A recent graduate with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Degree, the Master of Business Administration (MBA) course as my postgraduate study pathway is the reflection of my academic pursuance for greater depth of knowledge in the area. While reviewing my options for a master’s study between MSc and MBA, I have concluded that being a premier business and management qualification, an MBA could provide rounded knowledge while complementing my bachelor degree and create better opportunity for me to open a career in my home country where the degree is cherished most by top employers. 

In my BBA, I have studied business mathematics, accounting, auditing, taxation, business law, business strategy, business communication, finance, banking, insurance, financial markets, management, entrepreneurship , marketing, statistics, HRM, trade & developments, organisational behaviour & change, industrial relation, training & development in varied forms at different stages of the course alongside other subjects. The study has provided me with comprehensive knowledge in core business functions while covering other functions that business organisations possibly have. As MBA course covers core business functions at higher level unlike MSc courses that are tailored to specific area only; my higher study plans evolve around and within the essence of MBA programme and extract the most out of the programme has to offer. Besides, as an added benefit, I will have the advantage of bringing transferrable knowledge from my learning in BBA study, complement the learning of MBA and strengthen my current academic level to advanced and higher level. 

This MBA course offered at University of the West of Scotland (UWS) has been designed in response to the changing nature of business and organisations. The course addresses the global challenges facing business leaders and aims to prepare graduates with applied managerial skills that are vital to become an effective business leader. Alongside core business and management knowledge, the course gives strong emphasis to develop learners’ strategic analytical skills, business intuition, enquiring and adaptive thinking so that graduates are able to effectively respond to the uncertain challenges of ever changing competitive and complex global world of business and management. In particular, I find the core modules of this MBA course including Integration of Business Functions, Analytical Thinking and Decision Making, Managing Organisational Health, Influencing Organisational Strategy, Creativity and Business Wealth, Strategic Business Project are different and distinctive than other MBA courses offered by other Universities home and abroad. These modules of UWS MBA focuses on specific business functions are in the core of business and organisational success while most of the other MBA courses cover very typical common business and management areas. This unique features have the course has influenced by choice heavily. In addition to this, the opportunity to choose option modules from 5 specialist areas has added further points in favour of this MBA being the first choice. As I majored in Human Resource Management in my BBA, I find the ‘Leadership’ area would be more inspiring and interesting in enhancing my ability and competencies.  

I have indeed, planned my career in the growing estate development industry of Bangladesh. This MBA degree will have almost immediate impact in getting into the sector as business development manager or as operation manager to start with. In the medium term, I envisage to develop the career at senior management position and take to the highest level in the long-term.

I studied my Bachelor of Business Administration course at a private university in Bangladesh – the campus of this university is in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh and one of the most expensive cities of the world. Tuition fees and other associated costs are too high at private universities in Bangladesh. As I have chosen to study this MBA at UWS London campus, the fees of £6450.00 seems almost similar and very affordable in comparison to private universities in Bangladesh. But when it comes to quality and recognition of the degree, an MBA from the UK and an MBA from Bangladesh not worth of comparison – there is ocean of difference in all aspects and it does require mentioning that UK is far ahead. 

Furthermore, I have researched few other UK Universities and the MBA course those universities offer. Within my scope and ability, the ones I researched, none of them offer the unique learning areas that UWS offer – I strongly think graduating with UWS MBA would give the best chance to stand out of the crowd of MBA holders.  

The University of the West of Scotland (UWS) is one of the UK’s most innovative modern universities with a heritage dating back 120 years. The University offer practice-led career-focused courses and bring the best out of students’ potential while teaching. The University make difference in graduates’ life by providing outstanding academic experiences. 94% of UWS graduates are in work within 6 months of graduation. It is ranked as being in the top 3% of universities worldwide, and feature in the top 200 of their Young University World Rankings by Times Higher Education in their 2018 World University Rankings. Due to the comprehensive range of student services, the UWS student services team has been named as ‘Student Support Team of the Year’ in the 2017 Herald Higher Education Awards. 

The London campus of the University mirrors the same services and adds additional value of the experience of one of top cities of Europe – no other university city in the UK offer better practical learning opportunity from the surrounding and more international exposures. The MBA fees are also significantly lower in the London campus than that is in the Paisley campus of UWS. I also discovered the London campus is mostly catered for this course – therefore, for the MBA course this campus offers more for less & as a student of business, this is surely a better investment for my money. 

In a recent survey by QS Enrolment Solutions has found out that 59% international students think that studying in UK is good value for money, Yes indeed, the tuition fees and living costs are lower in the UK comparing to other major higher education destination countries i.e. USA, Australia, Canada. In my home country, Bangladesh tuition is mainly theory and memory based while in the UK students are prompted to learn analytical skills, develop critical thinking ability and gain soft skills. Besides, UK brand of education is well respected among employers in my home country and all over the world due to its quality standard. In fact, education in UK is directed to make students 'carer-ready'. From what I have seen about UK returned graduates being employed with higher salary at good position in big companies in Bangladesh, I am sure this would be life-changing opportunity for me to become a graduate from the UK.