Boost your career prospects by studying part-time at the University of Strathclyde

At some point in any career, you may find yourself needing to embark on a course of study to change direction, learn new skills or gain a promotion.

Yet once employed with a steady salary, with the usual outgoing expenses of rent, mortgage, car loans and more, taking time out for a new course of study – with the resultant loss of salary and costs of the programme to take on board - may not be so appealing.

Part time programmes may be the answer. Strathclyde Business School offers a variety of programmes which can be studied part time, allowing you to maintain your income while you learn and finance your studies.

Back in 1976, Strathclyde became the first university in the UK to offer an MBA programme via part time study so they have a wealth of experience in offering this part time route. Studied via evening classes in Glasgow over 2-3 years, students can put their learning into immediate practice in their workplace, opening up new ways of working through insights gained during their studies, and the resulting improvements may help accelerate your career.

Where work commitments may mean missing classes, the Strathclyde MBA offers flexible learning intensive seminars for any classes missed in this way.

Studying the MBA part time gives students the opportunity to get to know people from across the broad spectrum of Scottish industry and helps them establish a powerful network amongst Scotland’s up and coming managers. Some weekend classes are offered so students can study a particular class in a more intensive fashion over 2-3 days.

However, since Strathclyde Business School introduced studying the MBA part time, they have gone on to add additional programmes to their part-time portfolio.

The mix of theory and practice on the MSc Human Resource Management means students can apply their learning as they progress through the programme. Attending classes once a week, the MSc takes 36 months to complete the MSc or 24 months for the Diploma - once students gain the Diploma they are accredited as meeting the knowledge requirements for Professional Membership of the CIPD. Part time students complete a project on an HR issue from their own organisation –a useful piece of consultancy for the employer overseen by academic expertise.

Designed for the aspiring professional economist or those working in a business or policy environment where an understanding of the economy is essential, those studying the MSc in Applied Economics benefit from the presence of the Fraser of Allander Institute in the Economics department. A leading independent economic institute, the Fraser was involved in a recent revamping of the course curriculum and the MSc offers students a unique opportunity to engage with Fraser staff working at the cutting edge of applied economics research, industry engagement and policymaking. Studying part time will take between 24-36 months.

The MSc in Global Energy Management is another part time offering. Since first introduced, GEM has gone from strength to strength and offering it part-time over two years opens it up to even more people.

The MSc in Business Analysis and Consulting is studied over two years part time, providing practical evaluative and analytical skills on the use of business models to develop strategy for organisations or – as with the MSc in Operational Research - it can be studied via distance learning over 26 months.

Completing a postgraduate degree and working at the same time can be hard work but employers will appreciate the commitment, willpower, motivation and effort that an employee puts into studying while working.

Gaining more experience in the workplace while increasing your qualifications at the same time could get you noticed, which could lead to better job opportunities and promotions.

What’s more, making your employer aware of your intended study could be a benefit in another way - many employers are willing to sponsor employees to develop their potential through further study, whether through financial support or by providing time-off to study.

To find out more about any of these programmes and the part-time options, please email [email protected]