Join a futures thinking course you can study flexibly, 100% online.

Learn to navigate, plan for, and influence your industry’s future.

In this fun and flexible online course, we’ll introduce you to futures thinking and scenario planning.

You’ll develop your understanding of futures thinking, what it is, and why it’s so important to business strategy and success.

In hands-on scenario-planning exercises, you’ll learn to use foresight tools and techniques to research and report on the next 50 years of your industry.

You’ll also master skills in creative data application, creative thinking, and storytelling, so you can present future scenarios confidently to stakeholders at every level.

Who can join this online futures thinking course?

This course is for anyone, in any industry, who wants to spot opportunities for innovation faster.

The course is valuable learning for decision-makers, strategic planners, business developers, and anyone keen to:

  • explore different things you can do with data
  • gain confidence and practical skills in future planning
  • add in-demand skills to their CV, whatever their sector.

Build credits towards an MBA Global

This course is part of our online:

You can use the credits you earn on this short course towards this MBA qualification.

What you’ll study

You’ll cover the following topics in this course.

Introduction to future thinking

  • Understanding the nature of our world

Future thinking and strategy

  • Approaching uncertainty
  • Using different types of knowledge

Scenario thinking

  • Considering the future
  • Using scenarios effectively
  • Systems perspective

Scenario creation & impact analysis

  • Artificial Intelligence and scenario planning
  • Identifying the inevitable
  • Identifying the dynamic trends
  • Identifying critical uncertainties
  • Storytelling

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to...

  • Differentiate between scenarios, predictions and forecasts.
  • Describe how scenario planning approaches can be applied to strategic management problems.
  • Articulate what parts of the process distinguish scenario planning from other approaches to planning.
  • Demonstrate an appreciation of a range of challenges facing organisations operating in the 21st century.

Choose the University of Aberdeen for online courses in scenario planning

Earn as you learn

We fit around full-time work, so you can earn qualifications while you keep earning a salary.

We’re EQUIS accredited

Join a Business School that’s EFMD EQUIS accredited, placing it among a select group of globally recognised institutions.

You’re in expert hands

We’ve been delivering online and distance learning for decades.

Outstanding student feedback

We’re ranked 1st in Scotland for student positivity for both Business Studies and Management Studies in the National Student Survey 2024.

How you’ll study

Online learning

This distance-learning futures thinking course is delivered flexibly, 100% online.

You can learn with us anywhere, no student visa required, and manage your hours to suit you.

Your teaching

This course is taught at Masters level.

Teaching is delivered through MyAberdeen, our online Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It holds all the materials, tools and support you’ll need in your studies. Take a look around MyAberdeen.

Course materials are carefully planned and structured. You can access your learning materials on computer, smartphone and laptop, 24 hours a day. You’ll find a range of resources available, including:

  • live online webinars with course lecturers
  • reading materials
  • discussion boards with colleagues and tutors
  • the online resources of our award-winning Sir Duncan Rice Library.

In this interactive course, you’ll participate in many discussions with fellow students and course lecturers using online discussion forums.

Live online webinars

Across the course, you’ll have eight live webinar sessions with academic staff. These live online webinars support the main learning material and are central to your learning. Your participation in them will count towards your final grades.

Ahead of each live webinar, you’ll be asked to study the online materials provided, post questions to your tutor online, undertake multiple-choice quizzes and other tasks. You may also be asked to work in small groups to prepare for some of the live sessions.

Your tutors

You’ll learn from experienced academics and researchers from the University of Aberdeen Business School.

This course is assessed online.

You’ll be assessed throughout your studies via:

  • a recorded presentation (worth 60% of your final course grade), and
  • a written assignment (worth 40%).

Live online webinars

This course features eight online webinars. Each webinar is live and scheduled to last for around one hour.

Webinar dates and times will be organised flexibly at the start of the course. Your course coordinator will consider everyone’s circumstances and time zones before setting up live webinar times.

Study hours

The course totals approximately 150 hours of teaching, private study, and assessment time. That’s around 10 – 15 hours per week.

This is an indicative guide to the time required for a typical student at this level to achieve the learning outcomes.

You can largely set your own study hours each week to cover the materials. MyAberdeen is available 24/7, so you can log in and study when it suits you.

Activities at fixed times

You’ll have live online webinars at fixed times, plus assessments with deadlines. But otherwise, you can access and work through your courses at your convenience.

Our first-class support structure will ensure that you aren’t alone in your studies. You’ll have contact with your coordinator via email, MyAberdeen and Microsoft Teams. You can use social media and discussion boards to chat with your fellow students too.

We provide a wide range of services to support you in your studies and beyond:

Wherever you are in the world, you’ll feel part of our very special Aberdeen learning community.

Your course coordinator

Georgia Brown

Georgia Brown

Georgia is a Lecturer in our Business School. She is also Projects Director at Cairndene, a marine engineering and project management consultancy.

Georgia has significant Oil & Gas project management experience and a background lecturing at several universities. No stranger to distance learning, she achieved her MBA at the Open University.

Project management is just one of her passions. Georgia also has an MLitt in Film Studies and is currently researching for her PhD in Film.

View Georgia’s profile

Where this will take you

Towards an MBA

You’ll earn 15 credits at Masters level (SCQF Level 11) with this course. You can use these credits towards our:

Online MBA Global

Tailored to your career and research goals, and flexibly online.

