Many students move from school to university to read a subject that interests them, or in which they excelled at school. And it is still the case that employers value the intellect and ability that a good first degree can demonstrate.

However, there is always the option to prepare for the competitive job market by continuing to study a more specialist course at Masters level. Postgraduate courses in business and administration (MBA) have become recognised all over the world as a qualification that shows competence in the basic management disciplines and tools. Although there are no hard and fast rules, the MBA is a generalist degree and normally covers the key subject areas of people (often called ‘Organisation Behaviour’), money (‘Accounting’ and ‘Finance’), how to define what is going on in the wider environment (‘Economics’), what people want (‘Marketing’), getting things done (‘Project Management’) and what to do next (‘Strategic Planning’). Business law, information technology and international trade are also common courses, and the better business schools offer a wide range of optional courses as well. Read on to discover how MBA courses () can enhance your career prospects.

Most universities offer MBAs on a full time or part time basis, or even distance learning – but it is important to understand what type of course is on offer, as there are many MBA programmes that primarily cater for the needs of experienced managers who have decided to return to study after several years in work in order to widen their skill set.

You will also want to consider the trade-off between completing your MBA course as a full time student in one or two years, but foregoing the salary and experience that you would get from taking on a job straightaway - and the challenge of combining work with part-time or distance learning study. It is advisable to check out the options for taking a study break, the possibility of moving from one location to another, and how the fees are payable (in advance, as you go etc).Self –managed distance learning at MBA level has become increasingly popular over the past 10 years.

Another option to consider is taking a more specialised Masters programme. If you know that a career in Marketing, or Financial Management is what really interests you, then you can opt to focus on that and study an MSc degree programme in just that discipline. As a well-known business school dean once said “If you want to talk sensibly to your finance director, do an MBA. If you want to be the finance director, do a specialist MSc in Finance”.

Before you decide, it is well worthwhile researching your options and the web is the best place to do this. An alternative is to get hold of the relevant prospectuses, but in either case be sure to study what is on offer carefully. British universities award their degrees under their own Royal Charter, and are not required to follow a set syllabus for an MBA or MSc programme – so it is important to find out what is on offer, what you want, and then make the right choice. Because the MBA market has become so large in the past 20 years, there are several organisations that seek to profit from the interest by offering advice and even ‘accreditation’, and various national newspapers publish ‘rankings’ based on their own criteria: but as all British universities operate under strict governance, it is perhaps more important to make your choice based on the information that is available from them directly.

MBA courses are increasingly desired by employers and in some cases, are essential. Studying an MBA can put you ahead in your career so think carefully about which area you want to specialise in and go for it!