The Southampton MBA is ranked at around 120 in QS but its employability rating is less than colleges which are much below UoS in the rankings, for ex- Bath, which is much below in QS. The UoS is a much better uni but why doesn't it rank higher.

Out of Bath, Strathclyde and Southampton which MBA is better?

Does Strathclyde being in Scotland , affect employability in any way?
Which MBA will be better for an international student?

[Edited by Kim on Feb 17, 2023]

If you want UK employability, then it's the FT business school and MBA rankings that matter, more than QS rankings or generic pan-university rankings. Strathclyde and Bath are the schools to focus on. 

PS Search the board with those two words and read the prior discussion.   

[Edited by Duncan on Feb 17, 2023]

If you want UK employability, then it's the FT business school and MBA rankings that matter, more than QS rankings or generic pan-university rankings. Strathclyde and Bath are the schools to focus on. 

PS Search the board with those two words and read the prior discussion.   

The FT MBA ranking is a reliable guide. UCD is ranked well, and that's very fair. I am unaware of these new visa rules you mentions. 
Southampton is unranked in the FT MBA ranking because the data don't show it can place a lot of people into good MBA type roles.
These universities are not exactly on the same level, but in terms of MBAs there are huge differences. 

The FT MBA ranking is a reliable guide. UCD is ranked well, and that's very fair. I am unaware of these new visa rules you mentions. 
Southampton is unranked in the FT MBA ranking because the data don't show it can place a lot of people into good MBA type roles.
These universities are not exactly on the same level, but in terms of MBAs there are huge differences. 

Can you find a reference for that six months figure? The UK government is clear that its two years https://www.gov.uk/graduate-visa

I appreciate that there is always talk, but I don't think a change in the graduate visa has been announced. 

Can you find a reference for that six months figure? The UK government is clear that its two years https://www.gov.uk/graduate-visa

I appreciate that there is always talk, but I don't think a change in the graduate visa has been announced. 

Kim, you may need to clarify some of your goals a bit more. Where do you want to work for instance? If you want to work in Ireland then I’ll say go for UCD. It’s undoubtedly one of the 2 best business schools in Ireland. The only other school that rivals UCD is Trinity College. 

But if you want to work in the UK, I’ll say there are in fact better schools. Again, what kind of work do you want to do? 

Duncan has been kind enough to give you the lay of the land. Take it, be clear about your career goals and look at better schools. Warwick, Durham and Lancaster comes to mind. And if you have a good GMAT score then there’s nothing stopping you from looking at LBS, Imperial and Oxbridge. 


With regards to the “talks” about the Graduate Visa changes, Duncan is right, there will always be talks yet as of now, the UK government hasn’t passed any new laws in this regard so don’t get distracted. And if you go to a very good school chances are you will get a good job within 3 months of graduation or even before the end of your programme. 

Now, if your sole focus is on these schools mentioned with intent to work in the UK, I’ll recommend Strathclyde. I was offered a place in their MBA but I went for a better option. I love their MBA curriculum though, especially as they have some focus on Digital Transformation and Corporate Governance which are fascinating topics for someone like me and super relevant to our times.  Strathclyde will get you started in Scotland for sure but you need to know the kind of companies that recruit from there and be sure you’re comfortable with the career options you might get with them. 

[Edited by Obinna on Feb 19, 2023]

This is good advice. There's a useful discussion recently where I also make the point that the UK has, relative to the size of Ireland, lower unemployment and a much higher rate of vacancies. Given the talent shortage in both countries, I don't see demand for skilled graduates declining. 

Kim, you may need to clarify some of your goals a bit more. Where do you want to work for instance? If you want to work in Ireland then I’ll say go for UCD. It’s undoubtedly one of the 2 best business schools in Ireland. The only other school that rivals UCD is Trinity College. 

But if you want to work in the UK, I’ll say there are in fact better schools. Again, what kind of work do you want to do? 

Duncan has been kind enough to give you the lay of the land. Take it, be clear about your career goals and look at better schools. Warwick, Durham and Lancaster comes to mind. And if you have a good GMAT score then there’s nothing stopping you from looking at LBS, Imperial and Oxbridge. 


With regards to the “talks” about the Graduate Visa changes, Duncan is right, there will always be talks yet as of now, the UK government hasn’t passed any new laws in this regard so don’t get distracted. And if you go to a very good school chances are you will get a good job within 3 months of graduation or even before the end of your programme. 

Now, if your sole focus is on these schools mentioned with intent to work in the UK, I’ll recommend Strathclyde. I was offered a place in their MBA but I went for a better option. I love their MBA curriculum though, especially as they have some focus on Digital Transformation and Corporate Governance which are fascinating topics for someone like me and super relevant to our times.  Strathclyde will get you started in Scotland for sure but you need to know the kind of companies that recruit from there and be sure you’re comfortable with the career options you might get with them. 

