3 UK business schools preparing students for successful careers

A master’s degree in business is vital for anyone aspiring to rise to the top. Whether your goal is to found a successful startup, become CEO or lead the most impactful marketing campaigns in your city, getting a fuller and more holistic view of business and its place in a rapidly changing world will get you far. An MBA, MSc or MA in business and its related fields helps you do just that.

But where you get a master’s degree is just as important as what you get out of it. Choose a school with close links to industry, support for landing internships, placements and plenty of spaces to collaborate with faculty and peers. Pick a city where international talent is welcome and where it’s easy to network and socialise. Select well — or from any of the universities below — and you’re set to advance your career in many exciting ways.

Queen’s University Belfast is home to a business school accredited by EQUIS, AMBA and the Small Business Charter and highly ranked master’s programmes.

Queen’s University Belfast

Belfast is the perfect student location being one of Europe’s most vibrant and affordable cities. The city is home to Queen’s University Belfast which is part of the elite Russell Group, a collection of 24 research-intensive, world-class universities that make huge social, economic and cultural impacts locally, across the UK and around the globe. This is where you’ll find Queen’s Business School (QBS), which holds international accreditations from EQUIS, AMBA and the Small Business Charter. Programmes here are consistently ranked  highly — its MSc Accounting and Finance is ranked first in the UK for Graduate Outcomes (Times 2023). 

Whether you join the MSc Accounting and Finance, MSc Finance, MSc Financial Analytics, MSc Financial Risk Management, MSc Actuarial Science, MSc Management, MSc International Business, MSc Marketing, MSc Human Resource Management, MSc Business Analytics, or an MBA, you’ll learn about cutting-edge developments in the business world from leading academics and business professionals in their respective fields. 

For your classes, you can head to the brand-new, state-of-the-art Student Hub building at QBS. This award-winning, innovative building is surrounded by forests and sits alongside the listed red-brick Riddel Hall, enhancing your social and educational experience here. With tailored spaces for career development, group study, socialising, and entrepreneurial ideas, the QBS Student Hub is fully equipped to provide the best preparation for a competitive and cosmopolitan world. The university is ranked in the top 170 universities in the world for graduate job prospects (QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2022) and 13th in the UK (Complete University Guide 2024). 

Many QBS graduates find work in companies located in both Dublin and London, as the university is strategically located with access to these dynamic cities. Graduates also go on to land good roles in the Northern Ireland capital, the world’s number one location for FinTech investment, with close connections to global companies such as PwC, Deloitte, Citi, Liberty Mutual, and Allstate. A dedicated Careers and Work Placement Office readies students to join these companies and their like, here and in cities all over the world, including London, through providing tailored one-to-one support and practice interviews, as well as securing industry placements and graduate jobs in the UK, Ireland and across the world. 

As graduates thrive around the world, they carry with them many memories of their time in Belfast, the well-connected city with the lowest cost of living in the UK (Mercer Cost of Living City Ranking 2023) and with something more priceless: nature on its doorstep. Apply to Queen’s Business School today.

There are 13 specific master’s degree programmes that you can choose from the Business Management department. Source: Swansea University

Swansea University

For those who want to be part of a multicultural environment, Swansea University is the place to be. Home to more than 20,000 students from different backgrounds, this university is the third most populated university in Wales, and its School of Management is one of the UK’s top providers in Business Management and Accounting and Finance.

In Business Management alone, there are 13 specific master’s degree programmes that you can choose from. From MSc Management (Artificial Intelligence) and MSc Management (Business Analytics), from MSc Management (Sport) to MSc Management (Sustainable Business), these advanced programmes are led by forward-thinking staff and take place in state-of-the-art facilities. Other programmes available here are Human Resource Management, Marketing, and Tourism. Regardless of which you choose, all programmes stand out for their close links with industry leaders, ensuring you have the latest knowledge and experiences for you to pursue a rewarding career. Recently, MSc HRM students visited Tata Steel UK’s Port Talbot site for a firsthand look at the intricate processes that transform raw materials into the steel that is integral to the fabric of South Wales.

Spanning two campuses at each end of Swansea’s waterfront – Singleton Park Campus and Bay Campus – you will never get bored of the student life in this area. Catch a televised football match at JCs Bar or do the weekly pub quiz at Tafarn Tawe, there is always something to do here at Swansea University.

Four of the 20 master’s degree programmes available at this business school are available online. Source: University of Aberdeen

University of Aberdeen

Founded in 1495, the University of Aberdeen is the third oldest university in Scotland and is today home to over 15,000 students from all over the world. Old Aberdeen and Foresterhill campuses make up the university, which has 12 schools encompassing a broad range of disciplines. One of them is the Business School, ranked top 20 in the UK according to the Guardian University Guide 2023. It is internationally recognised for its excellence in world-leading research, with 81% of its research classified as “world-leading and internationally excellent” (REF, 2021). This bodes well for master’s students as this strength in research means that they get to work with pioneers in their discipline.  

The school offers 20 master’s programmes, including the MSc Accounting and Finance, MSc Business Consulting and Psychology, MScEcon Energy, Economics and Finance, and MSc Financial Technology. All programmes stand out for personalised nature of the study experience, defined by a high degree of individual contact with leading academics. “I had unlimited opportunities to develop my skills and knowledge through guest lectures from industry, the Energy Institute and the Society of Petroleum Engineers,” says graduate Sermphon Klaiseengern. “This meant I received the most up-to-date information and broadened my perspective.”

Aberdeen is a perfect place to study and live. According to UniAcco, a platform providing information regarding student accommodation, the average cost of living for students ranges between 971 and 1,283 pounds per month, making Aberdeen one of the UK’s most affordable cities for students to live in. It also helps that the university is located in Aberdeen, which is known as a business centre with offices that serve big names in the sector. Because of this, students indirectly learn from a business-centric environment where they eat, sleep, and breathe business.

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International