Hello Guys,

I am planning for MBA for this September intake and will be applying o the universities by this month. I have a work experience of nearly 5 years in IT(as a software developer/analyst)
Post MBA, I would like to go into a management oriented role/project management role in industries(IT included).
I have a GRE -311(Quant -161, Verb-150)
IELTS - 7 , Graduation - 75%, 10th & 12th -80%

Would require your help in shortlisting colleges on basis of course/curriculum, accreditations, fee/scholarship and internships/jobs(Open to coming back to India)
Following are the universities I planned to apply for but would require honest reviews(on basis of my selection and future prospect) and also any other universities if you all know:
1) Nottingham Trent(2 year course including placement,AACSB and EQUIS, CMI )
2) Brunel MBA (AACSB, EQUIS, CMI)- 1 year
3) Aston (1 year)
4) Newcastle (Triple accredited)
5) Kingston University (2 year with placement, AMBA)
6) Coventry University

I have to still finalise on the colleges and hence I am open to suggestions.
Please advise soon as I am already late !!

Thanks in Advance,
Gaurav

You are an above average candidate at many of these schools. The placement option at Kingston and Trent is interesting, but I doubt if there are MBA level salaries and MBA level roles for their students. Check and speak with a recent graduate about the experience. NBS is an impressive school at the preexperience level but its MBA will have a weaker cohort than the AMBA schools.

Some of these schools will admit students with relatively weak English. You have an IELTS of 7 but at, for example, Trent you will have people who got a 5.5 for some areas of their test and will still be learning English alongside the MBA via in-sessional classes. That will hamper group work, limit the discussions in class and make an impact on employers.

Personally, I think Newcastle jumps out as the high quality university and school on this list. Did you not consider Strathclyde?

PS Coventry does not belong on the list.

[Edited by Duncan on May 27, 2018]

Maybe Leeds, Birmingham or Bradford?

Firstly, thank you Duncan for a quick response !

When you say "NBS is an impressive school at the pre- experience level but its MBA will have a weaker cohort than the AMBA schools", I suppose you meant Trent. Is that correct?

Your second point is absolutely right but then I am unable to shortlist colleges based on my level of qualifications. That being said, I have been speaking to students of colleges like Trent, Brunel and Coventry and all have a similar approach on the course. They all have one thing in common : "Course structure is good. You will get good exposure as the curriculum is practical but it very difficult to get a job(because companies are not ready to sponsor the VISA)" Should i drop Trent, Brunel and Coventry then?

Now about Newcastle..do you mean that it would be difficult to get in this university?

I had thought of applying to Strathclyde but dropped it due to the high tuition fee(30000 GBP)

Have considered Burmigham and Bradford now.

Any other universities or any suggestions you could provide?
Also, just wanted to check if I am going on the right track taking into consideration my professional experiemce so far and my near future goals.

Thanks in advance !
Gaurav

Yes, NBS is the business school at Nottingham Trent.

Yes, it certainly is harder to get into triple-crown schools like Newcastle and Aston.

Personally, I think NBS is doing a lot better than Brunel or Coventry. I know the school modestly well (I a one of their alumni fellows) and I really think their undergraduate programmes are very good.

There's a lot I don't know about you and your goals. Your question about Newcastle suggests to me that perhaps you have not been admitted to these schools, and it seems that you are focussing on UK schools, and I don't quite understand why that is the case. You might find it useful to read:
https://find-mba.com/lists/other-top-business-school-lists/top-10-budget-mba-programs-in-england and https://find-mba.com/lists/top-business-schools-by-location/top-10-budget-mba-programs-in-europe

Also read over my profile page for more insight in the articles linked from there.

Ok.. Got you !

So as you said, Trent is doing good. But then it is not AMBA certified which is something that is hampering me to apply.

Basically, my idea for pursuing the MBA is to move from a technical role to a techno-management role or into project management. For this I would want a good exposure and direction(which subjects in MBA can provide).
My reasons for pursuing MBA from UK is the firstly the course duration, the stay back for 4-6 months after graduation(to find a job) and ofcourse the diversity among colleges.
My reasons for not choosing Europe was mainly the language constraint because I think it always considered a plus point if you know a local language(especially after an MBA).
I am going through the url(thanks for that) meanwhile and will look if I fid something.

Yes, I havnt yet applied to universities and that's were I required suggestions and opinions on which colleges to shortlist.

After these discussions, following are the universities in my list:
1) Birmingham
2) Bradford( Have to find if there is a full time MBA, could find distance learning)
3) Trent
4) Newcastle
5) Aston
6) Brunel (not sure)..

