<p>My D has been accepted in the undergraduate of business management program at University of St. Andrews. She is also in the process of applying to other business/finance schools - UCL, Warwick and KCL.</p>
<p>We would like to support her dream of studying in Europe, especially UK, but we are concerned about job prospects after graduation either in the US or overseas.</p>
<ol>
<li>How is a business degree from the above colleges perceived by the US employers?</li>
<li>Is it harder for US citizens to find jobs and obtain work visa in UK and other European or Asian countries?</li>
<li>What other good business schools in UK she should also consider (besides LSE and Oxbridge)?</li>
</ol>
<p>Any advice or experience you can share will be greatly appreciated!</p>
<ol>
<li>The listed universities (except maybe Warwick) are internationally recognized as excellent universities. Domestically, they all are – in particular Warwick; it was recently ranked first (above Oxbrigde and LSE) for its economics and management programs. </li>
<li>A work visa is necessary to work in the U.K. They are normally quite difficult to get. However, employers in the U.K. (and the EU for that matter) don’t discriminate against foreign workers. </li>
<li>Domestically, the University of Bath is considered to have one of the best business and management programs.</li>
</ol>
<p>Building on MeIsHM, employers don’t discriminate, but don’t underestimate how hard that visa is to get: essentially, the employer has to demonstrate that there is nobody in the UK / EU qualified to do the job. Most freshly minted college graduates will have trouble with meeting that standard.</p>
<p>Also, the universities are recognized as being excellent- by people who are familiar with them. In the US many employers simply won’t have heard of them. </p>
<p>More to the point, be aware that undergraduate business degrees have their critics:</p>
<p>Whether her undergraduate business degree is from a US or UK uni is less likely to affect her job prospects than what she does during her breaks. That experience, those contacts, and how they shape what she looks for after graduation will matter most.</p>
<p>Thank you both for your thoughtful replies.</p>
<p>Since a work visa is difficult to obtain in the UK/EU, do most students return back to the US for work after graduation? Is there any advantage of having an UK degree if you are not in Oxbridge or LSE?</p>
<p>Collegemom, thanks for the link. I have heard of the critics on undergraduate business degrees, and if my H has his way, my D would get an engineering degree like the rest of family. She likes math, but not loving physics enough to study engineering, will probably study both business and math. Isn’t a business degree a trade degree like engineering? Perhaps the business curriculum needs to be expended, but I truly find it hard to believe that a psychology/history degree provides more critical thinking skills or more job opportunities than a business degree from the same college.</p>
<p>Honestly, with a partial exception for top top name schools and a full exemption for engineering, students coming out of an undergraduate program are differentiated more on what they have done during college (including breaks) than anything else. A business degree is perhaps somewhat vocational, but somebody with a history degree can be very successful in an entry level business position in a way that could not happen in engineering. More relevantly, there is a glut if both business majors and MBAs right now. As for prospects, a PayScale study on mid-career income levels put philosophy and history majors ahead of business majors.</p>
<p>None of which is to say she shouldn’t do business- just that she should do it because it’s interesting to her, not b/c she will have significantly better job prospects than in a different subject. For example, a math major would serve her at least as well when hitting the job market. Before some of the others jump in, I should point out how important it is that your daughter is interested in her course if she goes to the UK: it will be all business, all the time, not a major as in the US.</p>
<p>The advantages of going to the UK are partly what it gives your daughter in terms of world view, but can be practical if she chooses. Most business courses have some sort of real-world projects or placements: having them from the UK can be a differentiating element to her CV. Also, she can legally work (within limits) as a student, and again could get some additional, differentiating, experience that way. Finally, the big companies- P&G, BP, etc- still do management training schemes in the UK. These are typically 2 year contracts in which you rotate through a series of divisions so you learn the business and they see where you fit. Assuming you do well you are typically offered a permanent job at the end? It could be worth investigating her eligibility for those positions- they are big international companies who may be able / willing to handle the visa issues, at least for the training interval.</p>
<p>Collegemom, Thank you so much for your invaluable advice on the British system and job placements. </p>
<p>My D is happy with her UK offers, and one thing that she found extremely helpful was the the free personal statement editing from The Student Room. TSR offers safe and secure editing from qualified subject readers. Although my D was initially discouraged from all the red marks and criticisms, her revised statement showed more focus and depth. I wish CC offers similar services for the US applicants.</p>
<p>We have narrowed down her top choices based on the program. Would appreciate everyone’s opinion on the school reputation and job placements.</p>
<p>UCL - Brand new Management Science course from the Faculty of Engineering, MSci. degree in 4 years
Edinburgh - Business Management, Undergraduate
USC - Marshall, BS Business Administration</p>
<p>She might also like to have a look at Manchester Business School (part of the University of Manchester) which has a phenomenal reputation internationally, particularly in China. </p>
<p>boomting, Thanks for the recommendation, but unfortunately we are running out of time…trying to narrow down from her existing top 3 choices.</p>
<p>My H and I are mostly concerned about job placements in the US after graduation. Even though she dreams about working in Europe or Asia after graduation, we know it won’t be easy. So, it is important that she picks a school that is well known both in and outside of US. </p>