Advice needed about Mimas and Electronic Business

Lostinspace

Hi all. For the last few weeks i've been doing a lot of thinking about my future. I've recently returned from abroad after being away for the last year. I've a degree in business studies (marketing and IT). I've contemplated primary school teaching, fund accounting as well as many other avenues. I'm now focussing on two postgraduate courses in UCC. MBS Electronic Business and MBS Mimas. Basically i'm looking for advice from people who have either completed or are currently studying either of these courses. Can you offer any advice about your experiences with the courses such as the internship placement as part of Mimas. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

rain on

I'm doing the MBS in E-Business at the moment, it's alright, but coming at it from an arts background I struggle with the more hardcore business theory elements of the course. Stuff like web design, java, storage technology are pretty fun. The teaching standards are not so great.. some of our lecturers are PhD students with zero communication skills, some of our tutors are foreign students who are very enthusiastic and dedicated but that doesn't help much when they can't understand us and we can't understand them.
The guy who runs the course is very helpful though, and any time we do complain about things he or the relevant staff member usually does all they can to fix it - we have had a lot of deadlines and poxy class times rearranged to make our lives easier. Unfortunately they can't do much about certain people's inability to teach though but there's really only one module where the lecturer is flat out awful.

Any specific questions, fire away.

It could be worth talking to the people who run the courses too.. when I was trying to decide between the H.Dip in BIS, the MBS in E-Business and the MBS in ISBP I went in and talked to the people who ran them and it definitely helped me to make the right decision. Joe Feller is the guy who runs E-Business and he's always willing to have a chat about it. I think it's Karen Neville who runs MIMAS and she seems pretty sound too.

Lostinspace

Thank you rain On for your advice. I actually heard that before about some of the lecturers in the BIS dept. It's worrying enough to be honest but you seem to be coping at least. I'm going to have a chat with Joe Feller soon about the course and put a few questions to him. I'm leaning more towards the E-Business as I was never overly keen on the accounting side of things that you get with Mimas. I've a few questions, i hope you've time to answer them.

I know you're only a few months into the course but do you think that by the time you've completed the course that you'll be ready for the workforce? I know that's a hard question to answer but i'm trying to find out is if there will be demand for an E-Business graduate from employers even though you've no work experience in that field as such.

Had you any experience with java or web design before you began?

How many hours a week do you approximately spend in lectures/tutorials and labs?

There are about 30 places on the course as far as i know but what are the others in you're class like? Is there a good atmosphere and what is the ratio of males to females? (always important )

Thanks again for your help. If anyone else has advice it would be greatly appreciated.

rain on

At the moment I don't feel like I will be ready for the workforce, and I'm halfway through the taught portion of the course now. I'm hoping though that after another few months of classes, plus the summer project which will be really in-depth, that it'll be a different story. The department claim that all their graduates are very much in demand from employers, and it's really the reason why I'm doing the course, so fingers crossed.

I had zero experience with Java or web design, with anything technical really. They do start from the ground up and I do think my skills in web design are going to be pretty good by the end of it. Java is only a 5 credit module (most of the others are 10) but you spend more class time on it than some of the 10 credit modules, oddly enough. It's been a bit of a headwrecker so far but things are starting to fall into place now.

22-24 hours a week of class, some classes don't run every week. The workload is pretty heavy, we have at least one assignment due most weeks at this stage.

There are 13 people in my class this year, seven girls and six guys (it was seven of each but one of the guys switched to ISBP early on). Everyone's really sound, we all have the craic together and go out drinking and clubbing together on a regular basis. There's a disproportionately high number of hot people in the class too which is always good

Another thing to bear in mind might be that MIMAS is two years whereas E-Business is only one. I know after four years of college myself that when I decided to go back it had to be for something short and sweet.

A few other things they don't play up in the brochures:
-All the NDP funded courses (E-Business, ISBP, possibly also MIMAS though I'm not sure) have the nice low fees but the catch is that your attendance is monitored and if it goes below 80% for any one course you automatically fail that course. I think most people in my class are having trouble with this.
-If you come out of your summer exams with an overall grade of over 40% and below 45%, you can't progress to the summer project, and leave with a graduate diploma instead.

Lostinspace

Thanks again for your advice. In fairness, I really appreciate it. I'm trying to get as much info as possible before i actually apply to PAC. Ya i know Mimas is 2 years, a long time indeed after doing 4 years already. The most appealing factor with Mimas is the work experience which you get. I'd be the same as you, not much technical experience. I like using computers but my programming experience is nil. You seem to be managing it anyway which is good.

Thanks for the info on the grading as well. It's always handy to know this. There's a good few girls in your class. I thought it would be the opposite. Not complaining though

I think there's a postgrad day coming up soon but i'll get onto Joe Feller before that. I might get onto you again if i've any more questions. Thanks again

rain on

No bother. You've caught me at a good moment though, yesterday I was at a tough point in an assignment and was throwing paper around the lab and shouting "This is SUCH ****!!". Everything's like that though I find.. has bits that are rewarding and somewhat fun and bits that make you look wildly around for the nearest car to throw yourself under (eh, or maybe that's just me..). This course definitely has its bits that I like and bits that give me the horrors, but it all balances out in the end sure. I've gotten really high marks for nearly everything so far and I haven't worked my fingers to the bone, so hopefully that's encouraging.

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

rain on

We had a written exam for Java. Had to write out little fragments of code. Haven't got the results yet. Fun times.
And yeah, I'm just out of the McAvoy Comedy Hour.. more fun times. I do think that course is interesting though.
The business practice class is the one I'm failing, I'm definitely suffering from having no business/commerce background in that. Everything else is fine though.
And yeah, Wednesday nights in Havanas are obviously the way to go instead (that's what we did all the time before Christmas anyway, might have to knuckle down a little more now!)

Donnaghm

I'm 3 weeks into the MIMAS masters. It's very interesting and everything. But I can't help but think I should be specialising at this age of my life(ie do a course dedicated to accounting or IT as opposed to both of them.) I'm sure IT graduates and accounting graduates will have a huge advantage over me in the jobs market.

Donnaghm

Donnaghm wrote: »

I'm 3 weeks into the MIMAS masters. It's very interesting and everything. But I can't help but think I should be specialising at this age of my life(ie do a course dedicated to accounting or IT as opposed to both of them.) I'm sure IT graduates and accounting graduates will have a huge advantage over me in the jobs market.

i'm quoting myself which is wierd but after finishing the thing, i agree with my above post. Although, most of the class has found employment.

Esse85

Donnaghm wrote: »

i'm quoting myself which is wierd but after finishing the thing, i agree with my above post. Although, most of the class has found employment.

Did much of your class find placement?

Donnaghm

Esse85 wrote: »

Did much of your class find placement?

More or less everyone including myself. Personal circumstances prevented some from getting one. But even the non-irish in the class got one. I'd say it's probably one of the better chioces of postgrads if getting a job is your ultimate aim. Parts of it were excrusiatingly dull I have to say.

Also, you'll want to kill some members of your class. The course is very group project based so big personailities with no talent can get their way.

theglobe

Donnaghm wrote: »

More or less everyone including myself. Personal circumstances prevented some from getting one. But even the non-irish in the class got one. I'd say it's probably one of the better chioces of postgrads if getting a job is your ultimate aim. Parts of it were excrusiatingly dull I have to say.

Also, you'll want to kill some members of your class. The course is very group project based so big personailities with no talent can get their way.

Hi, I'm 3 days into this course and I'm beginning to have doubts already. Basically, I graduated a while back and have been pretty idle since so I decided to go back on do this. This sounds stupid but I feel I've become pretty lazy. How did you feel about the actual workload in the course? I also wasnt too happy about the number of presentations that there seem to be. I know its good for me and all that but I'm just not sure if I want to commit to all this. I have other options such as focusing on the CAP exams for accounting so I'm really trying to decide now. Also, how did the whole placement thing work out? Do you have to do a load of stuff for that throughout the year? Sorry if this sounds incoherent , but I couldnt sleep cause im thinking of all this and i got a lecture at 9 in the morning!

Donnaghm

theglobe wrote: »

Hi, I'm 3 days into this course and I'm beginning to have doubts already. Basically, I graduated a while back and have been pretty idle since so I decided to go back on do this. This sounds stupid but I feel I've become pretty lazy. How did you feel about the actual workload in the course? I also wasnt too happy about the number of presentations that there seem to be. I know its good for me and all that but I'm just not sure if I want to commit to all this. I have other options such as focusing on the CAP exams for accounting so I'm really trying to decide now. Also, how did the whole placement thing work out? Do you have to do a load of stuff for that throughout the year? Sorry if this sounds incoherent , but I couldnt sleep cause im thinking of all this and i got a lecture at 9 in the morning!

I'll PM you because it's quite obvious who I am if the course co ordinator looked at this thread.

hoff1

Hi, I have an accounting degree and was thinking of doing the MIAMS, just wondering would this be a help in getting into the big 4? or is this course have much relevence towards an accounting qualfication . thanks

JeremyH

hoff1 wrote: »

Hi, I have an accounting degree and was thinking of doing the MIAMS, just wondering would this be a help in getting into the big 4? or is this course have much relevence towards an accounting qualfication . thanks

I'd say you are ineligible as the course is aimed at students who have not done a lot of accounting (I think the limit is 30 credits). Best to check it out with the MIMAS coordinator.

You would be eligible for some of the other courses:
http://www.ucc.ie/en/accfin/PostgraduateProgrammes/

x43r0

OP have you considered doing the MBS BIS course?

I'm currently in the middle of it and really enjoying it. The lectures and labs are very engaging and the teaching staff keep the material interesting.

Also it gave me a huge leg-up when job hunting. I got a 2yr contract with an investment bank starting in the summer and have since turned down two other grad programs with large multinationals. I have a fairly average undergrad grade (2:2 albeit in Computer Science) so I put the job hunting boost almost solely down to the MBS BIS course on my CV


I'd recommend giving it a good look at least

hoff1

Is there many jobs out there for the e buiness graduates?

Senor Frog

^ Same as above really, I'M debating doing the ISBP or the e business masters. But would love to know the actually employment opportunities open for grads from both these courses. Keep hearing the IT sector is about the only place where there are jobs, just wondering if this is really the case..

Donnaghm

I did MIMAS. Some of my classmates got great jobs in Microsoft, Big 4 etc. I probably fared the worst. Going from temp job to temp job. That's what an Arts background does to a person. Argghhhhh. I think all of us are employed though which is kinda impressive this day and age(those who finished the course that is) so it can't be all bad.

rain on

Donnaghm wrote: »

I did MIMAS. Some of my classmates got great jobs in Microsoft, Big 4 etc. I probably fared the worst. Going from temp job to temp job. That's what an Arts background does to a person. Argghhhhh. I think all of us are employed though which is kinda impressive this day and age(those who finished the course that is) so it can't be all bad.

Speak for yourself I came into E-Business from a background in postmodern literature, was the first in the class to get a job and 3.5 years later I'm still there. My department isn't hiring at the moment but the company in general (major software company) is hiring like it was going out of fashion.

JeremyH

Senor Frog wrote: »

^ Same as above really, I'M debating doing the ISBP or the e business masters. But would love to know the actually employment opportunities open for grads from both these courses. Keep hearing the IT sector is the about the only place where there are jobs, just wondering if this is really the case..

In the interest of transparency, let me just say that I teach on both these courses...

The IT market is indeed very strong and there are >5000 vacancies in the country at the moment that cannot be filled. Not all of these jobs are graduate jobs obviously, but when there are such a large number of opportunities, people are moving jobs for higher roles and better money, meaning that companies are hiring lots of graduates too.

Last year's class and the group we had before that were very successful in gaining employment. A large number went into graduate roles in the likes of Deloitte/Accenture, more into companies like EMC, VMWare etc.

When it comes to the first post-graduation job, much depends on the primary degree. Business/Engineering graduates tend to have an advantage but many of the people with Humanities degrees were able to get a 'first-rung-on-the-ladder' role that gave them the experience to move into other roles quite quickly. For example, in the 2009/2010 class, one particular firm hired ~10 from the class (on a low-ish starting salary). I know that many of them had moved to better roles in other firms after 6 months or so.

EBusiness is a bit more technical than ISBP (which is more strategic). This means that after 12 months, you can say that you have skills in Web and Android development, Systems Analysis and Design, Storage Tech, Databases etc. which is a real boost to your CV if you are coming from e.g. an Arts background (my primary degree was in Applied Psychology and I did a similar conversion course and found that adding - in my case - programming and accounting to my previously non-technical skillset was very useful). ISBP (in my opinion) suits someone with a business/technical background better.

