KEY POINTS:
Qualification: Bachelor of Business Level 7.
Where: Auckland University of Technology.
Contact: (09) 921 9999 or 0800 AUT UNI (0800 288 864), email: business@aut.ac.nz, web: www.aut.ac.nz/schools/business.
Preferred application deadlines: End of June for July 2008 intake or November 16 for 2009. Applications accepted later if spaces are available.
Prerequisites: NCEA University Entrance or the equivalent. Students who have not sat NCEA and are not native English speakers need IELTS of 6.0 overall (no less than 5.5 in each band).
Course length: Three years full-time or maximum of six years part-time.
Course fees 2008: $4304. International students $18,300.
Starting salary: About $40,000 for graduates without experience.
Business degrees cover a wide range of specialty business skills including marketing, accounting, finance and human resources and employment relations.
Most degrees begin with a broad first year introducing students to all aspects of accounting. At AUT, first-year students do four compulsory papers: environment of business (accounting, law, marketing), business information management (accounting, finance, statistics), globalisation and business enterprise (economics, social science) and managing business relationships (law, management, social science).
Students then choose one or two majors from 13 on offer, including new majors in sales and tourism.
Business work experience (co-operative work placement) is a compulsory final-year course that offers the opportunity to put theory and business skills into practice while also gaining business work experience.
Maximum class sizes are 42; however, most classes average around 35 students. Approximately 60 per cent of students take double majors; around 5 per cent take a conjoint degree.
The graduate
Roslyn Koskela, 22
Graduate with Bachelor of Business (Human Resource Management and Employment Relations)/Bachelor of Arts (Psychology)
BDO Spicers Human Resources (HR) Adviser
I started working in the human resources department of BDO Spicers' Auckland office in September 2007.
I love working in HR because each day is different. The main objective is to provide advice and support on HR matters, including legislative requirements, to partners as well as staff. We develop and implement initiatives and do project work. We recently revamped our performance review systems which involved looking at feedback from exit interviews and surveys and interviewing people at various levels.
Another major annual project is graduate recruitment. The HR team and marketing team work closely together to advertise, recruit and screen applications before interviews and letter offers. I then do the graduate induction. I also manage health and safety and do exit interviews for staff.
My double degree in business and psychology has provided me with two different perspectives; psychology fits well with business HR and management.
Both degrees developed my critical thinking skills and the small interactive classes meant we were able to discuss theory intensely.
Friends at other universities were surprised at how much group work we did at AUT but I found it helped develop my team skills which are really important in HR.
Initially I wanted to be a commercial lawyer but once I started studying I realised I was more a people person. I did consider marketing but was instead drawn to HR.
The first year helps you work these things out because it touches on all aspects of business. The downside of this is that some parts of the course may be particularly difficult - I struggled with the compulsory first-year accounting paper.
Having to do co-op placement is great. It is really hard to get a job without experience and co-op gives you some.
I did mine at Performance Group International, a consultancy of organisational psychologists. I'm sure it was an important stepping stone into this job, although I also worked part-time while doing my final paper which helped.
It can be stressful to find a co-op placement, especially if you leave it until the last minute. I think it is the biggest challenge for many students.
The manager
Debra Ryan
HR Manager
BDO Spicers (chartered accountancy firm)
We have two full-time staff and one part-timer in HR in Auckland.
Roslyn had confidence, a willingness and eagerness to learn, her qualification and a bit of experience behind her.
We look for strong communication skills, especially in a chartered accountancy firm where you're dealing with a range of staff, including 18 different partners. Written communication skills are essential as well when writing reports and analysing data.
You need a willingness to learn and understand how the business operates and what drives it - HR is about more than just people.
Knowledge of law, particularly employment law, is really important because you use it at work every day.
I think business degrees give people a broad exposure to business which is good but I like Roslyn having a psychology background as well because it helps her understanding of what drives and motivates people.
