Birmingham City University is my educational provider of choice as it is recognised as a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. I strongly believe that, with its renowned branding and dedicated teaching staff, I am able to excel and ignite my creativity in learning. Also, I am deeply passionate about the Major in International Business that is offered by BCU. The programme’s syllabus is comprehensive, and the lecturers are specialised in their area of expertise.

The study schedule at BCU fits my current work and personal lifestyle. The classes are after my office hours on weekdays, and the weekends are free for me to spend time with family while also revising and catching up on my studies. The study schedule of 3 days of continuous study with the following week off fits perfectly and is awesome!

The programme’s lecturers have introduced me to the theoretical side of the modules, as well as to practical approaches for applying these theories into action in the real world. They have also posited that the world is ever-changing and that continuous improvisation is important for success in the future. Globalisation is the key, encompassing Global + Localisation.

I chose to work first and study later. However, I realised that, in my current role and for future promotion opportunities, a paper qualification from a recognised educational provider like BCU is necessary to jumpstart my career again. I believe that it is never too late to do so, and it has been a joyful journey with BCU at Kaplan!

University College Dublin, 1st Class Honours Graduate (2020)

Before I decided to enrol with University College Dublin (UCD), I had done research on several other universities. When I spoke to a UCD consultant, I was quite impressed with the University’s rankings, and I like the fact that some of its lecturers are flown in from the university to teach here.

Throughout the course, we had numerous group assignments and had to work with different people. I feel that this helps to reinforce skills that are relevant to both group and individual work. In a way, it prepares us to work in a team setting that is relevant to the workforce. Studying this programme has helped me qualify for a role I was looking for, despite having to juggle caring for my son, spending time with my family and studying. I appreciate the soft skills learnt through the group assignments.

Overall, I had a great learning experience thanks to my lecturers and peers, and I enjoyed my time at UCD. This course has been the highlight of my experience, and I have made good friends throughout the course. I also appreciate that the campus location is centrally located.

It has been a life goal of mine to achieve a Postgraduate Degree. I believe that this Master of Business Administration Degree I’ve obtained, would help enhance my leadership skills to lead a team.

The knowledge gained from this Degree programme’s modules have taught me what the industry best practices are and how to apply various techniques to my own leadership style. I also appreciate how the programme gave me the opportunity to network with people from various industries and career paths, and I would say that this was the best part of the programme. From a management and leadership perspective, I am now equipped with the knowledge to better practice my leadership qualities in both my career and personal life. In addition to enhancing my knowledge, I have acquired different perspectives on leadership.

Juggling work and study was a challenge. However, I believe that anyone in a management position should take up this Postgraduate Degree programme.

University College Dublin, 2nd Class Honours Graduate (2020)

As a working adult, choosing the right university to enrol with is a massive undertaking as there are many factors to take into consideration. University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland’s largest university, is ranked within the top 1% of higher education institutions globally* and ranked high in the world for Graduate Employability, which meant it undoubtedly topped my list.

What attracted me to choose UCD’s Bachelor of Business Studies (Honours) in Human Resource Management (Top-up) Degree programme was its mode of delivery and assessment methods, as well as the possibility of completion within 18 months, which suited my busy schedule.

This programme has equipped me with the skills to manage stakeholders from different cultures and backgrounds, especially in today’s globalised and diverse workplace. Furthermore, it helped me stay relevant in this challenging business environment.

Upon completing my programme, I managed to progress in my career and land my current role as an Assistant Manager. I would recommend UCD as the quality of the lecturers exceeded my satisfaction and because the classes are conducted in a block manner, make it easier for working students to plan around it.

*Times Higher Education 2020

Royal Holloway, University of London, 1st Class Honours Graduate (2020)

On top of the HR knowledge I apply in my current job, I am also passionate about International Business. Therefore, I chose to study with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Management with International Business (Top-up) Degree programme with Royal Holloway, University of London as it offered an opportunity for me to expand my knowledge about different business management practices in various countries and widen my career path by not limiting myself to a single specialisation. Also, RHUL is highly regarded for its Business and Management faculty.

I feel that the RHUL and Kaplan lecturers who taught us are meticulous and patient. They always provide their full support to us and will spend time after class to explain to us and answer our queries until we understand concepts. They also use real-life examples and share their experiences with us, allowing us to better understand specific modules or topics and how to apply them in our work.

Time management and self-discipline are important lessons I’ve learned studying this programme part-time, resulting in me being able to perform my job more effectively and efficiently within a tight timeline. Upon completing this programme, I found a new job as an HR Executive and received a 20% salary increase as a result.

University College Dublin, First Class Honours Graduate (2020)

I opted to enrol with University College Dublin as it is recognised worldwide, and its programme structure is customised for full-time working professionals like myself.

This programme has given me the exposure to other functions of supply chain, and I have thus developed interests in areas outside of my current job scope, such as project management and lean management. This has expanded my employment opportunities as I am more willing and ready to take on new responsibilities.

The knowledge I gained from the programme also encourages me to think out-of-the-box and find better ways to improve my productivity at work. Through better understanding of the rationale behind practices in the workplace, it is easier for me to identify the bottlenecks and close the gaps in them.

Overall, this programme is very part-timer friendly. The coursework is more manageable, and the duration is shorter as compared to other schools. Therefore, it is extremely suitable for those who wish to pursue further studies while holding a full-time job.

As I was already studying for a Kaplan Diploma in Commerce then, I aimed to take up a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Business Administration (Top-up) Degree programme to continue my learning and development.

This assignment-based course includes six classes per subject, with a deadline of a month for each assignment. As a part-time student, it was quite reasonable for me as there was enough time to complete the assignments. Being assignment-based meant I had more time to prepare, and I could still enjoy a work-life balance even during my studies.

I feel that this Degree qualification has been crucial for my career advancement and I am grateful for choosing BCU to study my Degree with. It was a challenge to be a part-time student, but it made me more confident in speaking and writing English, and even making friends! It has also improved my performance in my Sales Consultant job as well!
I’m thankful that BCU accepted me as their student, and I’m proud to be a First Class Honours graduate.

University College Dublin, Second Upper Class Honours Graduate (2020)

University College Dublin stood out to me as it is ranked as one of the Top 1% of institutions worldwide*. My friend, who had previously studied with UCD, gave good reviews about the University as well. Therefore, I decided to enrol with them to study a Bachelor of Business Studies (Honours) in Marketing Degree programme, choosing Marketing as my major as I wanted to prepare to move into a business development role.

The programme has taught me that networking and acquiring industry-relevant knowledge are more important than what can be learned in the classroom. Classroom learning enables you to understand the principles. However, experiential learning and sharing experiences with others reinforces what is being taught during the programme’s industry-relevant lessons.

Working as a freelancer, which requires frequent travel, while concurrently taking care of my pregnant wife and navigating through the programme was tough. However, with support from great classmates and team members, all of us were able to make it through the course. Memorable!

By applying the principles taught in the programme and relating them to the feasibility of the case studies, I was able to apply what was learnt to my work, creating a marketing platform for a new product by combining everything I was taught into a campaign.

UCD is my recommended University for students as its many lecturers have industry experience to share, and their experiences are very applicable to one’s work. Also, the programme’s assignments enable students to apply what they have learnt.

*Times Higher Education 2020