This is good advice. There's a useful discussion recently where I also make the point that the UK has, relative to the size of Ireland, lower unemployment and a much higher rate of vacancies. Given the talent shortage in both countries, I don't see demand for skilled graduates declining. 

In terms of schools, UCD is so much better than the other schools: none of them is in the FT MBA 100. 

I would put Strathclyde above Bath for most industries, but UCD still wins. There's many a thread that compares them: https://find-mba.com/board?keyword=bath%20strathclyde However, if you can get into UCD consider slightly better British schools, like Cranfield and Durham, rather than Bath and Strathclyde.  

That said, what is competition in the job market if not the ratio between job vacancies and job hunters? If there was more competition for jobs in the UK, how could there be more vacancies per capita and lower unemployment? If you have more unemployed people and fewer jobs (per capita) in Ireland, then isn't that more competition? The labour forces in the two countries are not that different (in quality). Ireland probably has younger and better-qualified workers. I am more optimistic about the Irish economy but the housing crisis there is national and horrid: https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41069876.html 

PS Average rents in Ireland *outside* the five major cities are well above average rents in the UK as a whole. https://homelet.co.uk/homelet-rental-index I'd strongly consider the UK regional schools (outside Greater London) over Ireland on a *cost of living* basis, even though Ireland traditionally beats the UK on a quality of living basis.  

[Edited by Duncan on Feb 20, 2023]

Kim, you may need to clarify some of your goals a bit more. Where do you want to work for instance? If you want to work in Ireland then I’ll say go for UCD. It’s undoubtedly one of the 2 best business schools in Ireland. The only other school that rivals UCD is Trinity College. 

But if you want to work in the UK, I’ll say there are in fact better schools. Again, what kind of work do you want to do? 

Duncan has been kind enough to give you the lay of the land. Take it, be clear about your career goals and look at better schools. Warwick, Durham and Lancaster comes to mind. And if you have a good GMAT score then there’s nothing stopping you from looking at LBS, Imperial and Oxbridge. 


With regards to the “talks” about the Graduate Visa changes, Duncan is right, there will always be talks yet as of now, the UK government hasn’t passed any new laws in this regard so don’t get distracted. And if you go to a very good school chances are you will get a good job within 3 months of graduation or even before the end of your programme. 

Now, if your sole focus is on these schools mentioned with intent to work in the UK, I’ll recommend Strathclyde. I was offered a place in their MBA but I went for a better option. I love their MBA curriculum though, especially as they have some focus on Digital Transformation and Corporate Governance which are fascinating topics for someone like me and super relevant to our times.  Strathclyde will get you started in Scotland for sure but you need to know the kind of companies that recruit from there and be sure you’re comfortable with the career options you might get with them. 

Thank you Obinna.
I have a 6 year experience in software and tech as a Tech Analyst. I want to get into consulting in tech companies.
So out of the colleges mentiones UCD is better?
Bath had a good program so I applied.
But how is employability in Ireland? If I go to UCD there would be a smaller group in competition for the jobs, in UK the competition will be higher as there are many better colleges but the job pool will be large too.
I want to go to UCD but I am not very well aware about the employability and employability opportunities in Ireland. If you could shed a bit more light on that , then it would be really helpful.

[Edited by Obinna on Feb 20, 2023]

Kim, you may need to clarify some of your goals a bit more. Where do you want to work for instance? If you want to work in Ireland then I’ll say go for UCD. It’s undoubtedly one of the 2 best business schools in Ireland. The only other school that rivals UCD is Trinity College. 

But if you want to work in the UK, I’ll say there are in fact better schools. Again, what kind of work do you want to do? 

Duncan has been kind enough to give you the lay of the land. Take it, be clear about your career goals and look at better schools. Warwick, Durham and Lancaster comes to mind. And if you have a good GMAT score then there’s nothing stopping you from looking at LBS, Imperial and Oxbridge. 


With regards to the “talks” about the Graduate Visa changes, Duncan is right, there will always be talks yet as of now, the UK government hasn’t passed any new laws in this regard so don’t get distracted. And if you go to a very good school chances are you will get a good job within 3 months of graduation or even before the end of your programme. 

Now, if your sole focus is on these schools mentioned with intent to work in the UK, I’ll recommend Strathclyde. I was offered a place in their MBA but I went for a better option. I love their MBA curriculum though, especially as they have some focus on Digital Transformation and Corporate Governance which are fascinating topics for someone like me and super relevant to our times.  Strathclyde will get you started in Scotland for sure but you need to know the kind of companies that recruit from there and be sure you’re comfortable with the career options you might get with them. 