Develop key skills in leadership, innovation, change management, strategy development, sales and marketing.

View online MBA Global

Build your learning

Use our flexible online business and leadership short courses to build your skills, earn university credits, and gain postgraduate qualifications.

Careers

You’ll leave this course with enhanced scenario-planning skills for any industry.

This futures thinking course is valuable for career progression within:

  • the private sector
  • consultancy
  • SMEs
  • government
  • NGOs.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Your employer or professional institute may recognise this course for CPD hours. Talk to your employer or institute to find out more.

Free career support

Access our free careers service while you study.

  • 1:1 appointments
  • CV checks
  • Interview prep
  • Job opportunities

See how our careers service can help you.

Entry requirements

This course is available to Curtin University students who are studying for an MBA in Business Administration Specialisation. This is part of a postgraduate course-exchange agreement.

Entry requirements

We welcome students from all over the world.

This course has no formal entry requirements. You do not need to provide proof of your qualifications.

But you do need to check the entry guidance above to understand the level of teaching delivered, to decide if this course is right for you.

If you do not have qualifications from the UK, check the equivalent teaching level for your country.

Visa requirements

You do not need a student visa to study online with us.

English language requirements

Teaching is delivered in English.

You do not have to provide proof of your English language skills to join this course. But we want to make sure that you can use English well enough to study successfully.

Recommended level of English

This course uses our Postgraduate Higher level of English language proficiency.

These are our Postgraduate Higher requirements, and these are minimum scores.

IELTS Academic, IELTS UKVI Academic, and IELTS Online (not IELTS Indicator or IELTS General Training)

  • 6.5 overall
  • 5.5 for listening and speaking
  • 6.0 for reading and writing

TOEFL iBT and TOEFL iBT Home Edition

  • 90 overall
  • 17 for listening
  • 21 for reading
  • 20 for speaking
  • 21 for writing
  • TOEFL DI code is 0818

Cambridge English: B2 First, C1 Advanced, or C2 Proficiency

  • 176 overall
  • 162 for listening and speaking
  • 169 for reading and writing

LanguageCert Academic/LanguageCert Academic SELT

  • 70 overall
  • 60 for listening and speaking
  • 65 for reading and writing

LanguageCert International ESOL B2 Communicator (Written and Spoken) – Online / In-centre

  • Overall High Pass
  • 33 for listening, reading and speaking
  • 38 for writing

Oxford ELLT Digital – English Language Level Test Online

  • 7.0 overall
  • 5.0 for listening and speaking
  • 6.0 for reading and writing

PTE Academic (online test not accepted)

  • 62 overall
  • 59 for listening, reading, speaking and writing

Duolingo tests taken from 1 July 2024 onward

  • 120 overall
  • 95 for listening and speaking
  • 105 for reading and writing

University of Aberdeen English Pre-sessional Programme (PSE)

  • Pass
  • Valid for one year. Refresher can be offered if out of date

Pre-sessional academic English preparation programmes undertaken at other UK universities

  • Pass at an equivalent of 6.5 (C1)
  • B2 in all four skills
  • Certification must be within one year prior to the start of your course

For more information about language qualifications see our English Language Requirements page.

When you study with us, you can expect a first-class support structure so that you’re never alone in your studies.

But learning online does mean you have to motivate yourself and manage your own time.

Your most important commitment will be time – the time to work through, reflect on and understand your teaching materials.

Before you start a course that involves a high degree of independent study, we recommend looking at the time you will be able to devote to your studies each week:

  • Be realistic
  • Create a weekly schedule as a guide

If you have any questions about studying online, get in touch with our friendly team. We’re here to help.

You will need access to:

A computer (PC, laptop or Mac) operating on either:

  • Windows 10 or later
  • macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later.

Most teaching materials are smartphone- and tablet-friendly. But we recommend a proper laptop or desktop for completing assignments comfortably.

Reliable internet access

We recommend:

  • a wired connection
  • a minimum download speed of 2 Mbps so you can take part fully in live sessions.

Speakers or headphones

  • We recommend a headset with built-in microphone and earphones if you’re likely to study in an environment with background noise.
  • A webcam is optional, but you may like to use one for some interactive sessions.

Software

We’ll give you access to Office365 applications. This means you can use online versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and install these programs on up to five personal devices.

If your course requires specialist software, we’ll provide you with access to this and a licence that lasts throughout your studies.

See our detailed IT requirements for more information.

Fee payment

Your course fee needs to be paid in full before you start your course.

We accept payment via Visa Debit, Visa Credit and Mastercard.

Ways to save

You may be able to get help funding this course via:

  • discounts – if any discounts are available for this course, they’ll appear in the section below
  • employer sponsorship – we accept full and partial fee payments from sponsors.

Find out more about funding options.

Student card

All our students are entitled to a University of Aberdeen student card. This gives you access to a range of student discounts around the city and online.

Learning resources

Access to all the books and resources you need are included in your tuition fee. They’ll be made available to you online and you do not have to buy your own copies.

Printing

You may wish to set aside a small budget for printing, depending on how you like to work.

This course has no formal entry requirements. You decide if it’s suitable for you.

The course is delivered at Masters level. At this level, you’d usually have at least:

  • a 2:2 UK undergraduate degree (or equivalent), or
  • relevant experience that supports this level of study.

Apply for this course

Start date
27 January 2025
Cost
£1,890
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