What else could I add to the list??
Also, few colleges ask for "managerial experience" which I don't really have. Can I still take the risk to apply?

Thanks in advance !
Gaurav

Bradford has suspended its full-time MBA. Birmingham and Newcastle will have a much higher quality of student and, as Russell Group universities, a lot of employers come to their campuses. I think Birmingham is probably slightly better than Newcastle, but it might just be a choice between cities. Birmingham is a warmer and more multicultural city than Newcastle, and the University of Birmingham is certainly the best campus and has the best business school facilities.

Brunel and Trent at not at the same level as the other schools. You might also consider Loughborough, which also has a one-year internship option (but, of course, there is no guarantee of getting an internship).

Here in the UK, managerial doesn't only mean managing people but also managing information and resources. Maybe send schools an email with an outlines of your profile. If you say you plan to return home, you are more more likely to be admitted.

I should also say: if you want to be a project manager for IT systems you might be able to get into a better school, and save money, by taking an MSc in project or systems management. A client of mine took the project management MSc at Strathclyde https://www.strath.ac.uk/courses/postgraduatetaught/projectmanagementinnovation/ And they also have a very impressive double-degree with Italy's top university for technology: https://www.strath.ac.uk/courses/postgraduatetaught/internationalmasterprojectmanagement/

I used to work with people in the informatics centre at Reading, and they have good MSc options: https://www.henley.ac.uk/level/postgraduate#information-management

Birmingham Business School also has an MSc in systems management https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/postgraduate/courses/taught/business/aemp-systems-management.aspx#CourseDetailsTab

I should also mention that Newcastle and Reading are among the Tier 4 visa trial scheme that gives you an extra six months in the UK:
https://thepienews.com/news/uk-study-visa-pilot-extended-23-heis/

Indeed, I suggest you look at these MBA options to see if any of them will really teach you anything about project management.

That was a lot of information I actually required Duncan !!... Thanks a ton for that again.

Your suggestion for the MSc is quite a practical approach which can be taken but personally I wanted an MBA degree (which has more value in terms of the job market down here in India). For a role in Project Management, a person who has a degree in MBA is favored more than the one with MSc(exceptions are always there though).

After all the research and discussions, following are the universities I have thought to apply as of now and would further filter from these as well ( Your help would be much appreciated yet again ):

1) Newcastle University - EQUIS, AMBA(30 years), AACSB
2) Kingston University - AMBA,AACSB
3) NTU Trent Nottingham University -EQUIS, AACSB, ACCA
4) Strathclyde(AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS) - 30000 gbp
5) Uni of Southhampton(AACSB, AMBA) -23500 gbp
6) Leeds Uni (AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS) -28000 gbp
7) Glasgow(AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS) -24000 gbp
8) Edinburgh(AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS) -29100 gbp
9) Birmingham(AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS) -25680 gbp
10) Royal halloway(AMBA) -21400 GBP
11) The open university business school(AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS)
12) Lancaster(AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS)
13) Loughborough Uni(AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS) -27000 GBP
14) Nottingham uni business school(AMBA, EQUIS)
15) Aberdeen(AACSB, AMBA)
16) Aston(AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS)
17) Brunel(AACSB, AMBA)
18) Durham Unil(AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS) - 28000 GBP

Best Regards,
Gaurav

[Edited by grvbareria on May 27, 2018]

I suggest you focus on the schools that are ranked by the Financial Times and then look at their project management content.

Other things being equal, I would focus on Lancaster, Strathclyde, Leeds, Edinburgh and Durham which are ranked by the FT. Strathclyde is best for employment, and is perhaps going to be the school most interested in you.

The layer below them is schools that have been ranked in the past and moved up and down in the rankings along with macroeconomic factors: Newcastle, Birmingham and Aston.

University College Dublin is also an excellent school, similarly ranked to Leeds and Strathclyde, but with higher international mobility. Dublin has a big tech sector.

PS The OUBS doesn't have a full time MBA,

[Edited by Duncan on May 28, 2018]

Ok !
Thank you for all of this. Will definitely have a look at the Financial Times ranking of colleges again and finalise on the universities .
Hoping to get an admit for this September with some decent scholarship, just skeptical about it as I guess I am late in applying for the colleges. Still in hope though !
Will keep you posted !
Regards,
Gaurav

Take a look at my post on The Sad Facts About Scholarships. They could lead you to worse schools.

Just read the post and instantly got this on my mind : "The Ugly Truth"
Thanks for all the help and might have to bother you again for some more help/opinion/reviews !

[Edited by grvbareria on May 28, 2018]