The Aston Global Advantage
Our professional development programme
The Aston Global Advantage is our professional development programme and an integrated module that runs throughout your MSc course at Aston Business School. The programme will equip you with transferable skills and relevant experiences for the workplace, giving you a competitive edge in the job market, or for when starting a business. Flexible and personalised, this programme can be tailored to your career aspirations, development needs, or existing professional experience. Whatever career path you wish to follow, this programme lets you take control of your future. Hear from our graduates about the programme.
"I identified the job after working with the careers team on campus."
"I’m not sure that I would be where I am today if it wasn’t for this professional development programme."
The Aston Global Advantage programme is an integrated module which runs throughout your course. It involves classroom-based workshops, group tasks, and applied learning experiences, as well as a range of assessment methods, including practical activities, reflective essays, and a portfolio showing evidence of professional business skills.
There’s support available to help you find work placements and for students on a Tier 4 visa, the University will sponsor your application to enable you to gain valuable work experience in the UK.
The programme will build your confidence, enhance your self-awareness and effectively prepare you for the world of work and the academic requirements of your course. Given the diversity of our students and teaching staff, you’ll also learn how to work effectively in a multicultural context.
In the first two terms, you’ll take part in various practical workshops and develop a wide range of academic, professional and transferable ‘soft’ skills, all of which are highly sought-after by employers and essential to aspiring entrepreneurs. These include:
Soft skills
Presentation, teamwork, leadership and intercultural communication, self-leadership and reflective practice.
Academic skills
Critical reasoning and analytical thinking, reflective writing and case study analysis.
Professional skills
Career and enterprise planning, CV and job application best practice, interview and assessment centre techniques and networking.
Take advantage of this amazing opportunity to live and study aboard with one of our international partner institutions. Experience a new culture, gain a deeper understanding of your subject area and build an international network of contacts.
Our extensive network of partners means you can study almost anywhere in the world, from USA to Australia, as well as at some of the highest ranked business schools in Europe.
Opportunities range from a four-week summer school to a full semester exchange.
Find out more about our study abroad opportunities
There's even a chance to spend an entire year overseas with one of our partner institutions and gain an additional qualification, thanks to our Exchange Partnership Second Degree pathway. Find out more about Exchange Partnership Second Degree pathway opportunities
Gain valuable real-life professional experience, enhance your CV and increase your commercial knowledge and understanding, thanks to our exciting range of hands-on work-based opportunities:
N.B. Students on a Tier 4 visa will be sponsored by the University if they undertake a work placement in the UK
Develop your teamwork, problem solving and commercial decision-making capabilities through an innovative team-based business simulation challenge.
Compete with other teams to run the most successful virtual business and gain practical experience of tackling complex commercial decisions in a dynamic environment.
There are three separate simulation challenges available depending on your course:
You will find out more about these business simulations during the first and second terms.
Develop your entrepreneurial mindset, learn to effectively bring a new product to market and discover how to protect your intellectual property.
If you’re looking to start your own business this could be the steam for you. Working as part of team, you’ll develop a business idea and create a business plan to demonstrate your venture’s commercial potential.
You will find out more about PIPE during the first and second terms.
For students choosing to study abroad (stream one) or undertake a work placement (stream two), you have the option to extend your programme by up to 12 months:
You will find out more about PIPE during the first and second terms.
Please contact our International Student Advice Team at astoninternational@aston.ac.uk if you have any questions about how these placements affect your Tier 4 visa application.
Dr Jude Preston, a lecturer in the Work and Organisation Department at Aston Business School, explains how the Aston Global Advantage module gives its Masters students a unique head start in landing their dream jobs. Release date: June 2023 |