Business and Management

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The MSc in Business & Management is appropriate for graduates whose undergraduate degree is from a non-business subject area. This programme provides a comprehensive focus of key areas of business education and will therefore complement a first degree for students of engineering, the sciences and humanities.

In addition to your Aston degree, you will have the opportunity to participate in our international study exchange programme. Studying with one of our partner institutions, the programme will enhance your international experience and communication skills, preparing you for a career in the international business environment.

Why choose this course?
* A broad based programme providing a foundation in business and management
* Provides the flexibility to specialise in an area of choice
* Designed for graduates whose undergraduate degree is from a non-business subject area
* Opportunity to participate in our international study exchange programme
* Excellent employment opportunities, Aston Business School is ranked in the top 10 in the world for careers (FT Masters in Management 2013)

The ten taught modules are assessed through a mixture of examinations and coursework. The taught element of the programme is complemented by a substantial piece of research leading to the completion of the programme. Students should ensure that their choice of elective modules is consistent with their intended dissertation topic area.

Personal development

Students will acquire skills in the following areas: giving presentations, team working, report writing, negotiation and IT skills.
Core modules taught on this MSc will enable you to develop a wide range of business and transferable skills and knowledge demanded by graduate employers. These include:

* Interpreting financial statements covering income, balances and cash flow
* Budgetary control and analysing business costs using Cost Volume Profit and contribution analysis
* Improving business performance and employee well-being through influencing organisational behaviour
* Developing marketing and pricing strategies, plans and marketing mix policies
* Operational planning and management including: product, service and process design; choice of layout and technology; statistical stock control and MRPI
* Knowledge of strategy processes and techniques including: value chain analysis; make or buy decisions; diversification and corporate parenting
* Understanding innovation processes, innovation-based strategies and creating competitive advantage through innovation
* Assessing the macroeconomic business environment (including economic policy and forecasts) and the microeconomic environment (including demand, competition) and their implications for business performance
* Multi-cultural teamwork and presentation skills developed through group-work
* Analytical skills developed through research dissertation.

The wide range of elective modules available on this programme enables students to develop skills across a range of business functions including marketing, HR, Finance and Operations.

Course director
Chris Owen
BEng MBA CEng MIETChris Owen is a Teaching Fellow in Aston Business School specialising in Operations and Supply Chain Management. Before joining Aston, he was a Senior Consultant in PwC Consulting in the Operations Competency. Over seven years with PwC Chris worked on a number of assignments with clients across a variety of sectors including Banking, Aerospace, Industrial Products, Construction, Public Sector (Home Affairs and Education), Utilities and Food Distribution. Chris has international experience having worked in Germany, Italy, the US and China.Chris has research interests in Operations Management, Supply Chain Management, Modelling and Simulation.

Teaching staff
Prof Veronica Wong
BSc, MBA, PhD Veronica's current research interests are focused on marketing strategy, product/ brand innovation and global new product launch, with particular emphasis on high-technology sectors. She has written over sixty articles for refereed and professional journals as well as contributions to research and managerial books. Other scholarly publications include a DTI Handbook on Identifying and Exploiting Innovation Opportunities and Europe's best selling marketing text, Principles of Marketing (5th European Edition forthcoming), co-authored with John Saunders at Aston Business School and American colleagues, Philip Kotler and Gary Armstrong. The text has been translated into seven other languages including Italian, German, Dutch, Spanish, Greek, Lithuanian, Polish and Russian.

Prof Robin Martin

BA, PhDResearch interests include: Social influence processes, especially from numerical majorities and minorities; Persuasion and attitude change; Workplace leadership; Motivation; Team working and Innovation.

Mr Matt Davies

BA, ACAMatt re-joined Aston as a lecturer in Finance and Accounting in January 2006. Matt is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, having qualified with PriceWaterhouse in 1992. In 1993, Matt joined Aston for the first time before taking up a position as Director of ATCs Continuing Professional Development Division in 1999. Following ATCs acquisition by FTC in 2003, Matt became a Senior Training Consultant in FTCs Corporate Training Division.

* Career opportunities

This programme prepares students for a wide range of professional and management careers across business functions and sectors including accountancy, marketing, operations, HR and strategic management.

Examples of jobs taken up by our recent graduates include:

* Management Consultant - Deloitte
* Financial Analyst - PwC
* Business Analyst - BT
* Marketing Specialist - Starbucks
* Junior Consultant - Ernst & Young
* Business Analyst - Accenture
* Account Development Manager - Coors Brewery
* Production Analyst Nike.

