The MSc in International Trade, Strategy and Operations (ITSO) is an interdisciplinary course that integrates the three principal pillars of international trade, strategy, and operations management within global trade and business management. The course provides a comprehensive overview of how companies operate in an international context. It will enable you to develop a broad set of skills to increase your involvement in the whole business process, from initial engagement with a new market right through to the delivery of a product or service.

Throughout the year, you will learn to identify business opportunities, formulate strategic options, evaluate trade environments, and define business winning propositions. You will learn to lead and manage change, and improve operational and supply chain processes within international businesses.

The programme is heavily focused on the application of theory into practice and how the skills developed throughout your studies will be used to best advantage in a professional environment. As a student you will benefit from industry inspired teaching and immersive learning through case studies, business simulations, games, negotiations and more. The teaching team bring a wealth of research and industry experience to the classroom, with many tutors actively participating in world-leading research and/or engaging with business on an international scale.

WMG’s collaboration with the Institute of Export & International Trade (IOE&IT) provides access to useful resources and industry benefits.

This course is ranked 16th in the World (3rd in the UK), in the QS International Trade Rankings 2024. It will appeal equally to those with a background in international trade or business and those from a wide range of other disciplines who wish to pursue a career in the field of international trade.

2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject.

Candidates with a UK 2:2 (or equivalent) may be accepted upon demonstration of relevant professional experience.

You can find out more about our English language requirementsLink opens in a new window. This course requires the following:

We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications.

For more information, please visit the international entry requirements pageLink opens in a new window.

Candidates with professional experience should include their CV with their application.

Core modules are required modules that all students will complete whilst on this programme. For International Trade, Strategy and Operations (ITSO), your core modules are:

One elective module should be chosen from the following list, allowing you the flexibility to tailor the course in line with your specific interests:

Read the module descriptions for this course on WMG's website.Link opens in a new window

This course has two components – a taught component accounting for two thirds of your time and effort, and a research component accounting for one third.

For the taught component, we blend synchronous and asynchronous lectures and seminars, with syndicate exercises, simulations, and case studies. Many modules are taught in small classes to facilitate and encourage interaction. Others practice large-scale lectures, which are backed up by seminar and syndicate activities.

Our module leaders have extensive industry experience. Guest speakers from industry also contribute regularly, bringing real-world insight into your learning experience.

In addition to your taught modules, you will undertake a major project as part of your Master’s degree. This is nominally 600 hours (60 CATS points) of learning, mainly taking place during the Spring and Summer terms. You will be expected to engage regularly with your Project Supervisor or Coach and to provide progress updates and drafts of your work to an agreed schedule.

Within the ITSO programme, there are a number of alternative project options. Most are major individual projects, which will develop your research and analytical skills and enable you to specialise in an aspect of particular interest to you. These are submitted in the form of a dissertation at the end of the year.

Alternatively, you can undertake either a Company Collaboration Project (CCP) - an individual project taken in collaboration with an industrial partner, which provides the opportunity to tackle a real-life challenge facing industry, or an Industry Impact Project (IIP) - a team project working with an industrial partner on a pre-defined subject relating to Supply Chain and Trade.

The typical intake for this course is around 220 students, with several modules being delivered in smaller classes of 30.

Module delivery patterns vary, but most will be delivered in a short learning block of up to 4 weeks, allowing your focus to be on one module at a time. Each module nominally accounts for 150 hours, which includes scheduled classroom time and online sessions as well as your independent study and assessments.

The Study, Professional and Analytical Skills (SPA) Module also consists of 150 hours of learning and is purposefully designed to meet the complex learning and professional needs of postgraduate students. The module is taught across the year and is composed of three interlinked yet distinctive learning strands: Study Skills, Professional Skills, and Analytical Skills. SPA is a blended module, which runs asynchronously and synchronously with the student learning journey, providing a programme of carefully designed learning activities, materials, and resources.

This course uses a variety of assessment methods across modules. These may include reports (both topic based and reflective), essays, individual and group presentations, critical evaluation or commentary pieces, case study exercises, simulation reports, business or consultancy reports, online tests, and video presentations.

Assessments have been designed not only to assess your achievement in meeting the course learning outcomes in an academically sound manner, but also contribute to preparing you with the requisite competencies required for employment.

For the research component, you will undertake a major project. Project submission is likely to include both a written and a presentation element, accounting for 33% of your overall academic grade.

If you would like to view reading lists for current or previous cohorts of students, most departments have reading lists available through Warwick Library on the Talis Aspire platform.

You can search for reading lists by module title, code or convenor. Please see the modules tab of this page or the module catalogue.

Please note that some reading lists may have restricted access or be unavailable at certain times of year due to not yet being published. If you cannot access the reading list for a particular module, please check again later or contact the module’s host department.

Core modules will be allocated to students at the end of the first week of term - you will then be able to view your individual module schedule for the rest of the year via the WMG module selection system.

Your elective module will be bookable through the same system later in the term.

