Sarah Toce
If you have been working in the same corporate job role for many years, you might be starting to feel as though you are stuck in a rut. Luckily, these days, higher education is more accessible than ever thanks to options for part-time and even online study, which gives you plenty of opportunities to go back to college to do a master’s degree. This is a great way to boost your skills and give your career the boost it needs.
There are also a wide variety of business-related subjects you can choose to major in, meaning you are sure to discover something that suits you. Here are six ideas to help get you inspired.
Business Management
A business management degree is ideal if you are hoping to move into a managerial role in your industry. You’ll cover a variety of management principles and techniques that can be applied in a broad range of companies, which means that studying for a Masters in Business Management online can be useful whatever kind of area you currently work in or are hoping to move into. It is very helpful for building up the skills you need to run a team, department, or organization – including decision making, problem-solving, and critical analysis.
For example, some of the modules you can choose to study might include organizational behavior, strategic management, organizational development, risk analysis, business strategy, project management and negotiating. Many programs will also cover elements of finance, accounting, marketing, and international business. Generally, you will have some choice over the modules you take, enabling you to tailor the course to suit your personal needs and goals.
MBA
An MBA is a master’s degree in Business Administration. It covers a range of business topics to give you a solid foundation in the sphere and fast track your corporate career. The program aims to create the next generation of business leaders, so it is a great choice for ambitious and driven students. It’s one of the most prestigious types of business degrees you can study for, however, is also usually the most expensive – so be sure it’s the right degree for you before committing.
Some of the modules you can expect to study in an MBA include leading organizations, marketing science and strategy, critical leadership decisions, macroeconomics, innovation, decision analytics and corporate finance. The course involves a lot of group work and networking, and maybe also the chance to work on consulting projects with real-world companies.
Business Analytics
Business analytics is concerned with big data, which makes it an extremely relevant area to be qualified in these days. It prepares you to be able to understand and analyze the staggering amount of data that a company gathers, and use the results to make effective, evidence-based decisions. The program is best suited to those who have an interest in statistics and computing, as it does involve rigorous technical and quantitative training.
The sort of modules you can expect to cover in a Master’s in Business Analytics include machine learning, econometrics, data structures and algorithms, database technologies, decision models, programming, data visualization, plus data management and ethics. You may also have the chance to tailor your course to best suit the industry you want to work in by choosing elective modules that focus on analytics in specific areas such as retail, healthcare, energy, finance, or marketing.
Entrepreneurship
For those who would prefer to work for themselves one day, a Master’s degree in Entrepreneurship is hard to beat. This program focuses heavily on innovation, collaboration, and creativity, and aims to equip you with all the tools and knowledge that you will need to set up your own company. For example, you will learn about how to pitch ideas and build rapid prototypes, as well as how to raise investor finance. Some of the modules you might study include intellectual property, venture capital and growth finance, social innovation, consumer behavior, lean entrepreneurship, design thinking and product development.
One of the biggest advantages of completing a postgraduate program in entrepreneurship is the opportunity for hands-on learning, and the ability to begin developing your start-up right away. You will also have plenty of like-minded people to network with – potentially even meeting your future business partner or investor!
Finance
There are several different finance-related postgraduate degrees that you can study for, some of which are more specialized than others. They can prepare you for a wide range of financial careers in sectors such as consultancy, asset management, insurance, and investment banking. Some of the modules you can expect to be included in a general master’s degree in Finance include quantitative finance, corporate finance, hedge funds, accounting, asset pricing, financial econometrics, and portfolio management.
For people who want to narrow down their focus further, you can choose between many specialisms. For example, you could concentrate on investment and wealth management, financial technology, or financial engineering. This way, you can customize your program of study to more specifically suit your career aspirations and interests, whether you wish to work in private equity, FinTech, or anything in between.
Marketing
Marketing is a vital part of pretty much every business in every industry, so a master’s degree in the subject can set you up well for the future. You will learn a mixture of theoretical and practical approaches to marketing, covering a variety of strategies and examining real-world case studies. There is also the chance to opt for a more specialist marketing qualification. For example, you could study for a Master’s in Digital Marketing and focus on topics such as social media, or a Master’s in International Marketing for a more global perspective.
Whichever degree you choose, you can expect to cover modules such as consumer behavior, marketing theory, marketing communications, sustainability and ethics, marketing analytics, pricing strategy, brand management, B2B marketing, and research methods in marketing. All of these will be of great help if you are hoping for a lasting career in the field.
Melissa Han
