INNOVATION PROFILE Kemmy Business School,UL: IN COMMON with other programmes at Kemmy Business School at UL new courses here include a number of elements which prepare the students for life after college.
“On a general level all of our postgraduate programmes have a number of distinctive features that set them apart from programmes you might find elsewhere,” says KBS director of postgraduate studies Dr Fergal O’Brien.
“The professional development modules in the programmes make the students think about themselves and ask questions about their skills, competencies, strengths and weaknesses. The unique thing is that these elements are built in to the programmes and are assessed and credited. They are not just part of the university’s careers service.”
Another key aspect of many of the programmes is the international field trips which are organised to enhance the student’s learning experience. “For example, if you are studying for an MA in international tourism here you will visit Cuba to see what they are doing to grow the industry there. Tourism is very important to the Cuban economy and this makes it very useful for the students to spend time there.”
Students on the new MSc in risk management and insurance programme will go to Cologne where they will gain work experience in the financial services sector as well as visiting industry hubs such as Frankfurt. And the trips form an integral part of the courses.
“The students have to write a diary of their experiences and how the trip has impacted on their thinking. One of the things we have always focused on here at the Kemmy Business School is experiential learning,” O’Brien adds.
Students on financial services programmes have access to the school’s virtual trading floor, the first such facility in any European university campus. “Students get real life experience of working on a trading floor,” O’Brien says. “They also get a trading floor qualification which is certified by Bloomberg. This facility was part of the reason why our MSc in financial services was voted best business postgraduate course in 2011 at the Gradireland awards.”
One of the very interesting recent developments in relation to the KBS suite of postgraduate programmes has been the introduction of the core modules of corporate responsibility, international economic issues, project management, and leadership and influencing change into the courses. This is as a result of current and recent Irish and world economic crises. Also of note is the introduction of professional development modules which helps the graduates of these programmes to be “job ready” once they are finished their studies.
“People usually choose to do a postgraduate course in order to develop a specialism but that shouldn’t preclude them from doing other things,” O’Brien says. “There are four optional modules and students opt for two of them. Even if you are studying something as technical as computational finance you will still have to have an understanding of leadership. You could call them generic skills.”
While these modules are optional on some courses the corporate responsibility module is a core part of many of them. “We have an expression here at the University of Limerick that we are trying to make our students fit for life. We get them to question things like their communication skills, how they collaborate, how they handle conflict, and we try to make sure they are globally aware. We also work on things like how they present themselves to companies.”
The physical surroundings and facilities at UL also assist in this process. “This campus is an amazing place,” O’Brien says. “It’s a very easy place to become mentally and physically fit. We’ve got great wide open green spaces and a location on the banks of the Shannon as well as having the best sporting facilities in the country.”
He says the three new courses will principally appeal to graduates who already have a background in the areas covered and wish to pursue careers in them. “The masters in taxation will probably appeal to students with a background in the accounting and taxation areas. The MSc in economic analysis will appeal to graduates in areas such as commerce or business studies with an economics background or to arts graduates with a significant portion of their degree in economics. The MSc in risk management and insurance may appeal to graduates in maths and law as well as business.”
The entry requirements for the courses are quite broad. “We have taken people onto our masters programmes in the past without the relevant background who have managed to convince us that the course is for them,” he says. “We generally interview applicants not so much to exclude them but to figure out if it’s the best decision for them. We try to get a good conversation going so that we can work out together if the course is right for them and meets their overall career goals.”
The closing date for applications for KBS postgraduate courses is June 15th but O’Brien says anyone thinking of applying should do so as early as possible. “Courses tend to fill up quite quickly,” he says. “Also, there are a limited number of scholarships worth €2,000 each towards the cost of taught postgraduate programmes available this year to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the University of Limerick. Students should apply for the scholarship at the same time as applying for the course.”
To find more about postgraduate programmes at KBS go to iti.ms/Jnev4V