Thank you Obinna.
I have a 6 year experience in software and tech as a Tech Analyst. I want to get into consulting in tech companies.
So out of the colleges mentiones UCD is better?
Bath had a good program so I applied.
But how is employability in Ireland? If I go to UCD there would be a smaller group in competition for the jobs, in UK the competition will be higher as there are many better colleges but the job pool will be large too.
I want to go to UCD but I am not very well aware about the employability and employability opportunities in Ireland. If you could shed a bit more light on that , then it would be really helpful.

I will pick UCD over the other schools in a heart beat, especially so if you desire to live and work in Ireland. The tech space in Ireland is on a very good trajectory; some massive growth in tech over there in recent years. However, Ireland is actually more expensive than the UK in so many ways, starting from rent and so on. Tough choice here. 

I’d suggest you look at other schools beyond UCD if you’re not definite on living in Ireland. Durham has a very good MBA. At the very least Kim, look at the recently published FT top 100 MBAs and check out schools in the UK on there. May I ask? Are there specific reasons for not targeting LBS and other A+ schools (as I rated them)? Do you have a GMAT score? 

If those schools are not on your radar for solid reasons, can you consider the other schools who are not in the league of LBS and Oxbridge but slightly under them such as Warwick, Bayes, Manchester and Imperial. 

Now if you can’t go to any of the top echelon schools, at the very least, please check out schools like Durham, Lancaster ( I also received an MBA offer here with scholarship) and Cranfield. 

For 2023 FT rankings Lancaster dropped off so you will not see them on the list. The University of Birmingham is there as well. 

I will vote UCD if you want to live in Ireland. And with regards to MBA-level jobs in the UK, you will certainly get something really good if you attend a respectable school for your MBA and please stay away from the national league tables if you want to make an informed decision. Those tables are best serving for undergraduate studies. The FT is a good guide and our thoughts here and other threads for many UK schools, should be helpful as well. 

All the best Kim!

You can answer these questions yourself, can't you? Average salaries, employment rates and major employers are in the public domain. 

Also see: https://find-mba.com/board/gmat/why-you-should-take-the-gmat-33542

You can answer these questions yourself, can't you? Average salaries, employment rates and major employers are in the public domain. 

Also see: https://find-mba.com/board/gmat/why-you-should-take-the-gmat-33542

The data you seek is not hidden actually. A cursory search online will get you the info. 

In terms of consulting and MBA-level jobs, you’d have a better chance with UK. London is a consulting hub in Europe. There are so many consultancies in the UK and a good number are doing great stuff out there. FT has also just published a list of UK’s leading management consultancies across several practice areas including technology. You can find that list and spend some time there. 

Bear in mind, if you’re looking at the MBBs you really can’t get in there with the caliber of schools on your radar. But tech consulting is a booming practice in the UK and I know starting salaries for MBAs for most of the firms are very good. I’ve got a friend who just recently joined one of such firms, post Lancaster MBA (2021 cohort) and her salary is upwards of £60k (Gross of course). 

I have to add, if you’re looking for very high salaries, post MBA then you really may have to look at the US and not the UK. 

PS: There are definitely MBA-level jobs in Ireland. It’s about the volume of such jobs in comparison with the UK (especially England). I’ll pick UK over Ireland for consulting. 

[Edited by Obinna on Feb 20, 2023]

This is good advice. There's a useful discussion recently where I also make the point that the UK has, relative to the size of Ireland, lower unemployment and a much higher rate of vacancies. Given the talent shortage in both countries, I don't see demand for skilled graduates declining. 

The data you seek is not hidden actually. A cursory search online will get you the info. 

In terms of consulting and MBA-level jobs, you’d have a better chance with UK. London is a consulting hub in Europe. There are so many consultancies in the UK and a good number are doing great stuff out there. FT has also just published a list of UK’s leading management consultancies across several practice areas including technology. You can find that list and spend some time there. 

Bear in mind, if you’re looking at the MBBs you really can’t get in there with the caliber of schools on your radar. But tech consulting is a booming practice in the UK and I know starting salaries for MBAs for most of the firms are very good. I’ve got a friend who just recently joined one of such firms, post Lancaster MBA (2021 cohort) and her salary is upwards of £60k (Gross of course). 

I have to add, if you’re looking for very high salaries, post MBA then you really may have to look at the US and not the UK. 

PS: There are definitely MBA-level jobs in Ireland. It’s about the volume of such jobs in comparison with the UK (especially England). I’ll pick UK over Ireland for consulting. 

I'd need to know more about you and your goals so that I can get more relevant responses: consider booking a session with me. I've already recommended UCD and explained why the UK job market is more attractive (i.e. UCD is better than Bath, even though the UK market is more attractive).

I don't know what you think the difference is between a 'tech job' and an 'MBA job'. 

The UK economy is not in recession. 

[Edited by Duncan on Feb 22, 2023]