff Met student has an Office 365 subscription available to them. Students
can access Office 365 through [Link] and by signing in with their Office
365 account: ST[student number]@[Link].
Microsoft Teams is an Office 365 app and can be accessed through the Office 365
portal. It is recommended that students install Microsoft Teams as you will be required
to attend the seminars via Teams, during the programme. Please ensure you access
this via your Cardiff Met email account.
OneDrive is the place where students can store their Cardiff Met documents which
can then be accessed anywhere and on any device. OneDrive can be accessed
through the Office 365 portal.
Email
Students can access their email through the Outlook app on [Link] and
signing in with their Office 365 account: ST[student
number]@[Link].
Only Cardiff Met email addresses should be used for university related
correspondence; students should not use their personal email address.
All communication of final results, transcripts and certificates will be given in
your results email.
Regulations for Modular Master’s Degrees: Regulations for Modular Master's
Degrees
Referencing
You must ensure that all work handed in is referenced correctly in line with the Harvard
referencing style. There are several websites that outline the generally accepted
format for Harvard referencing but as a rule, please follow the guide below:
When it is the author’s idea you are using but NOT their words then:
According to Brown (2008) he indicates that the drop in ‘younger employee’s’ is the
markets requirement for skilled and experienced workers.
If you are using the author’s words then it should be in quote marks and italic:
“The reason for the drop in younger employees in the commutation industry is that in
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the market place there is the requirement for skilled employees with a number of years’
experience in the specific field” (Brown, 2008, P34).
The university recommends the use of Cite Them Right online to refer to on Harvard
referencing: Cite Them Right - Home ([Link]) .
Library and other Support Services
There is a lot of academic support available to students. The Library and Academic
Practice team specialise in supporting students to develop the practical skills needed
to learn independently, thrive academically, and perform well in course assessments.
Workshops are available each term for students to improve key areas of academic
practice and can be booked via MetHub.
MetSearch is Cardiff Metropolitan University’s study resource search engine and
contains hundreds of thousands of academic resources that are provided to support
student’s studies. The Library Service also pay for a variety of external databases.
It is important that you make full use of the university’s library services. These can
be found at: Home - Library Services - Library Services at Cardiff Metropolitan
University.
Other support services, including counselling, can be found at: Student Services Home
([Link]).
Please note that the university’s ‘student handbook’ and ‘academic handbook’
is not the same as this course specific handbook. The University ‘student
handbook’ includes information about various policies and services and the
‘academic handbook’ includes information about academic regulations and
procedures. Again, you should familiarise yourself with this information as soon
as possible: Student Services Student Handbook ([Link]) Academic
Handbook Academic Handbook ([Link])