contribution”; “an overly academic approach”; and “the need for a more international, rather than just regional, focus.” The survey then enquired about aspects of the programme that most interested students. As depicted in the chart on page 14, 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 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). Top topics are generalist in nature The survey then delved further into course content to enquire about the individual topics within business programmes that interest today’s students the most. Results here, as shown in the chart on page 17, highlight a good spread of interest across the most common topics
found in management education, which all appealed to at least one in five responding students. Unsurprisingly, among a sample dominated by those undertaking postgraduate generalist business degrees, the three most popular topics are the all-encompassing areas of general management (cited by 52 per cent), strategy execution (49 per cent) and global leadership (47 per cent). Meanwhile, topics identified among the three per cent who cited ‘other’ areas of interest when answering this
question include managing corporate reputation, the circular economy and artificial intelligence.
‘Big three’ industry sectors favoured The next part of the survey explored students’
ambitions on completion of their programme. It’s clear from this set of results that many students undertake a business degree or programme to enact a career change. For example, a quarter of responding students say they want to move to a new company in the same sector and take on a di erent job function. Another 18 per cent aim to switch to a new company in a di erent sector while maintaining a similar job function.
FIGURE 3: WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO STUDY A BUSINESS PROGRAMME? PLEASE SELECT ALL RESPONSES THAT APPLY
Why did you choose a business course?
74%
To increase my international mobility (eg work abroad/establish an international career) To get a broader understanding of how businesses should be managed To change career, for example, a different sector or function To learn more skills and knowledge about the business world To improve my business/professional network contacts To help differentiate myself in the job market To expand my area of expertise
67%
46% 45% 45% 44% 44%
40%
To earn more money in the long term
35%
To build my confidence
27% of management students want to learn how to run a business for the greater good of society
31%
To learn about developing a sustainable business To achieve a promotion
29% 27%
To learn how to run a business for the greater good of society
26%
To equip me to start my own business
24%
To learn about how to run an ethically sound business To learn how to run a more profitable business
19%
11%
To earn more money in the short term
2%
Other (please specify)
0%
Don’t know
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
The survey revealed that 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.
This suggests that students view their education as a long-term investment in their future, rather than a quick route to financial gains.
16 | Ambition DECEMBER 2023/JANUARY 2024
More altruistic reasons for studying are also in evidence.
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