Which core aspects of your business programme interest you the most?
FIGURE 7: WHICH CORE ASPECTS OF YOUR BUSINESS PROGRAMME INTEREST YOU THE MOST?
61%
Developing business skills
57%
Networking opportunities
International opportunities and outlook
55%
Career development opportunities
53%
51% 50%
Developing people management skills
Learning from industry experts
57% of participants cite networking opportunities among their most-valued programme elements
Learning from other students
49%
Improv ing soft skills
46%
43%
Entrepreneurship Learning about the wider world and business (eg issues related to climate change and poverty) Learning finance skills
38%
35%
29%
Learning about emerging technologies
2%
Other (please specify)
0
13
26
39
52
65
More altruistic reasons for studying are also in evidence. Over a quarter (27 per cent) are pursuing their management programme to understand how to run a business for the greater good of society, for example, while 19 per cent want to learn how to run an ethically sound business. Other reasons shared by students indicate a variety of individual motivations for undertaking management education, including gaining citizenship and the sheer enjoyment of learning. Targeted applications predominate Moving on, the survey enquired about the number of programmes to which each respondent applied. Half of the participants (50 per cent) applied to just one programme, indicating a clear preference for a specific programme at a specific institution. A total of 22 per cent applied to two programmes, while 11 per cent applied to three programmes, four per cent applied to four programmes and eight per cent applied to more than four programmes. A small proportion (three per cent) were o ered a place and did not need to apply. The remaining eight per cent selected ‘other’, potentially indicating participation in a company-sponsored programme that required no application. The amount of o ers received closely mirrored the application numbers. Slightly over half (51 per cent) received one o er,
before they enrolled. Results reveal a diverse range of prior experience – approximately 22 per cent of the participants have four to six years’ experience, while another 22 per cent have seven to 10 years’ experience. A similar proportion (18 per cent) of students have zero to three years’ experience. Subsequently, the survey explored the reasons behind participants’ decisions to pursue their qualification. The most common reason students choose to study a business programme is to expand their areas of expertise, with 74 per cent of respondents citing this motivation. Additionally, 67 per cent of students want to acquire more skills and knowledge about the business world. Improving business and professional contacts is, meanwhile, a significant factor for 46 per cent of participants, while 45 per cent seek to di erentiate themselves in the job market ( see chart on page 16 ). Intriguingly, student respondents have a clear eye on the longer-term outcomes of undertaking a business programme. A total of 40 per cent say earning more money in the long term is a reason for pursuing their studies, while only 11 per cent cite short-term financial gains as a motivator. This suggests that students view their education as a long-term investment in their future, rather than a quick route to financial gain. 14 AMBA & BGA Student Survey 2023
As depicted in Figure 7, students’ top interest – cited by 61 per cent of participants – relates to developing business skills. Other popular choices include networking opportunities (cited by 57 per cent), international opportunities and outlook (55 per cent) and career development prospects (53 per cent).
Fewer students are most interested in their programme’s coverage of emerging technologies (29 per cent) and entrepreneurship (35 per cent), as well as broader world and business-related topics, such as issues related to climate change and poverty (38 per cent). The survey then delved further into course content to enquire about the individual topics within business programmes that interest today’s students the most.
14 | Ambition DECEMBER 2023/JANUARY 2024
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