Business Management courses at University.

[Freeman]

I'm interested in a Business Management course and wondered if anyone else on these forums have any experience in taking such a course?

I have no business experience at the moment so I think I'd probably have to start on an HND and top up to a BA.

Business can be a very broad subject, but are there any Unis out there that are better than others for this type of course, particularly management and management of people.

Having been to Derby and knowing the Uni and town, I've found quite a decent looking course but obviously have no idea if it's one of the better ones in the country. My mind isn't set on this Uni but I have also heard it's got excellent modules.

Any experience or advice is welcomed!

 

[FosterK]

I'm in my second year of college at the mo, and I've just finished up my UCAS stuff, applying for a managment course.

Basically, the unis I've been looking at, are, in no particular order: Leeds, Bath, Warwick, Aston, Lancaster, Loughborough and Manchester. Aside from Cambridge/Oxford, those seem to be cream of the crop.

I'm looking at a 4 year course with a placement. In particular, Bath stands out, as they run two 6 month placements. Basically, the placements mean you can narrow down your modules and options to what you find you're interested in, and therefore come out with better results.

Also, having a placement to your name gives you practical experience, as opposed to just theory, so your employability will be up.

Edit: They don't seem fussed about previous qualifications in business. I'm doing Business Studies at A Level, but they don't require it at any of the unis. The first year of study is pretty standard, and apparently repeats a lot of A level stuff, if in more detail.

 

[[DOD]Asprilla]

I've got a BA in Business Studies.

I want to Northumbria Uni which has a very good Business School (it's not Cranfield, but it's very good for a new Uni and one of their specialities). When I was there they offered the three year course in Business Administration and the four year course in Business Studies. The only real difference is that the four year is a sandwich course with a year in industry.

The first year was the same for everyone, covering the basics business skills and then the basics of HR, Accounting, IT, Marketing and Finance. In the second year you take a few options and then in the final year you specialise in one area (as listed before).

I took Marketing options in my second year and specialised in IT Management after doing a year in marketing for HP in Germany.

I feel that unless you are specifically interested in the intellectual side of business and want to dedicate a career to the development of that (business analyst, process analyst / engineer or consultant) rather than just working in an office job then you'd be better off doing a degree in something more focused, like finance, science or archaeology and then getting a job 'in business'.

A decent degree will prove that you've got the capacity for most 'business' jobs and you can pick up what you need to know when you start.

I'm a business analyst so I use my degree and my experience on a daily basis, but that's not to say that you need a business studies degree to become one of those either, I know very few BAs who came though that route.

 

[Freeman]

Thanks for the input guys, very helpful.

I think business is something that can be applied to just about anything really and is a qualification that doesn't really 'expire' any time soon which is why it interests me.

In terms of practical and theory what ratio do you reckon it is?

I'll order a few prospectuses now and have a read about what Leeds, Bath, Aston, Lancaster, Loughborough and Manchester have to offer.

Any other suggestions and advice welcome!

Thanks.

 

[Kemik]

In terms of practical and theory what ratio do you reckon it is?

Business Management? Pretty much all theory. I'd probably throw myself off a bridge with boredom if I had to do all of those modules. I do Accounting so several modules overlap. I just try and avoid marketing and stick with economics. The theory there is bit more manageable.

If you prefer practical try and get law, economics and accounting modules.

 

[Bakedgoods]

I'm starting a foundation degree in Business Management at my local college on Wednesday evenings.

Although I work in IT and i'm also studying for my CCNA (advanced uni cert in networking) i'm ultimately more interested in working with people and management is more relevant to be.

It also gives you a pretty good grounding in a business sense, so although i'm going to be at college two evenings a week after work, I think it'll be worth it.

 

[Skidder]

What do you ultimately want to do?

I certainly wouldn't worry about doing an HND if you can already get into a uni with what you have.