Aston Business School has a network of Career Champions - MSc alumni who are working in a range of sectors globally or running their own business.

To make an application onto one of the MSc Programmes we require one of the following: * A good UK honours degree (minimum lower second class) * Equivalent overseas degree recognised by Aston University. Please see here for country specific information.As well as: * Two professional references - at least one must be from an academic referee * A completed application form.Please note If we have not received sufficient evidence of analytical and quantitative skills within your application we may request a minimum GMAT score of 550 to support your application.For International Students: * An official academic transcript with an official English translation, of your university grades to date * International students who have not completed their full degree in a native English speaking country will also need to satisfy our English language requirements with one of the following: * IELTS score of 6.5 overall, with a minimum score of 6.5 in writing and speaking and 6.0 in listening and reading. * TOEFL (Internet based test) score of 93 overall, with a minimum score of 18 in reading, 26 in writing, 19 in listening and 22 in speaking * PEARSON ACADEMIC score of 63 overall with a minimum of 57 in reading and listening, 63 in writing and speaking.*Scores for these tests are valid for 2 years from the date of the exam and must be no more than 2 years old at the point of enrolment. If you have studied your full degree in a native English speaking country this must have been completed no more than 2 years before the start of your chosen MSc programme, otherwise we will ask for one of the above English tests.Please note we may request applicants to take part in a webcam interview for assessment purposes.

The Aston Business School MSc Scholarship deadline has now past, we are no longer accepting applications for this round of scholarships. The School is committed to supporting talented individuals wishing to further their studies at Aston and may make further scholarships available. Please visit this page for further scholarship announcements.

Aston is proud to support the brightest and the best students. We offer over 100 scholarships ranging from £1,000 to £5,000 for the most talented Business School postgraduate students.

"By investing in your future today, we aim to help you achieve your potential and become the most enterprising global leaders of tomorrow."
Professor George Feiger, Executive Dean of Aston Business School

Scholarships are awarded towards the cost of tuition fees and range from £1,000 to £5,000 with a few scholarships of up to 50% of fees available for the very best students.

Eligibility In order to be eligible for a scholarship award, applicants will need to:

* Be a self-funded student
* Have been offered a place on one of our MSc programmes
* Submit a personal statement (details below) for consideration by a panel of senior University staff

Scholarship Application Forms

Please make your application for a scholarship on the relevant form for your chosen degree.

Application After receiving the offer of a place, and before the deadline of 31 May 2014, students wishing to apply for a scholarship should submit a personal statement, which should:

* Be between 500-700 words
* Cover factors such as their reasons for the choice of course and its relevance to their future career goals as well as details of relevant work experience, extra-curricular activities and achievements
* Provide examples of how they have made an active contribution to business and society
* Demonstrate leadership qualities as well as the ability to work successfully as part of a team to achieve outcomes

Please send your completed application form to absscholarships@aston.ac.uk before 31 May 2014 together with a copy of your academic transcript. Applications sent to other email addresses will not be considered.

Criteria In assessing an eligible student for the receipt of an Aston Business School scholarship, we will take into consideration:

* Academic merit based on previous qualifications
* Ambition and the potential to make a significant contribution to business and to society after graduation
* Leadership potential
* Demonstrable qualities which show the desire and potential to become a successful ambassador for the School during and after their studies

Successful applicants Students in receipt of an Aston Business School scholarship, as the brightest and best of our students, will go on to become advocates for the School. We expect that they will work hard to achieve their potential in their academic qualification, their extra-curricular activities and their future career aspirations.

We will also expect recipients to undertake ambassadorial duties including, but not limited to:

* Meeting potential students at Open Day sessions
* Taking part in webinars and live chat sessions with potential applicants
* Providing testimonials and video content for the website and promotional materials

Scholarship applications must be made after the receipt of an offer from Aston Business School so we would encourage all interested candidates to apply as early as possible.

Aston Alumni Bursaries In addition to the Aston Business School Scholarships, we will award a bursary of 20% of the full fee for all those who completed their first degree at Aston University. The bursary will be reflected in your fees which will be shown in the offer e-mail.

Accreditation

Accreditation is a stamp of quality and prestige for a business school and its programmes. Aston University is proud to be among 1% of business schools worldwide with triple accreditation.