MBA Specialisations

There are many types of specialised MBA courses available today. From the MBA in Entrepreneurship and Facilities Management in DIT, to the MBA in International Business in Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT), there is a course out there tailored to suit your chosen area of business. Having this specialist qualification could give you an edge in the eyes of prospective employers.

Many third level colleges provide industry specific courses, which allow the student to gain experience and knowledge of a particular management area. Many employers, recognising the value of a tailored MBA, actively sponsor their employees to undertake a course. The Smurfit School of business in UCD was ranked highly in the Financial Times’ Executive MBA survey in the category of ‘Most Sponsored Students’.

The Executive MBA in Healthcare Management in UCD Smurfit School of Business is an ideal example of a tailored MBA programme. Designed specially for healthcare professionals, the course teaches the skills required to carry out the administrative and managerial responsibilities associated with the industry. According to the Smurfit School, students of the MBA will receive ‘a comprehensive business education and will learn how to provide effective leadership within the unique context of the healthcare sector’, thus enabling the MBA holder to become a leader within his/her organisation. ‘You can use your new skills and knowledge to accelerate your career and boost your professional development,’ the Smurfit School adds.

Dr Geraldine Doyle is the director of the Executive MBA Healthcare Management based in UCD’s Smurfit School. She says that just like any MBA, students receive a solid grounding in core modules such as economics, marketing and finance. She says that the main advantage of this course is that it ‘allows students to probe and study in detail those basic subjects with a healthcare perspective’.

Students are required to take specialised modules including health economics; legal and ethical issues, which are essential in managing any healthcare organisation; and financial control that is quite different in the healthcare sector than is the case in a for-profit organisation. ‘We seek to foster critical thinking and analysis as well as innovative and entrepreneurial thinking in terms of leadership within the healthcare sector,’ says Dr Doyle.

These leadership skills prepare students to accelerate their career development. According to Dr Doyle, students coming in to the executive course are often at a top level in terms of their clinical practice and may be at the stage where they wish to take on managerial roles. ‘Many of our alumni have moved in to management as a consequence of completing the course,’ she adds.

A specialised MBA qualification could indeed improve your career prospects and set you apart from other graduates. Specific skills and experience are invaluable in a competitive jobs market.
According to WIT, its MBA in International Business specifically addresses Ireland’s continuing popularity with foreign investors: ‘Since the 1960s the consistent policy ambition of opening up the Irish economy has led to Ireland having a global reputation for the attraction and retention of the best of foreign direct investment.’

The MBA in International Business is a full time two-year programme and provides training to ambitious managers who wish to ‘build upon their functional skills to become international leaders’. Entry requirements are rigorous, demanding a professional qualification in a business-related field, three or more years’ relevant experience, a satisfactory GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) score and an admission interview. However the qualification could prove very valuable for those wishing to take advantage of the level of foreign business investment in Ireland, or indeed, for those wishing to work abroad.

Corporate MBAs are tailored specifically for the needs of a sponsoring organisation’s employees, with a view to preparing them for promotion. This type of course is available in several third level institutions in Ireland. In UL, the Corporate MBA programme was designed to build on the traditional benefits of an MBA qualification, tailoring the course for individual participants with maximum value for employer organisations.

The course was developed in consultation with leading employers and this engagement with business and public sector organisations is continued throughout the programme. Currently, Abbott Laboratories and Boston Scientific sponsor the programme with one side of the course held in the Boston Scientific plant in Clonmel. Many other companies send employees to take the course in the Kemmy Business School in UL.

Professor Thomas Garavan, Director of MBA programmes in UL explained the strengths of the corporate MBA: ‘The programme is very well established and covers a whole range of subjects from Globalisation and International Economic Issues to Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. There is a strong focus on corporate business as well as on a broad range of subjects that are covered in any MBA.’

According to Garavan, the qualification is very highly valued and respected by these employers, as it is a huge investment for them – usually between €12,000 to €15,000 a year per employee. ‘The course would be viewed as a significant signal in terms of promotion and would be used to prepare employees for senior management positions,’ he said.

The MBA is also used as a conversion course for current employees – for example an engineer may take the course in order to enable him or her to take on a more managerial role within the organisation. Garavan says that a third reason that employers value the MBA is that it enhances the reputation of a company if management are seen to have the qualification.

Many graduates have gone on to have very successful careers following the UL corporate MBA, becoming senior managers in both Irish and international companies, proving the value of a specifically tailored MBA qualification.