I agree with Asprilla re business not being necessary to be in business as it were. I'm a consultant and as such the broad scope that business qualifications gives is useful (have an MBA) not to mention it's useful in marketing myself.

 

[[DOD]Asprilla]

I think business is something that can be applied to just about anything really and is a qualification that doesn't really 'expire' any time soon which is why it interests me.

A large part of a Business Studies degree is learning a set of tools you can apply later. The tools change over time and you'll probably learn the ones your tutors know before they entered the academic world.

I learnt SSADM at uni; nobody has used it for a number of years.

 

[RandomTom]

I study Business and Advertising at Lincoln.

I'd recommend setting your aims a bit higher than me if you wish, but it's really want you make of it, there are really good business schools such as Aston, Loughborough and Warwick but these might be unatainable.

I'd recommend doing a years placement, which I'm about to be looking for, for start in summer '09 and get some relevant work experience in while you're either at uni or the summers inbetween.

In essence a BA in Business will teach you a lot; you'll know how businesses function, management, finance and some good economic standing but to apply this to a business you need to focus on a certain asset you enjoy.

If I could do the whole UCAS/Uni application again I'd pick a Business & Economics joint degree at Loughborough, and reap the benefits, but that's just me.

Most of the stuff I've said here has actually been said, but yeah, apply yourself and you'll do okay.

 

[nin9abadga]

i did business studies at DMU in leicester, the business school is good however the uni is rubbish. if you do want to do a placement year i'd recommend working your butt off in the preceeding 2 years to ensure you get a decent one, as that is largely what you'll be judged on.

if i had my time again i would probably go for a 3 year course and try for a graduate position, then try and get a postgrad of some kind (I'm still doing a CIM) with that company.

by business studies course had a number of streams, HR, Finance, Marketing and something else, which you then specialised in when you reached the final year. i went the marketing route and work in marketing now.

if you're interested in finance i'd go the CIMA route, good money eventually but a lot of work. for specialist Marketing stuff you can do CIM, a recognised qualification that can be studied from the ground up. the good thing about business studies is that you get a chance to explore the various options available and find out exactly what you like, then take them further. finance and HR bored me senseless so i kind of fell into marketing, but i'm glad i did.

 

[Bumhucker]

Have a look at this:

http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/gug/gooduniversityguide.php?AC_sub=Business+Studies&x=24&y=10⊂=3

I'm surprised Nottingham hasn't been mentioned yet considering how high it is. I studied Management Studies there and it was a really good course. Plenty of opportunities to choose modules that suit the area of business you want.

As previously mentioned it's pretty much all theory, which meant that by the time I left I was gagging for something practical. But that's just what "reading" a subject is. It involves a lot of critical analysis, reading textbooks and journal articles then arriving to your own conclusion about a certain issue.

If you want practical experience then try and do things alongside your course where you can use what you learn. That might involve working in a smallish company where they will be open to the ideas of a bright young undergraduate while paying lower wages. It could also be your own business idea or taking on a role in a uni society. All of those would be excellent for your CV.

Go in open-minded about which subject you want to do. Try a bit of marketing, economics, finance, HRM, strategy, ICT. Find out which you like as this will be the area of business you will most likely go in to.

 

[reflex]

I'm a 2nd year BA at Swansea.

Very theoretical and broad. From Financial accountancy to Law.

I don't know if its going to be useful in the long run, but i chose to do it presuming that it would be advantageous in a lot of jobs in the future.

 

[Freeman]

Someone asked what my ultimate goal is. Well, I'd like to eventually lead and manage a group of programmers and artists in a games development company. Not only managing people but also managing budgets, project time and so on. I already have a qualification in games development which I managed to do really well in and now I'd like to learn about the business side of things.

It's very difficult to find a course that accommodates the games industry and business. I've had a look at Dundee who do a lot of management courses within the games industry but it's just too far away from home and would cost far too much.

 

[Freeman]

I thought I'd bump this thread as there seems to be an interest in Uni threads at the moment