Management degrees give students a broad foundation in topics relating to business, finance, economics and marketing. Most management degrees have a very practical focus, with opportunities to complete work placements and professional projects included as part of the program. For those more interested in the theory which goes into informing policies and best practices in management, there are also more research-orientated management degrees to choose from. And, of course, programs that combine the two.
At undergraduate level, management degrees may be offered either as a BA (Bachelor of Arts) or BSc (Bachelor of Science), depending on the institution. They typically take three or four years to complete, with some institutions offering the opportunity to spend an additional year completing a work placement or spend time studying abroad. Management degrees are often offered in university departments known as ‘business schools’ or by dedicated ‘schools of management’. Teaching is typically a combination of lectures, seminars and classes, with students expected to deliver presentations, prepare reports, write essays, complete problem sets and take part in group discussions. Assessment usually takes the form of an essay, dissertation or assignment, a group project, examinations, or a combination of these elements. You’ll start with core courses in your first year covering topics such as introduction to accounting, introduction to computing, introduction to management, action research, applications in management, business economics, business environment analysis, business law, business statistics, financial mathematics, management of business functions, management science, marketing theory and practice, organization studies, research in management and systems thinking. You’ll then be able to choose from a series of more specialized management topics, in order to focus on the aspects of management that interest you most.