Short Course: Mini MBA in Family Business Leadership
About
At Ulster University, we understand the unique challenges and opportunities that family firms face in developing leadership capabilities.
This programme is designed to support practising family firm managers and next-generation leaders in aspects of business, management and leadership. The course will help them to gain a better appreciation of their role within both the family and the firm, making them a more effective manager and leader in the future.
This course will help prepare your successors to lead with confidence. Family businesses often deal with intricate relationships among family members and key stakeholders, offering practical strategies and techniques to manage these dynamics effectively, fostering harmony and collaboration.
While preserving tradition is essential, embracing innovation is equally crucial for sustainable growth. Our programme empowers your firm to adopt modern practices and technology while maintaining your core values.
The course will cover the following topics:
- Family Business Dynamics
- Leading and Managing People
- Commercial Awareness
- Strategy & Change
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship
This course will primarily enable progression and succession in any career, though most applicable to the family enterprise.
Transferable skills include the ability to:
- Demonstrate innovative and enterprise skills and appreciate the challenges inherent in Family Entrepreneurial practice.
- Effect organisational change through strategic and effective leadership.
- Be self-directed and act autonomously in planning and completing projects and implementing recommendations.
- Communicate effectively and interact with groups and individuals at all organisational levels.
- Utilise skills of personal effectiveness: critical self-awareness, self-reflection and self-management, alongside the ability to manage time and people.
- Demonstrate effective two way communication skills: listening, effective oral and written communication using a range of media, including the preparation of business reports.
Delivery format
The course is assessed via 100% coursework. Participants will deliver a presentation and compile a portfolio based on their own family enterprise.
Knowledge and understanding of the subject is disseminated through methods which reflect the distinctive nature of a mini-MBA module. Therefore, applied learning utilising live, in-company examples and students' own work experience will feature in many of the learning situations A mix of assessments, both formative and summative will be utilised.
Campus
Belfast
Term Dates
Start Date: Friday 30 January 2026
This course requires on-campus attendance, at our Belfast campus, during Semester 2 2026.
- Friday 30 January 2026
- Friday 13 February 2026
- Friday 27 February 2026
- Friday 13 March 2026
- Friday 27 March 2026
*Please note, dates and timetabling may be subject to change.
Further Information
Modules
This is a 15 credit module short course - see the about section for details of content.
Entry requirements
You should hold a Second-Class Honours Degree or better OR have significant managerial / business experience and work in a family-owned business.
Eligibility
Places are limited and open to applicants who:
- are 18 or over at the point of enrolment;
- have a right to work and undertake training in the UK at the point of application and for the duration of the course and must not be disqualified from doing either by reason of their immigration status. Proof of this will be required to progress your application. Prove your right to work to an employer: Overview - GOV.UK
- meet the course specific entry requirements. See course pages for requirements.
- meet the Ulster University general entry requirements including competency in English (as evidenced by GCSE Grade C in English or alternative). For English competency, a degree taught in UK or Ireland covers this requirement. If your degree is from outside the UK or Ireland, please see our list of acceptable qualifications or tests.
- are available to register in person at the campus as required.
Apply now - limited places available
There are a limited number of places for this course. Offers will be extended to those applicants who meet the entry requirements following successful completion of the application process, and have provided evidence of such, on a first come, first served basis. Applications will no longer be accepted or processed once all offers are extended. Applications will no longer be accepted or processed once all places are filled. Applications cannot be considered once a course has started.
Please note you can only be funded by DfE for a maximum of two courses at any one time across all institutions who offer courses as part of SkillUp. You will only be permitted to study one course at Ulster in each academic year or a maximum of two microcredentials up to 45 credits per semester.
When creating your application you will need to have the following documents saved electronically as they need to be uploaded as part of the application process:
- Passport
- Evidence of having right to work and undertake training in the UK*
- Degree Certificate
- English Competency (If you have a degree from UK/ROI, you don't need to provide anything else)
* Holders of UK or Irish passports automatically have this right. if you hold a passport from another nation, please provide evidence of UK immigration permissions to include a ShareCode and/or BRP.
To select the correct course, in the field called Please select the subject area, select Business and Transversal Skills from the drop down box. Then select Mini MBA Family Business from the next drop down box.
