Hi thereI'm a graduate looking to specialise in corporate strategy I'm considering applying to do an MA in Corporate strategy and governance at Nottingham University it’s a one of a kind course in the UK. Coming from a Marketing background I don't have a vast experience in analysing data and economics and this course has a heavy helping of those topics. My question is would it help me within the field of consulting and how is Nottingham Uni perceived in the Industry?

I don't think it would help. Firstly, management consultancies hire on aptitude rather than particular degrees so you would have as good a chance now as ever. Secondly, although Nottingham is a decent enough university for undergraduate study, its business school and in particular that course do not have a reputation (i.e. not saying that they have a reputation for being poor, but rather than few people have heard of them).

I have to agree with Notts. It's not the 'fit' of the degree with the profession that matters, but rather your aptitude. I don't think Nottingham is seen as having a great business school, as it doesn't rank close to lse, warwick, said or judge for non-mba masters.

Hi thanks for your comments, so do you think I should give Notts a miss then? Would warwick be a better option they have a Msc in Marketing/strategy which looks very interesting. I just don't want to do a MA and find that I'm no better off than I am at the moment. What would be the best option in your mind? Thanks again

the fact that it is an MSc rather than an MA would be an advantage as it's going to be a more quantitative degree. Secondly I feel the Warwick business school brand neam is much stronger than Nottingham's. Having said that though, Warwick's marketing and strategy degree is relatively new so I don't know how employers view it.

What's stopping you from applying right now ? The market for consultants might not be so buoyant in 1 - 2 years time.MBAs are very over-rated, in any case. Maybe 10 - 20 years ago, you got some sort of a return on your investment, but I wouldn't think so anymore. Most of the MBA candidates that I've interviewed haven't had anything above the non-MBAs.

To strat boy I have applied but having a degree in Marketing from Leeds met and a HND and no A levels makes me radioactive to any consultanting company. So I have to do something to improve my chances its as simple as that.

An MA might give you an advantage over the standard degrees in a slow market.But in a consultancy recruitment market that is more buoyant then you should really focus on getting more experience. That might be a consulting analyst type role, drawing on your analytical skills from marketing, if possible. Don't be too self-depreciating in selling yourself (you are not radioactive!) you simply have to keep an eye on the fact that the market is still competitive if you have no actual consulting experience.Another possibility might be an in-house type role in a corporate environment where you can start to get some specialist skills in a particular industry.Nottingham has a solid reputation for undergrad study - as explained above - but for MA's it might not give you the competitive edge you are looking for. An MBA is more normally something you would consider later on in your career when you can relate your experience to your studies. It is not meant to be an obligatory qualification or to be the right qualification for everyone. That said a top MBA can lead onto a role in a top strategy house and it is hard to see how that would would not give a significant return on investment mid-career. However I dont see what that really has to do with your initial question. If in your shoes I'd probably either look for a role that would develop skills relevant to consulting later on, or as a plan B look to see if I could do an MA in cognate subject at a top university based on first degree. I dont think you should worry about MBA's at your level.

I'm not actually looking to do an MBA at present I'm looking to do a Msc or MA in either Corporate Strategy or Marketing/strategy as warkwick have that course running. I am in the process of carrying out some work for a small strategy boutique on a voultary basis, and I'm also teaching Marketing part-time at HND and degree level. I'm hoping this will add to my cv and I also plan to go to Harvard summer school for four weeks to study international business and strategy. Thanks for your comments Anon do you think doing the Msc at Warwick would improve my chances and give me that edge that I so greatly need?

In most cases I would say no, but seeing as you didn't do A levels and went to leeds met, I recon a masters would put you on level footing with undergrads applying for entry level positions. I feel it would be worth you looking at Cambridge's MPhil in innovation, organisation and strategy, LSE's MSc in management and Warwick's MSc in marketing and strategy as they appear to be the best business Msc degrees. It could be worth calling admissions to check your eligability and where students go to after graduating, i.e what percentage go into consultancy or finance/marketing of blue chips.