Modules will include scheduled classroom time and online sessions as well as your independent study and assessments and will usually be delivered within a 4-week timeframe. Occasional classes and study skills sessions may be held at weekends or in the evenings.

As a Master's student, you are expected to manage your own time appropriately. On average, you are expected to commit 38-40 hours of study each week, in order to successfully achieve your Master’s degree.

This is a full-time postgraduate course - undergraduate term dates do not apply. Whilst there are no holidays as such, there will be no teaching scheduled when the University is officially closed for staff, during the two weeks over Christmas and New Year.

The International Trade programme will prepare you to take on a senior role within a company that trades internationally. The breadth of the programme enables students to gain a clear overview of all the elements of international trade whilst giving the opportunity to also focus or specialise on a particular aspect of interest to the individual.

The programme opens up a range of career options including transportation and logistics; customs and the legal aspects of international business; business development, relationship management and negotiation; implementation of strategy.

Our department has a dedicated professionally qualified Senior Careers Consultant offering impartial advice and guidance together with workshops and events throughout the year. Previous examples of workshops and events include:

As one of the largest departments at Warwick, WMG (originally Warwick Manufacturing Group), is a multidisciplinary department delivering a unique combination of world-class education with real business and industry application.

Our industry relevant management and technical education, and highly impactful applied research, have positioned WMG as a leading international role model for successful partnership between academia and industry. Having forged strong links with local, national, and global companies through 45 years of collaborative research and development, we really understand the global market you’ll be operating in and have designed our programmes to match.

Our expansive expertise includes artificial intelligence, automation systems, cyber security, data science, engineering management, design, supply chains, healthcare systems, sustainability, energy applications, materials, manufacturing, and visualisation to name but a few.

Find out more about our full-time Master's coursesLink opens in a new window, find out more about our part-time programmesLink opens in a new window, and learn more about the WMG department.Link opens in a new window

There are a number of different ways to visit the University of Warwick throughout the year. We host bespoke PG visits, where you can talk directly with your chosen department and explore our campus through a personalised tour. WMG also organises events and information sessions for prospective students including 1-1 bookable appointments, departmental open days, and independent visits so you can connect directly with the departmentLink opens in a new window and speak with staff and students from WMG. For more about university wide open days and tours, visit our Postgraduate Visits page.

Tuition fees are payable for each year of your course at the start of the academic year, or at the start of your course, if later. Academic fees cover the cost of tuition, examinations and registration and some student amenities.

Find your course fees  

We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Students will be classified as Home or Overseas fee status. Your fee status determines tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available. If you receive an offer, your fee status will be clearly stated alongside the tuition fee information.

Do you need your fee classification to be reviewed?

If you believe that your fee status has been classified incorrectly, you can complete a fee status assessment questionnaire. Please follow the instructions in your offer information and provide the documents needed to reassess your status.

Find out more about how universities assess fee status

As well as tuition fees and living expenses, some courses may require you to cover the cost of field trips or costs associated with travel abroad.

For departmental specific costs, please see the Modules tab on the course web page for the list of core and optional core modules with hyperlinks to our Module Catalogue (please visit the Department’s website if the Module Catalogue hyperlinks are not provided).

Associated costs can be found on the Study tab for each module listed in the Module Catalogue (please note most of the module content applies to 2022/23 year of study). Information about module department specific costs should be considered in conjunction with the more general costs below:

* - Dissertations and Assignments are only submitted digitally. However students may wish to print and bind their dissertation for their own purposes. Students on some courses will have a final poster presentation as part of their project and the printing of posters will be at the students’ expense.

Find out about the different funding routes available, including; postgraduate loans, scholarships, fee awards and academic department bursaries.

Find out more about the cost of living as a postgraduate student at the University of Warwick.

WMG MSc Funding Opportunities

WMG award over £1.5million in scholarships and bursaries each year to students commencing study across our portfolio of full-time MSc programmes. More information about our MSc Scholarships.

WMG Research Degree Opportunities

We have a number of research projects available which are fully or partially funded. The majority of these are for UK/EU applicants, though occasionally we advertise positions that are also open to overseas applicants. Please refer to specific project descriptions for details

The application process for courses that start in September and October 2025 will open on 2 October 2024.

Applications will close on 2 August 2025 for students who require a visa to study in the UK, to allow time to receive a CAS and complete the visa application process.

How to apply for a full-time postgraduate taught course in WMG  

Please note, places are often limited, so we recommend that you submit your application as early as possible. Please check our department webpages for more specific information.

Find out how we process your application.

Track your application and update your details.

See Warwick’s postgraduate admissions policy.

Ask questions and engage with Warwick.

For more detailed advice on the courses offered in WMG, to book a 1-1 appointment or visit with the WMG team, or for any course specific queries, you can connect directly with the recruitment team in WMG.

We understand how important it is to visit and explore your future university before you apply. That's why we have put together a range of online and in-person options to help you discover more about your course, visit campus, and get a sense of postgraduate life at Warwick. Our events offer includes: