Business and finance

Postgraduate study in business and finance

Job prospects

Even allowing for the recent credit crunch crisis in the financial markets, the long-term career prospects for those undertaking postgraduate studies in business or finance remain excellent. There is no doubt that postgraduates in these areas are increasingly in demand, with professional services firms, banks and multinationals recruiting in greater numbers than ever before. 

As increasing numbers of undergraduates go on to further postgraduate studies, a masters level degree in a well chosen area can help you to stand out from your peers. 

The options

There is a huge variety of options available for those wishing to pursue a postgraduate degree in either business or finance, both for those with relevant undergraduate degrees who wish to specialise in an area such as marketing, HR or corporate finance, and for those students who did a non-business undergraduate degree who want to add a postgraduate business degree to ‘round out’ their education. 

Nearly all colleges now offer a wide variety of fourth level programmes to students with good undergraduate degrees. Entry requirements will vary from college to college, but probably a minimum of a 2.2 degree will be required and at least a 2.1 or even first class honours may be required for the most popular subjects. You will also probably have to complete a detailed application form and may have to attend an interview before being accepted onto a programme.

Issues to consider

• A postgraduate business qualification will always be of benefit to you, no matter how your future career path unfolds, but make sure that the course you take will help you to further your plans. Some postgraduate courses are in very specific areas, for example supply chain management, and so you need to be very sure that that is the area you want to get into afterwards. 
• If you are not sure what you want to do after your postgraduate course, choose a more general course subject such as international business or management, which will enable you to move into many different career functions afterwards.
• Be sure to check on both the quality of the course and the institution you choose to go to. Some colleges and courses are better regarded by employers than others. Before applying, always ask the institution where its alumni have gone after the course.

Written by Niall Driver, Careers Adviser, UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.