module specification

This module provides you with an intensive, globally-situated learning experience designed to develop your professional competence, collaborative capability, and strategic awareness in a live, real-world environment. Your learning is structured around a mandatory boot camp, held at a location that is confirmed at the start of each academic year and may be based at one of the University's own or partner institution campuses, or at a city location anywhere in the world. The location is selected based on its strategic and professional relevance to the disciplines represented on the module in that cohort year. 

During the boot camp, you will engage with industry partners, employers, government agencies, and other professional stakeholders, applying the frameworks and knowledge developed through your programme to authentic challenges presented by host organisations. Working within multidisciplinary teams drawn from across the University's postgraduate community, you will develop strategies, evaluate operational contexts, and communicate your findings to professional audiences. The host location itself becomes a case study: you will be expected to contextualise your learning within the economic, regulatory, and cultural environment of that place.

The module is structured across three phases: pre-boot camp preparation, the boot camp residential, and post-boot camp synthesis, with structured sessions delivered online and on-campus to support you throughout. 

An equivalent academic pathway is available if you are unable to attend the boot camp on documented grounds, replicating the professional problem-solving and collaborative dimensions of the module through a structured simulation exercise.

Students must have completed a minimum of 40 credits of postgraduate study on their registered programme before undertaking this module.

Equity and Accessibility Note: Physical attendance at the international boot camp is the expected mode of participation. Students who are unable to attend due to documented circumstances (including visa restrictions, disability, caring responsibilities, or financial hardship where bursary support has been exhausted) must notify the Module Leader no later than Week 4. These students will be allocated the equivalent simulation pathway, which is assessed using identical learning outcomes and criteria. No academic penalty applies for use of the alternative pathway. The University will make reasonable adjustments in all cases.

The module is organised into three phases, each with a distinct pedagogical focus:

Phase 1 - Pre-Boot Camp Preparation (on-campus or online)

You will be introduced to the host location context, the challenge brief, and the professional skills required for the boot camp. Sessions cover cross-cultural communication, problem framing, reflective practice frameworks, and team formation (LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5).

Phase 2 - Boot Camp Residential

You will engage directly with host organisations through site visits, briefings, and field study, applying your knowledge to a live professional challenge. Working in multidisciplinary teams, you will develop and present strategic recommendations to an industry panel and participate in structured daily reflection (LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5).

Phase 3 - Post-Boot Camp Synthesis (on-campus or online)

You will consolidate your learning through structured critical reflection, peer review, and career development planning, and complete and submit your assessed outputs (LO3, LO4, LO5).

Note: The specific host organisations, industry challenge briefs, and field study content will vary by location and cohort year. The academic framework, learning outcomes, and assessment criteria remain consistent across all iterations.

This module is structured across three phases, each with a distinct mode of delivery. Phase 1 (pre-boot camp preparation) and Phase 3 (post-boot camp synthesis) are delivered through on-campus or online workshops, briefings, and seminars. Phase 2 is the boot camp residential itself, during which students engage directly with host organisations, participate in industry-led sessions and field study, deliver professional presentations, and take part in structured daily debriefs. Scheduled contact across all three phases totals 36 hours. These sessions are complemented by 124 hours of guided independent study, covering preparatory research into the host location and professional context, team planning activities, reflective journalling, and assessed work development. A further 40 hours are allocated to assessment preparation and delivery.

Formative feedback is embedded throughout the module. During Phase 1, students receive feedback on their preparatory research and team plans. During the boot camp, structured industry panel feedback is provided following professional presentations. In Phase 3, peer review activities and tutor feedback support the development of assessed submissions.

On completion of this module, students, operating independently and applying applied academic and professional knowledge, should be able to:

LO1 Synthesise applied academic and professional knowledge to critically evaluate complex, real-world challenges and produce evidence-based professional responses.

LO2 Critically analyse live professional scenarios using discipline-relevant frameworks, generating justified insights and strategic recommendations for host organisations.

LO3 Exercise leadership and professional judgement to evaluate and manage diverse perspectives and collaborative dynamics within multidisciplinary teams.

LO4 Critically reflect on personal and professional development, evaluating learning gained through immersive practice and articulating how this informs your future professional identity.

LO5 Synthesise complex findings into compelling strategic recommendations, communicating these persuasively and with professional authority to diverse audiences.

Core texts (drawn from students' registered programme reading lists):

Students are expected to draw upon the core texts of their registered programme when completing assessed work. No single core text is prescribed for this module in isolation, as the module is designed to integrate and apply knowledge from across the programme.

Indicative supplementary reading:

Experiential and reflective learning

Kolb, D.A. (2014) Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. 2nd edn. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson FT Press. 

Cross-cultural management and global professional practice

Mahadevan, J. (2023) Cross-Cultural Management: A Contemporary Approach. London: SAGE Publications.