Ever wondered how life would be at London School of Business. Here is a sneak peak from the diary of a student of London School of Business(class of 2011).

A Month's schedule at London School of Business

Wow that’s a lot of homework for a month’s time! Hey but wait, before you draw conclusions about tough life at LBS, here’s a video of LBS students’ Christmas tradition – all students wear Santa costumes and hang around the London city centre to share the Christmas spirit, party and have fun.

So what’s your reaction about life at LBS. It rocks there, doesn’t it.

Dream high my friend!

Thanks Alex Tzukerman.

General Questions related to Education in the UK:

Come study in the UK

• Can you tell us about the current situation of racism in the UK?
  The population of the UK is increasingly diverse and a great many religions and ethnic groups are represented in the UK. Britain is a tolerant society that believes in respecting the rights of minority groups. This belief is supported by law too. The Race Relations Act is one of the most comprehensive laws against racial discrimination in the world and works towards the elimination of racial discrimination and the promotion of equal opportunity between people of different racial groups. If you are subjected to any form of racial discrimination or harassment, report it to your institution. They will have a formal procedure to assist individuals who feel they have been discriminated against. You can also report it to the local branch of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. The Commission will provide information and advice to anyone who thinks he or she has suffered racial discrimination or harassment.
• Will I have to return back to India immediately after finishing my post graduation in the UK? How long can I stay in the UK after my education?
  Under the new post study work rule, you can stay back and work for 2 years. The regulation states that you if you graduate with a Bachelors or higher degree from a UK institution you get two years to stay and work in the UK.
• How early can I apply for a visa once I secure an unconditional offer?
  Once you have the offer (sponsor visa letter) you can immediately apply for a visa.

Questions on scholarships and part time jobs:

• How do I find out whether or not, a course that I am looking for is available with the UK universities?
  Do a search at http://www.hotcourses.com
• Can you give details about scholarships offered by the UK Universities? Can I get a full scholarship?
  Details about scholarship and fellowship opportunities are available at the scholarships page of The British Council India.
• Can you give details about part time jobs in the UK?
  Every full-time student is allowed to work for 20 hours a week.
• Can you tell us more about Dr. Manmohan Singh scholarship?
  You can find details of Dr. Manmohan Singh scholarship at this link.

Questions on MBA and PhD:

• How much does an MBA course cost in the  UK ?
  Fees for MBA courses ranges from 6000 GBP to over 20000 GBP depending on the institutions and the course opted.
• Is there any entrance exam for pursuing MBA degree in the UK?
  Some institutions may ask for GMAT scores in addition to IELTS scores.
• Is there any reservation for physically disabled in MBA courses ?
  Admissions are usually merit based. However most of the universities/institutions have facilities for the physically disabled.
• What is the procedure for applying a PhD degree in the UK?
  For a PhD, you should ideally send a research proposal to a professor engaged in relevant research area before applying.

What is the eligibility criterion for MBA and MSc program? Which program suits me better?

These are two of the most common questions that pop up in the minds of people aspiring for a Post Graduate degree related to business in the United Kingdom.

I had these questions unanswered in my mind until I had visited Education UK Exhibition in Mumbai in the month of October in 2009. Education UK exhibition was an event conducted by the British Council, India.

At the venue of the event, I anxiously waited for the seminar session on “MBA in the UK” to start. I had great anticipation that the speaker of this session would clear all my doubts related to the MSc and MBA programmes in the UK.

The session started as per the scheduled time at sharp 3:30 PM. A senior lecturer who teaches Marketing in Worcester University, started speaking about MBA programme offered in the UK universities. He included a separate slide in his slide show for explaining the differences between MSc and MBA.

Generalist vs Specialist degree

MBA degree in comparison to MSc degree is a generalist degree. That means, curriculum of  a typical MBA programme covers all the fields related to business such as Finance, Sales, Marketing, HR, General Management, etc. Whereas MSc degree is a more specialist degree, it focuses on a specialised field of study.

Take the case of a course named International Marketing Management MSc in the University of Worcester. The International Marketing Management MSc develops your general management skills and explores the many complex issues associated with marketing in MSc in an international context. But it would not include any other business related subjects such as finance or HR. The curriculum would purely deal with specifics of International Marketing and Management.

Take a look at the MBA programme curriculum in the University of Worcestor. The course includes all the general subjects related to management and business.

So, if you are seeking basic knowledge in all the subjects related to business, an MBA degree is more suited to you. Whereas, if you are seeking specific and in-depth knowledge of a particular subject related to business, an MSc degree suits you better.

Age and experience

Typically, age of a student pursuing MBA degree in the UK is 28 years with 4 years of work experience. Which clearly means that universities expect the applicants to have at least 4-5 years of work experience. And some institutions insist that the applicants have managerial work experience. Some institutions are okay with technical work experience.

Whereas freshers who have just passed out of their college can apply for an MSc degree course. They are not expected to have any work history. There is no age criterion for admission of students in the MSc course.

Nature of the course

The speaker of the seminar quoted an example “If I had to take a lesson on a particular subject common to MBA and MSc students, the style of teaching would differ in an MBA class and an MSc class. In an MBA class, I’d show the lesson slides to the class, take a seat in the classroom and let the students discuss. As MBA students would have had prior professional experience, they would share their view on the topic of discussion. They would share their opinions on how this lesson relates to their past work, how they had applied those concepts in their companies, how their companies worked, etc. The classes are more discussion oriented. It is assumed that the class has knowledge of the topics that are being taught.

Whereas if I had to take the same topic in an MSc classroom, I teach the lesson in detail and give them a case study for their practice. I would not assume that they have any prior knowledge of the topic being taught.”

Administrator vs Scientist

Lastly the speaker joked, “When the recruiting companies ask me whether to choose an MBA graduate or an MSc graduate, I ask them back, Do you want an Administrator(MBA) or a Scientist(MSC)?”

What the speaker meant was that an MBA course teaches more about the administration part of business. Whereas a MSc course includes science related things involved in that business. Such as statistics or complex math or engineering related to business.

I hope that this article demystified the mystery of differences between MBA and MSc.

Comment below if you have any specific question related to MBA vs MSc in the UK.