Having said that, both courses are open to anyone with a 2H2 primary degree so you are eligible for either if you meet that requirement.

If you want to discuss this further, you can PM me or contact Tom O'Kane for eBusiness and Karen Neville for ISBP (details on bis.ucc.ie)

Senor Frog

JeremyH wrote: »

get a 'first-rung-on-the-ladder' role that gave them the experience to move into other roles quite quickly. For example, in the 2009/2010 class, one particular firm hired ~10 from the class (on a low-ish starting salary). I know that many of them had moved to better roles in other firms after 6 months or so.

What would the general range be for a starting salary for a graduate from e-business?

Thanks for the detailed replies guys, its great to get actually feedback from people who have completed/teach on the programmes.

JeremyH

Senor Frog wrote: »

What would the general range be for a starting salary for a graduate from e-business?

Thanks for the detailed replies guys, its great to get actually feedback from people who have completed/teach on the programmes.

Mid 20s to low 30s in Ireland. Higher in the UK esp in Financial Services.

Senor Frog

Would the ISBP MBS be more geared towards a career in the financial services than the e-business MBS ?

JeremyH

Senor Frog wrote: »

Would the ISBP MBS be more geared towards a career in the financial services than the e-business MBS ?

Not necessarily, no.

misssunshine14

JeremyH wrote: »

Not necessarily, no.

hi, im currently in my final year of an arts degree. i've decided i ultimately want to apply for graduate programmes in management consultancy but seeing as i have no business background whatsoever im contemplating a few masters courses in ucc. my number one choice is MIMAS but just in case i don't get a place i've been looking at e-business and ISBP, just to give me some sort of grounding in IT and business.

just wondering if anyone can help in suggesting which would be the better option for me?

would really appreciate it!

Canyon86

Donnaghm wrote: »

I'm 3 weeks into the MIMAS masters. It's very interesting and everything. But I can't help but think I should be specialising at this age of my life(ie do a course dedicated to accounting or IT as opposed to both of them.) I'm sure IT graduates and accounting graduates will have a huge advantage over me in the jobs market.

Hi Donnaghm


Sorry bout randomly writing to you..

WOuld you be able to tell me about the MIMAS placement part of the course?

Dave47

if anyone could state the differences between the informations systems for business performance and the electronic business any further I`d be grateful!

misssunshine14

Canyon86 wrote: »

Hi Donnaghm


Sorry bout randomly writing to you..

WOuld you be able to tell me about the MIMAS placement part of the course?

CVs are collected by the internship coordinator at the start of the year and are put together into a booklet and this gets sent out to a list of companies. the companies then pick people they want to interview from this. you can also apply for internships/grad programs outside of this and this is how many get placement. they can start any where from june to september. during your placement you are required to write a portfolio documenting what you were doing ans also profile the organisation. you also write a mini-thesis based on the company, either accounting related or IS related.

hope this helps

Canyon86

misssunshine14 wrote: »

CVs are collected by the internship coordinator at the start of the year and are put together into a booklet and this gets sent out to a list of companies. the companies then pick people they want to interview from this. you can also apply for internships/grad programs outside of this and this is how many get placement. they can start any where from june to september. during your placement you are required to write a portfolio documenting what you were doing ans also profile the organisation. you also write a mini-thesis based on the company, either accounting related or IS related.

hope this helps

Thanks very much!

would you believe I actually did the MIMAS and only recieved my results today

permangulator

Hi guys.

I Pm'd one or two people on this thread but said I'd post this here. I'm EXTREMELY stuck in a decision and could really use some help.

I have an BA in Accounting and Finance and I've just accepted a place in MBS ISBP for the coming year but I'm having serious second thoughts about whether or not I should have a look at E-business instead. Am I actually just better off sticking to ISBP bearing employment and the quality of the course in mind (In your opinion obviously)? I understand that there's a lot more practical work involved in E-business which is what I think I might be more interested in, but at the end of the day, it's all down to employment opportunities and the quality of the course. ANY advice would be appreciated so much as it's seriously been wrecking my head. Thanks so much!