Bachelor of Business Studies (Honours) (Finance) (Top-up)

I began my Kaplan education with a Diploma, which laid strong foundations for my transition into pursuing a Bachelor of Business Studies (Honours) (Management) (Top-up) Degree with University College Dublin (UCD).

My path to acquiring a reputable and well-recognised business Degree was clear considering UCD’s Triple Crown accreditation. Also, the University has produced alumni across the globe, with its graduates making an impact in politics, literature and the international business world over the decades.

Participating in the 2019 Kaplan Kickstart Challenge, an internship programme for students to work at start-ups and contribute business ideas for a chance to win prize money, was most memorable. Equipped with analytical, business and operational know-how, and knowledge from studying at Kaplan, I was able to apply this expertise while interning.

As a result, I won the “Best Intern” award in the competition and was offered a full-time role. This has accelerated my career since, allowing me to find my current placement in an American MNC.

The University College Dublin (UCD) programme was well-delivered and broadened my knowledge through a wide variety of learning activities. I gained rich educational experiences from the local and international lecturers’ sharing sessions.

On top of that, graduating as a top student at UCD was key to unlocking many incredible opportunities as well as fulfilling my personal and professional goals.

My current job scope includes supporting, leading and mentoring the team to achieve the efficient and smooth operation of properties. The programme enhanced my job performance by improving my knowledge in areas such as project management, data analysis and evaluation, and time management skills.

I would recommend UCD to others for its recognition, affordable fees and convenient location.

University College Dublin Graduate (2021)

The research I did on University College Dublin (UCD) confirmed that it would provide the business management skills I needed to augment my experience – UCD is known for learning and teaching excellence, and its good rankings globally. Additionally, I favour its research-led education. As such, I chose to study the Master of Science in Management with UCD.

The programme has helped me to conceptualise, evaluate and execute my business strategies. While researching my thesis topic, I got to explore effective leadership styles practised by Singaporean SMEs, aimed at developing or expanding their businesses internationally. The research journey was enriching and augmented my knowledge and skills in dealing with local SMEs. My studies have also helped reaffirm my professional abilities.

I started the programme a few months before my new job, which required me to juggle travel time and family. Then, I lost my job during the COVID-19 lockdown – both my confidence and finances dipped. However, I found the determination to see my programme through to the finish line.

Eventually, I launched two businesses before graduation with the knowledge gained from the module, Global Strategic Management. The module taught me to apply the “red ocean strategy” and “blue ocean strategy” (which means “doing what others do at a cheaper price” and “producing things that others cannot”) in business. This led me to launch a student care centre offering unique services instead of a standard childcare centre.

Considering everything, I would recommend UCD to any one of my friends.

University College Dublin, 1st Class Honours Graduate (2020)

Before I decided to enrol with University College Dublin (UCD), I had done research on several other universities. When I spoke to a UCD consultant, I was quite impressed with the University’s rankings, and I like the fact that some of its lecturers are flown in from the university to teach here.

Throughout the course, we had numerous group assignments and had to work with different people. I feel that this helps to reinforce skills that are relevant to both group and individual work. In a way, it prepares us to work in a team setting that is relevant to the workforce. Studying this programme has helped me qualify for a role I was looking for, despite having to juggle caring for my son, spending time with my family and studying. I appreciate the soft skills learnt through the group assignments.

Overall, I had a great learning experience thanks to my lecturers and peers, and I enjoyed my time at UCD. This course has been the highlight of my experience, and I have made good friends throughout the course. I also appreciate that the campus location is centrally located.

University College Dublin, 2nd Class Honours Graduate (2020)

As a working adult, choosing the right university to enrol with is a massive undertaking as there are many factors to take into consideration. University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland’s largest university, is ranked within the top 1% of higher education institutions globally* and ranked high in the world for Graduate Employability, which meant it undoubtedly topped my list.

What attracted me to choose UCD’s Bachelor of Business Studies (Honours) in Human Resource Management (Top-up) Degree programme was its mode of delivery and assessment methods, as well as the possibility of completion within 18 months, which suited my busy schedule.

This programme has equipped me with the skills to manage stakeholders from different cultures and backgrounds, especially in today’s globalised and diverse workplace. Furthermore, it helped me stay relevant in this challenging business environment.

Upon completing my programme, I managed to progress in my career and land my current role as an Assistant Manager. I would recommend UCD as the quality of the lecturers exceeded my satisfaction and because the classes are conducted in a block manner, make it easier for working students to plan around it.

*Times Higher Education 2020

University College Dublin, First Class Honours Graduate (2020)

I opted to enrol with University College Dublin as it is recognised worldwide, and its programme structure is customised for full-time working professionals like myself.

This programme has given me the exposure to other functions of supply chain, and I have thus developed interests in areas outside of my current job scope, such as project management and lean management. This has expanded my employment opportunities as I am more willing and ready to take on new responsibilities.

The knowledge I gained from the programme also encourages me to think out-of-the-box and find better ways to improve my productivity at work. Through better understanding of the rationale behind practices in the workplace, it is easier for me to identify the bottlenecks and close the gaps in them.

Overall, this programme is very part-timer friendly. The coursework is more manageable, and the duration is shorter as compared to other schools. Therefore, it is extremely suitable for those who wish to pursue further studies while holding a full-time job.

University College Dublin, 1^st Class Honours Graduate (2020)

To further my studies, I enrolled with University College Dublin as it offers an academically challenging, and satisfying, honorary Degree programme. I feel that achieving these honours represents one’s ability to learn, their discipline to work hard and their motivation to achieve more.

The biggest lesson this programme has taught me is how value should be created. As resources such as time are valuable and limited, this course has helped me understand that it is very important to make full use of my resources to create and deliver value effectively so as to directly make meaningful contributions in life or work.

I opted to major in Finance as I believe it is an exciting field that presents many job opportunities and requires both analytical skills and creativity. This programme has also taught me the importance of collaboration as many projects require in-depth communication, understanding and information exchange. Through the process, I learned how to communicate and cooperate more effectively and correctly. As a Finance student, I appreciate that I was able to learn while also improving my communication skills.

I would recommend UCD to other students as it is ranked among the Top 1% of universities in the World*. In addition, it is an elite business school that also holds the Triple Crown international accreditations, representing the highest form of achievement and recognition for business schools.

The University’s Degrees are recognised by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE). Having recognition in China means more opportunities and options are made available as China’s impact on the world economy is evident.

*Times Higher Education 2020

University College Dublin, Second Upper Class Honours Graduate (2020)

University College Dublin stood out to me as it is ranked as one of the Top 1% of institutions worldwide*. My friend, who had previously studied with UCD, gave good reviews about the University as well. Therefore, I decided to enrol with them to study a Bachelor of Business Studies (Honours) in Marketing Degree programme, choosing Marketing as my major as I wanted to prepare to move into a business development role.

The programme has taught me that networking and acquiring industry-relevant knowledge are more important than what can be learned in the classroom. Classroom learning enables you to understand the principles. However, experiential learning and sharing experiences with others reinforces what is being taught during the programme’s industry-relevant lessons.

Working as a freelancer, which requires frequent travel, while concurrently taking care of my pregnant wife and navigating through the programme was tough. However, with support from great classmates and team members, all of us were able to make it through the course. Memorable!

By applying the principles taught in the programme and relating them to the feasibility of the case studies, I was able to apply what was learnt to my work, creating a marketing platform for a new product by combining everything I was taught into a campaign.

UCD is my recommended University for students as its many lecturers have industry experience to share, and their experiences are very applicable to one’s work. Also, the programme’s assignments enable students to apply what they have learnt.

*Times Higher Education 2020