Sponsored by the University of Warwick
Choosing a business course is one of the most important decisions you will make in your career, both in terms of what you will learn and the opportunities it will generate throughout your working life, so you should come at it fully informed and prepared.
WMG (formerly Warwick Manufacturing Group) is an academic department at the University of Warwick, with teaching embedded in industry. WMG’s postgraduate courses have been designed to meet the needs and requirements of global industry, while placing an emphasis on innovation and a creative learning environment, so there’s nobody better to speak to for useful tips on how to ensure you end up on a master’s in management program which will boost your career prospects and challenge you intellectually. Here’s what they had to say.
Consult QS rankings and consider location
While university league tables don’t paint the full picture, they can be a useful resource to get a sense of a university’s reputation and how they compare to other institutions.
The University of Warwick, for example, was named in the UK’s top ten universities and was one of the world’s top 60 universities in the QS World University Rankings 2019. It’s position is no fluke either; it’s climbed 10 places globally since 2014.
The city you’ll live in while you study should also be considered, and our QS Best Student Cities ranking enables you to get a sense of how cities compare and the opportunities they offer.
Coventry, for example, which is north of the University of Warwick’s 700-acre campus, was ranked 44th in the latest QS Best Student Cities ranking. Situated in the West Midlands, 6.4 percent of Coventry’s population are students, ensuring you’ll be surrounded by like-minded young people. Of the number of total enrolments, 41 percent are international students, which means campus has a real multicultural feel.
Ensure you choose a program with industry application
You can learn all of the theory in the world, but it will never be able to replicate the experience of having direct contact with industry. Employers are looking for graduates who already possess an understanding of how different aspects of a business work together, and that’s not something you’ll learn in a lecture hall.
WMG students at the University of Warwick benefit from master’s programs with industry relevance which are designed to give you the skills and confidence in the world of work to make effective decisions and manage people. Plus, their lecturers enter the classroom with industry expertise which enables them to keep their teaching relevant to the modern workplace.
Sybella studied Management for Business Excellence at the university, a program which is notably rich in applied exercises and research-based projects. She says: "The practical focus of the course was something I noticed right from the first module. It wasn’t just theoretical learning. The group exercises and simulations meant you could put the theory to work and solve actual business issues. That way, you don’t just absorb information, but find out how to apply it, which is extremely valuable."
Is the learning environment and curriculum right for you?
While all master’s in management degrees ultimately aim to train candidates for the same types of leadership roles, each one will be organised differently, both in terms of its syllabus and the teaching style.
The University of Warwick’s MSc in Management for Business Excellence has a distinctive learning style which focuses on training students to develop critical autonomy and achieve deep learning.
Taught with the WMG department, the course makes use of an e-learning website with interactive content, as well as tutorials, seminars and applied exercises to encourage candidates to think critically and assume responsibility for their own learning.
The MSc covers every aspect of business you would expect a management course to cover, such as financial analysis and control systems, organization, people and performance, leadership and robust decision making.
Talk to faculty, alumni and current students
Of course, one of the best places to gather information about a particular course is from people who’ve already studied it, and a quick search on LinkedIn and Twitter will produce dozens of names of professionals who have attended courses you’re interested in.
It can feel intimidating to email a complete stranger out of the blue, but the feeling wears off once you’ve contacted a few people this way. Try to find profiles of people who are a bit more senior and who you have a connection to - no matter how tenuous. For example, it might be they have attended the same university as you or work for a company you’re interested in joining.
Contact alumni with a short message on Linkedin, something along the lines of: “Dear Jane Smith, I noticed that you’re an alumni of WMG at the University of Warwick and I’m interested in applying to their MSc in Management for Business Excellence. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about your experience there. Please let me know if you are interested. Regards.”
Or, you can contact the department or the university directly, and they’ll be happy to put you in touch with alumni.
Don’t be afraid to ask direct questions about what your contact feels the course has brought them and their career trajectory, and treat every coffee meetup as a networking opportunity.
It’s also worth getting in touch with faculty and current students. To do this, you can sign up for open days aimed at prospective students on campus to get a sense of student life there and meet with faculty. The University of Warwick organises regular campus visits and talks for postgraduate students.
