University of Bath School of Management

The class size is around 40. We try to ensure that there is a diverse group of students from all over the world. Last year, we had 46 students from 20 different countries.

Yes

To qualify for the award of the MSc you must complete your Period of Professional Practice, that consists of satisfactory completion of a 20-22 week placement and the Professional Practice Portfolio.

You must satisfactorily complete the assessment related to the PPP – the Professional Practice Portfolio. This Portfolio can only be completed while in employment because the tasks are directly associated with being at work. Indeed, this is fundamental to the aims of the programme.
The Professional Practice Portfolio has two main components:

Review of Professional Practice – where you consider and reflect on your learning while at work, addressing issues such as your socialization and training in the organization, your development of interpersonal competence, and a reflective appraisal and integration of your career development.

Business Case Analysis – you will tackle a real life business problem by applying your knowledge, collecting evidence and writing a report of 6,000 words. Examples include: opportunities for new product development in a particular market; an evaluation of a firm’s graduate recruitment scheme; a critique of the operational processes adopted for purchasing particular types of equipment or services.

We have a team of experienced staff who have a large number of contacts with suitable employers. There is one member of staff who is dedicated to finding and managing the placements associated with this degree. Students find placements through a variety of means – their own job research and contacts, placement opportunities advertised by the Placements Office and targeted placements. Each route to placement will be discussed on a case by case basis. The majority of placements are with UK employers, but increasingly students are also accepting placement opportunities in international locations or their home country.

There are also two academic courses - Professional Career Development and Learning in Organizations which are dedicated to preparing you for the Period of Professional Practice. These contain both theoretical material – eg theories on career development and work based learning as well as practical activities – how to prepare a CV and to be successful in selection interviews.

We guarantee to find enough suitable vacancies but we cannot guarantee to find the ideal job for every student. For example, you might be looking for a project management role in the marketing department of a large multinational in London. However, it might be that we have a vacancy of this type that is based in Cardiff. Hence, we would expect that you show sufficient flexibility and are willing to take the job in Cardiff if it is offered to you. Also, some placements that present a good ‘match’ may not be paid.

Neither can we guarantee that every student will be placed – there is a small chance that you will not be selected for any of the jobs on offer. Our staff will find the vacancies and provide thorough coaching but we can't do the interview for you! Being selected for a job is dependent upon performance in assessments and interview and this requires commitment, passion and enthusiasm.

However, our selection procedures are rigorous and the developmental activities we put you through are designed to contribute towards your employability at the time when you are looking for a job. We have been placing students for over 30 years and we have an excellent idea of the skills and knowledge required.

During the Period of Professional Practice, you can work on your tier 4 student visa. You do not need a work permit for the placement as it is part of your programme.

In the case that you are not accepted by any employer (or there is some personal problem which prevents you from taking a job offer) and as long as the taught part of the programme has been passed, you will qualify for the Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Management Issues.

This recognises your achievements on the taught part but also acknowledges that you have not completed the work/study period of the programme which is vital for the award of the MSc. However, there is no direct entry to this Postgraduate Diploma.