Education is key to creating future business trailblazers

Business touches just about every aspect of our lives – from your Amazon purchases and the coffee from your favourite coffee chain, to your monthly online subscriptions like Spotify or Netflix – all examples of how we interact with business on a daily basis.

Leaders such as Richard Branson, Tony Fernandes, Jeff Bezos, Jack Ma and Sheryl Sandberg are some of the movers and shakers in the business realm that many look up to. They show us that the corporate world offers myriad career opportunities if you’re willing to seize them.

But there’s more to becoming a successful business leader than having the right business and global acumen. It’s important for business leaders to embrace the evolution of their respective industries and adapt accordingly to thrive in a fast-evolving world.

If the call for business courses through your veins and you hope to one day build a thriving business, become a magnate or make waves within the field, look for a business education that prepares you for an unpredictable future to help you carve out a successful career in the field. The right business school produces graduates who are ready for the realities of business, including those who are creative thinkers and problem-solvers.

These are some of the hallmarks Durham University Business School in the UK prides itself on. Less than one percent of the world’s 3,500 business schools hold triple accreditation – and Durham is part of the elite few to have done so.

Ranked =114^th in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2019 and 74th in the QS World University Rankings 2019, Durham offers undergraduate, postgraduate or doctorate programmes that combine academic excellence and incisive research with exceptional global business connections to facilitate students’ growth.

Undergraduate programmes include accounting and finance; accounting and management; finance; business and management; marketing and management; economics; philosophy, politics and economics; and more. Students can expect to get a taste of real business, learning from expert faculty members and guest speakers, as well as through hands-on work placements and international study opportunities.

Meanwhile, graduates looking to enhance their career prospects or deepen their knowledge and expertise in a specific area of business should take note that this public university has several master programmes that consistently appear in top independent rankings for both quality and reputation. Master of Science programmes include accounting, experimental economics, finance (finance and investment), Islamic finance and management, management (entrepreneurship) and marketing.

Those seeking an MBA will find Durham ideal; the Durham MBA was ranked in the Global Top 50 by the Financial Times. The programme is designed to provide students with everything they need for success in the business world: agile analytical thinking, global awareness and strong communication skills. With close connections to many leading organisations, the university is both informed by and immersed in the dynamic commercial landscape.

Students can choose from full-time, online/blended or the executive MBA, with the duration ranging from 12- to 18-months. The full-time MBA (12 or 15 months) is challenging, but students have the flexibility to choose from one of three specialist routes: entrepreneurship, consultancy or technology.

Stellar programmes aside, what makes Durham stand strong among the UK’s most respected business schools is its far-reaching network, including connections with businesses and other academic institutions, that bring countless benefits. These connections are a gateway to live projects and research.

Meanwhile, it’s not just about what students learn in the classroom – the school’s internship and placement schemes allow students to immerse themselves in the real business world. Durham’s consultancy projects enable MBA and master’s students to apply their knowledge to practical challenges in the most forward-thinking companies.

A global outlook

Becoming a student at Durham doesn’t just mean gaining a world-class education, but also being part of a proud and truly international school with more than 25,000 alumni in over 150 countries.

Durham’s MBA students have partnered with international organisations including Santander, Vodafone, Tata Consultancy Services, BP and Nissan. Students have also embarked on study tours to a diverse range of countries, such as China, Switzerland and Germany, in addition to working in partnership with universities in the US, Canada, Singapore, New Zealand, Japan and Korea, collaborating with other respected institutions to deliver specific programmes, such as the Executive MBA: Durham and EBS (Germany).

The university is over 180 years old while the Business School is over 50 years old; thus, it has a long history of nurturing independent thinking and academic excellence in students. So, if you’re keen to embark on your journey in business studies, Durham serves as a platform from which trailblazers shine.

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