The MSc Business Analysis & Consulting course is new for 2009-10. It is a twelve month course (full-time) and will start each year at the end of September.
Graduate Profiles - read how some of our alumni benefited from our partner course - MSc in Operational Research
The MSc will also be offered by Distance Learning from October 2009.
The course is designed to take students with a wide variety of first degrees.
The programme consists of a mixture of core and optional lecture courses, interspersed with practical exercises and work experience. For MSc candidates, this is followed by an extended external project.
Funding
Available for entry in October 2009 - the Department offers some scholarships for UK and other EU students. Applicants should indicate on their applications if they wish to be considered for this funding.
Course Objective
MSc in Business Analysis & Consulting aims to realise the potential of graduates, so that they immediately play an effective role in providing model-based support to managers to help them make better decisions at a strategic level. Students will develop a rigorous academic understanding of key quantitative business analysis methods in addition to being introduced to models used to support the development of strategy for organisations and enable the monitoring and measurement of strategic processes. Key consulting skills will also be developed in order to effectively support management at a strategic level.
Lecture Topics
Download a PDF document which describes all the classes in detail.
The taught part of the course consists of:
Five core classes:
- Foundations of Operational Research and Business Analysis
- Quantitative Business Analysis
- Managing Business Operations
- Spreadsheet Modelling & Demand Forecasting
- Strategy Modelling & Management
A choice of 3 classes from the following:
- Business Simulation Methods
- Business Information Systems
- Risk Analysis and Management
- Performance Measurement and Management
Plus one further core class:
- Becoming an effective Business Analyst
The other taught modules on the programme introduce a variety of techniques, methods, models and approaches to the student. However, the practical reality of applying analytical methods in business is often far removed from the classroom. Working with decision-makers on real issues presents a variety of challenges. For example, data may well be ambiguous and hard to come by, it may be far from obvious which business analysis methods can be applied and managers will need to be convinced of the business merits of any suggested solutions. While traditional teaching can alert students to such issues, understanding needs to be reinforced by experience.
Becoming an effective Business Analyst runs through both semesters of the degree, in parallel with the other classes. It introduces students, mostly through experiential learning, to as much as possible of the practical reality of becoming an effective business analyst and the key skills required to function as an effective consultant in this area.
The class will consist of:
- A series of semi- or unstructured business problems, typically introduced by a manager from an outside organisation. The business problems will typically relate to a topic/technique recently covered in one of the other modules. Students spend time tackling unstructured problems, usually in groups, and present and compare their findings. These sessions include "workshops" in which students analyse real problems presented by managers as guests of the Department (in addition, practitioners give more general talks to the class on business analysis/consulting within their own organisations). Following these case studies reflective sessions will be held which focuses on the development of reflective practitioner skills
- Experience is augmented, and integrated with, the rest of the course by a series of workshops on directly related topics that will provide guidance on key skills development.
DSTL Prize: There is an award of £100, provided by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, for the best full-time MSc mark in Becoming an effective OR modeller or Becoming an effective Business Analyst.
The 2008/09 winner of the DSTL prize Alex Leggate (middle) being awarded his prize by the Head of Department, Prof Lesley Walls (left) and Director of the MSc course, Dr Susan Howick (right).
Course Entry and Duration
The full-time MSc course lasts twelve months, starting at the end of September. Applicants should normally expect to have at least a second class honours degree. Most students have first degrees in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering.
Subject to demand, the MSc can also be obtained part-time, over two or three years. The same topics are studied, normally one day per week. Most students are already in employment and sponsored by their employers, and carry out their project work within their own organisations.
Study for the Postgraduate Diploma degree lasts nine months, following the same taught classes as for the MSc (though to a less demanding standard). As well as allowing students to complete a recognised course in a shorter time, the Diploma provides the opportunity for a wider range of applicants to enter the Operational Research world. Students demonstrating sufficient ability may be allowed to transfer in-course to study for the MSc.
Applicants for the diploma course should normally expect at least a pass degree or equivalent in an appropriate subject, but other forms of qualification or experience will also be considered.
English Language
Where an applicant's mother tongue is English, or the first degree was done at an institution with English as its language of communication, there is no special requirement. For others the University normally requires a minimum TOEFL score of 600, 6.5 in IELTS, or 250 in a computer based TOEFL test. Pre-sessional courses in English are available.
Further Information
If you wish further information about the MSc and postgraduate Diploma courses in Business Analysis & Consulting then please contact:
Dr Jason Whalley, Department of Management Science, University of Strathclyde, Graham Hills Building, 40 George St, Glasgow, G1 1QE, Scotland. Email: jason.whalley@strath.ac.uk Tel: +44(0)141 548 4546 Fax: +44(0)141 552 6686
"Apprenticeship" Period
As part of the course, students spend a short period working within an established Operational Research (or related) group, so gaining a preliminary experience of how analysis is carried out in an organisational setting. This "apprenticeship period" lasts for three weeks, starting in mid-January. Many major groups collaborate in accepting students, singly or in pairs. The students work as members of the host group, while also being briefed to act as observers of how the group functions. While three weeks is a short time, the class gains collective experience of life in a wide range of organisations, reflected in discussion and comparison when the class reassembles. This has proved to be a particularly valuable aspect of the Apprenticeship scheme, which is unique to the Strathclyde course.
Postgraduate Tuition Fees
A common scale of fees applies to all full-time postgraduate students, whether registered for an MSc/PGD or a research degree. For information about distance learning fees for the MSc Business Analysis & Consulting please contact Alison Kerr in the Management Science department at alison.kerr@strath.ac.uk
The University of Strathclyde website lists the fees for all the degrees.
Applicants who are unsure of their status should seek clarification from the University Registry as early as possible in the application process. (The main criterion used in most cases is "normal place of residence" rather than nationality.)
Information on scholarships that are available to overseas students can be found on the Scholarships and Funding webpage.
MSc Projects
The MSc project is usually carried out for an outside organisation. Students spend the three months from July to September working on a project of importance to the clients. The aim is to gain direct experience in applying the concepts and theories studied on the course. Projects may be carried out individually, or in small teams of two or three students. Project clients include many major concerns, in fields ranging from aerospace to whisky distilling!
A wide variety of organisations have hosted recent projects and/or apprenticeship placements.
Postgraduate entry requirements are in our prospectus.
for Sep 2010 entry to full-time PG Diploma business analysis and consulting (Admission Code : MSPD3)
Postgraduate entry requirements are in our prospectus.
Postgraduate entry requirements are in our prospectus.
for Sep 2010 entry to part-time PG Diploma business analysis and consulting (Admission Code : MSPDPT)
Postgraduate entry requirements are in our prospectus.
