Hi,

I've received offers from Edinburgh and Cranfield University for Msc Management course. I am awaiting decisions from UCD Dublin and Manchester. I've got waitlisted in Imperial. And my main concern is employment post graduation.

First, I need to make a decision between Edinburgh or Cranfield as the deadline to accept the offer is nearing. I would need help in choosing between these two. I spoke with my friend currently studying in Cranfield and he said that it's really difficult to get a permanent job after completing MSc Management over there. I see that Edinburgh has a better reputation and ranking compared to Cranfield.

And if I receive an offer from UCD Dublin or Manchester, which one should I go for wrt employment? I don't have any hopes for Imperial College London as I heard that to get a decision after waitlisted will take a long time and sometimes just before the college is starting.

Please help me in ranking the colleges I've mentioned above for MSc Management in terms of employment.

And I am really sorry for the long post, it's just I am at my wits end. Will really appreciate the help.

Thanks in advance.

[Edited by Viper_0 on Jan 27, 2022]

Did you consider using the FT MiM ranking to compare the employment outcomes? 

Looking here https://rankings.ft.com/rankings/5/masters-in-management-2021 it seems both schools have averagely good placement (in the same range as schools like Bath and TCD) but Edinburgh has a dramatically higher salary, and their ranking has slightly better data sufficiency. In that setting Edinburgh is an obvious choice unless Cranfield had specific advantages (climate, stronger links with engineering and manufacturing etc).  

Thanks for the quick reply Duncan. I would like to work in a tech company as I've completed my undergraduate in Computer science and worked in an IT company for 1.5 years. Will Edinburgh be a sound choice? Cranfield with its practical courses and internship choice instead of thesis sounds good too . Also with it being an hour away from London seems like a good choice too.

Also if I get offers from Manchester or UCD Smurfit, which one should I go for? I know that Manchester is a highly reputed and ranked college. How about employment opportunities at UCD Smurfit for MiM?

Again, compare the placement data in the FT. Read the post on my profile page about how to research with LinkedIn.

Hi Duncan. In continuation to the above post, I'd like to know if Cranfield Msc Management is a good bet for experienced candidates? I hold a Bachelor's degree in Commerce Honors and possess 3 years of work experience (2.5 years with one of the Big4). Currently, I have an offer letter from Cranfield. My options in UK are AMBS and Cranfield. I'm inclined towards Cranfield because of their better course structure and the 3-month internship component, which will help me to get a foot in the UK job market. I've reached out to few people who've studied this course and I got positive feedback (from experienced candidates) about the job opportunities after completing this course. 

I aspire to get back into Big4 and work with the general business consulting team wherein I can leverage my prior consulting work ex. Furthermore, my inclination towards Cranfield is because there are many candidates who bring 2-3 year's of work ex in this program. So, the peer group will mostly be similar. For rest of the universities, I found many fresher's attending this program and that further inclined my interest towards Cranfield. Plus, the location factor is also encouraging. 
The only concern for me is the diversity in the cohort and batch size. This year batch size is 125, less than the likes of Warwick. I am not sure if that will increase significantly in the next academic year. 
Would like to know if you have any different opinion about Cranfield Msc Management for experienced candidates? 

[Edited by rohan madhotra on Jan 30, 2022]

I think the MiM ranking shows that Cranfield is one of the strong UK options. Personally, I think a masters specialised in a business function is better than a general MiM. 

Hi Duncan, I've got an offer from UCD smurfit for MSc Management( not CEMS MIM). The fees is much lower as compared to Edinburgh. Could you let me know how the job prospects are post-completion of MSc Management in Ireland? Also, could you let me know which is better between Edinburgh and UCD for MSc Management.
Thanks in advance for answering my queries.

When you compare the FT MiM ranking and see the % employed, what do the data tell you? 

PS This was exactly the guidance I have given you before. Please don't ask me something you can answer for yourself.

[Edited by Duncan on Feb 09, 2022]

Hi Duncan. Thanks for your reply. I would like to know if MBA from Sheffield Management School will be a better choice than Msc Management from Cranfield? As an international student, i'd like to see the part-time opportunities as well and the university repo in the country. I've got good response for cranfield but would like to know your thoughts about Sheffield MBA as well. 

Thanks 

The Sheffield MBA: lower percentage placed, but higher salary. Cranfield MSc: higher percentage placed, but lower salary. 

Part-time jobs: Higher than average unemployment in Sheffield, and two large universities, so more competition. Lower than average unemployment in Bedford, and even lower in Milton Keynes (the two closest large towns either side of the Cranfield campus), and no large university in either city (the Open University is in MK but there are hardly any students on that campus).

PS If you are confident in your ability to find work independently, then Sheffield is better. SUMS has only two career advisors for the whole school, so that might be one for all the undergrads and one for all the postgrads. If you need stronger careers services and a more active alumni network, Cranfield is a much safer bet. 

[Edited by Duncan on Feb 17, 2022]

Thanks for your response Duncan. The internship component further swings it in Cranfield's favour. One more thing I'd like to know, although I believe it depends on the person and the skills they bring, but as per your industry expertise, if I want to get a vague range of how much do Msc graduates usually make? As per what I've researched, lowest hovers around 28k and average somewhere 38K, are these realistic numbers?

Thanks

I'd ask the school. 

What is the correct way to understand this two numbers in the FT rankings?

"Employed at three months" - X(Y) - the difference betwenn "X and Y"

Example : Cranfield 90(61)

90% were employed of the 61% who responded to the survey. Higher numbers are better. 

[Edited by Duncan on Feb 17, 2022]

Hi Duncan, I'd like to know your opinion on this:

Msc Management from Cranfield or MBA from less famous schools? 

I'd like to know from the employability aspect. Cranfield seems to have better connects in the industry. 

If you want to work in Europe, an MSc from Cranfield will be better. I would not consider schools without accreditation from AACSB, Equis or AMBA.