Business Management with a Professional Placement Year (MSc)

How will I be taught?

An active learning approach is embedded in the MSc Business Management with a Professional Placement Year.  We believe that effective learning is founded on your involvement in diverse experiences, and the way you make sense of those experiences, both individually and with others.  A team that includes academics from multiple disciplines, and practitioners representing a range of functions and sectors will facilitate the modules.  This will reflect workplace practice and encourage the cross-fertilisation of different perspectives.

Each block of learning includes a variety of activities such as case studies, videos, mini team challenges, role-play, company visits, and industry speakers, all designed to introduce new ideas and develop your understanding.

We will help you to enhance the reflective skills you were introduced to during your first degree, including observation, analysis, and synthesis to ensure that you are able to develop comprehensive insight and clear conclusions about these experiences.

Sharing your understanding with others is also important for building new insights into the nature of business management in a variety of contexts.  You will be encouraged to work collaboratively in diverse teams to consider a range of alternative understandings and practices.

Trying out new learning is important too.  You will integrate and apply new understandings, together with new business management skills, in practical tasks embedded in each learning block, and in formal coursework activities.

During the second year, you will be supported by an academic supervisor who will provide guidance and advice on both your work placement and your consultancy project. Project topics are normally negotiated in consultation with the placement provider and will address a specific organisational problem. You will work under the guidance of both your academic supervisor and your placement provider in defining the problem, identifying the key issues, sourcing and analysing appropriate evidence and proposing practical solutions.

How will I be assessed?

The block programme structure provides plenty of opportunities for you to reflect on your learning and development informally.  Short knowledge/skill review activities are built into each module to help you check your progress and improve your approach to learning. This will build your confidence and enhance your approach to formal assessment tasks.

A variety of formal assessment tasks provide the opportunity to explore concepts and models in creative and practical ways.  These include poster presentations, case studies, group presentations, reports and videos.  You will work individually and as part of a team, just as you would in the workplace.

All formal assessments are completed within each module.  This enables more in-depth consolidation and application required for successful performance in assessment tasks based on the complex functional level work undertaken by professional managers. It also reflects realistic workplace timescales for the completion of tasks. The capstone module focuses explicitly on the challenge of multi-functional working and multi-faceted problems.

How will I be supported?

The University offers a wealth of support for postgraduate students.  These include:

Careers & Placement Support

Our dedicated Placements Manager offers advice on available work placements, internships, work experience and opportunities to enhance your CV and broaden your horizons. Support for job applications and interview techniques is also available from the Business School’s in-house Careers Consultant.

Learning Central

Learning Central is the University’s virtual learning environment.  All programme and module materials are posted here for students to access before, during and after lectures.

Libraries

You will have access to libraries across campus which hold over 1.1 million printed books. You will also have access to more than 1.5 million online books, journals, resources and databases.

Personal Tutor System

Each student is allocated a Personal Tutor.  This member of academic staff will maintain an overview of your learning and educational experiences.  If you are experiencing difficulties, your Personal Tutor will be there to listen and where possible provide professional guidance or else direct you to the appropriate source of support.

The Student Advisory Service

A free, impartial, non-judgemental and confidential service is offered to students on a wide range of personal, financial and academic matters.

Disability & Dyslexia Service

Confidential advice and support is provided for students who are disabled or who have a specific learning difficulty (e.g., dyslexia) or long-term medical condition.

Counselling Service

The Cardiff University Counselling Service provides members of the university community with an opportunity to examine issues that prevent them from maximising their full potential and to explore options for change. The Counselling Service is confidential and free of charge. It has had international recognition as a Centre for Excellence for individual and group counselling.

What skills will I practise and develop?

The Learning Outcomes for this Programme describe what you will be able to do as a result of your study at Cardiff University. They will help you to understand what is expected of you. 

The Learning Outcomes for this Programme can be found below:

Knowledge & Understanding:

On successful completion of the programme you will be able to:

• Draw on knowledge from relevant functional areas to design solutions to complex business management problems.
• Critically evaluate management frameworks, models, debates and evidence in a changing context.
• Critically evaluate the effectiveness of different research approaches for understanding management problems.
• Debate relevant business management issues in the context of contrasting the political, economic, socio-cultural and legal factors.
• Demonstrate a critical awareness of the significance of an organisation’s economic and social contribution to society.

Intellectual Skills:

On successful completion of the programme you will be able to:

• Analyse methods for generating data relevant to specific contexts.
• Critically analyse and synthesise information.
• Evaluate the practical application of theory to practice.
• Develop and communicate evidence-based recommendations.

Professional Practical Skills:

On successful completion of the programme you will be able to:

• Undertake research to address business problems.
• Utilise accounting techniques.
• Develop effective work relationships and team working skills.
• Function effectively in a professional workplace environment.
• Reflect on work-related experiences and the learning from the workplace.

Transferable/Key Skills:

On successful completion of the programme you will be able to:

• Solve problems.
• Communicate to diverse audiences through a range of media.
• Demonstrate self-awareness and undertake self-reflection.
• Work independently.
• Use digital technology.
• Analyse and reflect on own skills, identifying ways to improve through personal development planning.