[IMAGE: Aberdeen Business School Undergraduate Programme]
Welcome from the Dean
[IMAGE: Professor Rita Marcella, Dean of Aberdeen Business School]
"The opportunity to study for a degree will, for most, only occur once in a lifetime. Choosing the right programme is probably one of the most important decisions that you will ever make. It will directly shape the next few years of your life, and thereafter will have a considerable influence on your entire professional career. Our graduates find this the most enjoyable periods of their lives and there are a number of reasons for selecting Aberdeen Business School for your studies:
The foremost reason is your career. With more competition for jobs it is increasingly important to be in a position that maximises your employability and The Robert Gordon University continues to maintain its position of having one of the best graduate recruitment records in the UK.
The Sunday Times University Guide notes that - "RGU tops our graduate employment table this year, combining the lowest level of unemployment (1.9%) with one of the best rates of graduate-level employment (86.4%)."
Secondly, a consistently good reputation. We are the top modern university in Scotland and ranked the second best modern university in the UK. The rating for our teaching is excellent with all areas of teaching and learning, student progression and educational resources commended by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. We constantly strive to improve all aspects of the courses so as to remain at the forefront of current developments in education and business.
Finally, another reason for studying here at the business school is our location. We are sited in an award-winning, state-of-the-art campus on the banks of the River Dee. We believe the facilities on the university campus at Garthdee provide an outstanding environment for teaching and learning. We offer a variety of undergraduate courses which are vocationally based to ensure they help you to realise your ambitions."
Professor Rita Marcella
Our Undergraduate Magazine - THE BIZ
[IMAGE: Cover view of THE BIZ. the magazine for and by Aberdeen Business School students]
"Choosing the right undergraduate programme is one of the most important decisions you will ever make . . . and thereafter will have a considerable influence on your entire professional career" - these are the words of our Director of Undergraduate Programmes in his introduction to The Aberdeen Business School magazine 'The BIZ'. The magazine is designed by our school marketing team and has articles on events, experiences of courses and student life, graduate success stories and current news about the school.
Our rating for teaching is excellent with all aspects of our teaching and learning, student progression and educational resources commended by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.
Disability Support
The University has a Disability Advisory Service which provides friendly advice and support for students with disabilities that affect learning in higher education. The Business School also has two academic members of staff who are the Disability Contacts for undergraduate students who are always happy to provide advice and support. More details at the following link:
Placements
The Aberdeen Business School has a long and well established history of providing placements for our students and our Placement Office was one of the first of its kind to be established. The inclusion of a period of salaried industrial placements has proven to be invaluable both in providing work experience and in the career opportunities and at the Placement Office we work throughout the year placing students from our courses with local, national and international employers.
A placement means that you get an opportunity for 'real world' experience in a 'proper job'. This ranges from 6 weeks for the Publishing and Journalism degree, 18 weeks for Law and Management to 48 weeks for the Accountancy and Finance degree. In addition to the obvious financial rewards, there are many other advantages that result from spending this time in employment, especially in relation to your own level of experience and personal development. It will assist you greatly in your honours year and has proved invaluable in helping secure employment for our graduates.
Through these placements the School has fostered strong links with the business community, both locally and nationally, and in 2007 was the principal sponsor of the Northern Star Business Awards.
Professor Rita Marcella, Dean of School, said, "I was delighted that the School had the opportunity to sponsor the Northern Star Business Awards as they recognise entrepreneurship and dynamic management which are qualities we support and nurture in our students."
The Aberdeen Business School Placement Provider Award was made to three finalists who were nominated by our students for providing excellent training and development opportunities during their placements.
Opportunities to study abroad
The placement opportunities that we can offer are varied - both in terms of geographical location and the type of jobs that are available.
There are positions available in the fields of personnel, marketing, finance, economics, accounting, e-business, information media, law, project management, politics, information management, journalism, publishing, retail, petroleum economics, tourism, public affairs, hospitality and human resource management.
There are numerous exchange opportunities across Europe and further afield within our degree programme and we have a number of European partner Business Schools where you can elect to participate in the ERASMUS Programme. You do not have to be proficient in a foreign language to take up this opportunity, as in most of these exchange programmes the modules are delivered in English. The RGU International Office can provide you with more information on this.
Careers
It is important not to lose sight of the fact that coming to University is a means to an end. The aim of the degree programmes that we have here is to create graduates that are highly desirable in the graduate employment market.
Aberdeen Business School graduates compete for, and succeed in getting, the top graduates jobs in the UK. We have a reputation for providing employers with professional individuals who have exceptional technical and personal skills. You have a chance to be a part of this. The RGU Careers Centre will support you throughout your studies and as a graduate.
The Careers Centre offers advice, guidance and information to all students undertaking undergraduate or postgraduate courses. After graduation the centre will continue to provide support, in particular to those who have graduated within the last three years. Services at the Centre include:
- Individual Careers Guidance
- Drop in careers queries
- CV Consultations
- Interview Preparation
- Job Seeking Skills Workshops
- Online Vacancy and Events System for Part-time, Vacation and Graduate jobs
- Careers Library
Contact the centre online on the Careers Centre or by:
Telephone: +44 (0)1224 262110
Email: careers@rgu.ac.uk
Post Study Work Visa for International Students
Over the years the number of students coming to study in Scotland and the UK has increased as they choose to take advantage of the UK's first-class universities and colleges. A Post-Study Work visa (Tier 1 Post-Study Work) is now available (from 31st March, 2009) which offers international students the opportunity of staying on in the UK for two years after graduation to seek employment opportunities.
The Tier 1 Post-Study Work visa provides students anywhere in the UK to take advantage of this scheme, and replaces the Fresh Talent initiative which allowed students in Scotland to stay on for up to two years post-graduation.
Please note that there are some important changes and new rules regarding the Post-Study Work visa - which is that, from the 31st March 2009, you can only apply for this visa if you have been awarded a Bachelors degree or a MSc qualification.
Further detail on this and other related information can be found in the site for Fresh Talent.