A Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) is geared towards those with a substantial quantity and quality of work experience, who wish to accelerate their careers, move into leadership, or start their own business.
Real World Management Education
Professor Colette Darcy, Dean of the School of Business and Programme Director for the MBA at National College of Ireland, explains: “NCI’s MBA focuses on innovation, leadership and entrepreneurship. We have built a programme team that combines academic and significant commercial expertise, so there is always real-world experience as well as cutting-edge theory in the classroom.”
MBA graduate Darren O’Neill, head of Cloud Operations at Munich Re Automation Solutions, was influenced by this approach: “The reason I chose the MBA at NCI is because the course focuses on real-world skills that I could immediately apply in my job. Coming from an IT background and moving more into management positions, it really helped me to broaden my business knowledge, giving me the confidence to speak up in meetings traditionally outside my skillset and it’s given me improved skills as a manager, which have proven particularly useful.”
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Designed for busy people
Seen by many as the ultimate postgrad, MBA programmes are demanding, but NCI has nearly 75 years’ experience delivering part-time courses to busy people, and the 2-year programme is designed to be doable even by someone who may already be working a very challenging job.
“At the time I was working full time, travelling frequently for my role, was responsible for significant growth targets in my organisation, and had been out of formal education for ten years. However, it became clear very quickly that completing an MBA was a different learning experience to what I was used to. The practical application and self-directed research made the assignments feel less-and-less like study and more about feeding my natural curiosity,” says Fiona Claridge, Client Director at HPC.
Finding the right college for you
As it had been several years since his last time in education, Eamon Sharkey, Director of Marketing, Fundraising and Communications at Goal, felt there were gaps in his understanding of the business world.
When considering his study options, Eamon found that an MBA was the right direction for him as it was broad, touching on many areas of his organisation such as HR, finance, and marketing, but it also allows students to focus on areas that most interest them. He also felt employers would consider a postgraduate qualification to be valuable but that the prestige of an MBA would really help him stand out from the crowd.
Eamon found that the MBA at NCI had an immediate impact on his confidence when applying strategy and making important business decisions: “I could put the learnings into practice on a daily basis.”
Critical thinking
“Many MBA programmes are not taught in a way that encourages students to think critically,” Professor Darcy notes. “However, the NCI programme emphasises experimentation and critical thinking.”
Reflecting on her journey after the first year of the degree, Erica Coen, Business Development Manager at Chanelle Pharma, found that she was more agile in her work and decision-making process and that she was backing herself in more ways than one at work. At that stage, she was able to say that choosing the MBA at NCI “is the best decision I have ever made. I am reaping the rewards from that decision in both my personal and professional life.”
An investment in yourself
Undertaking an MBA is a big investment in yourself, both of time and of money, so it is important to do your research before selecting the institution you want to attend. Having explored many colleges, NCI was Erica’s top choice due to the smaller class sizes and the supports available to part-time students. As a student, she remains impressed by the unparalleled calibre of lecturing and the high quality of the content.
David Hurley, Marketing and Entrepreneurship Lecturer at NCI, and recipient of the President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching, acknowledges the reward that comes with choosing this path: “An MBA is an internationally recognised qualification – a ‘passport’ to greater things both personally and professionally. My teaching approach is all about providing the real-life tools and examples that help students identify and achieve these greater things.”
Realising career ambitions
Having worked at Citi for a number of years, Adam Shah, Vice President of Operations Risk, credits the MBA at NCI as being a crucial factor in helping him achieve a big promotion: “The standard of the lecturers at NCI is world class. They not only have the theoretical understanding but the practical experience behind what they teach. The MBA at NCI gave me the insight to understand how every decision can impact the bottom line.”
Realising personal ambitions
As Director of Retail Operations at Paddy Power Betfair, Marion Ryan wanted to gain additional knowledge in areas like leadership, finance and law that she felt she could not learn from her working life or through self-learning. Regretting that she had not made the most of college first time around, she says of her decision to undertake an MBA: “It was a personal goal, I felt I had unfinished business.” Going back and restarting that journey is something Marion says she would recommend to anyone.
Strong connections; professional network
MBA students come from a wide range of backgrounds but tend to have one thing in common; the desire to work hard and progress in their career. The reward for those undertaking an MBA is not just a highly valued, internationally recognised qualification, but a strongly-connective, supportive professional network to draw on for life. Everyone benefits from the range of sectoral experience of their fellow classmates.
“In addition to the all-round senior management learning and leadership tools, without a doubt the best thing about the course was getting to know my fellow students. There were 24 of us, 3 women, a really diverse group, working in a variety of different roles and industries. We learned so much from each other and really supported each other through the course. We all remain connected and continue to meet and socialise together.” – Edel Murphy, Senior Director Finance PMO & MD, Yahoo Ireland.
Are you MBA-ready?
As a postgraduate programme, an MBA sits at Level 9 on the National Framework of Qualifications. MBA students typically have five years or more experience at middle management level and already hold a level 8 qualification.
First and foremost, undertaking an MBA requires drive! If you have extensive work experience but do not hold an honours bachelor’s degree, you may still be admitted to the MBA programme at NCI under Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL), which identifies the ‘learning outcomes’ of your working life. RPEL is a rigorous process, so you should commence your application as early as possible.
“My recommendation would be to attend the MBA Open Days of every college you are interested in and speak directly with the Programme Director,” says Professor Darcy. “NCI does not want to ‘sell’ you an MBA, you will be encouraged to apply if the programme is right for where you are in your life right now and where you want to go next.”
To find out more about the MBA at NCI or to register for an open event visit www.ncirl.ie