How to train the university bosses

Universities and higher education colleges are big undertakings, employing large numbers of people and involving major capital and human resources. But they have traditionally suffered from poor management, according to John Taylor, director of studies for the new doctorate of business administration (DBA) in higher-education management at the University of Bath School of Management.

"In the modern world universities have to be highly professional to compete for students and research funding, and to develop an international profile," he says. "As higher education becomes an increasingly complex business, it demands leadership and management skills of a higher order than ever before. It's essential that institutions have the same range of management skills available to private-sector companies."

Although the new part-time DBA is a research-based programme, it covers areas such as marketing, human resources and resource allocation, and involves interaction with a group of students. "It gives students the research grounding, skills and ability to analyse problems and come up with solutions, and to contribute to policy-making in their institution," says Taylor.

The DBA is aimed at people who have worked in higher education for some time, either on the academic or administrative side, and are looking to move into senior management positions such as pro vice-chancellor, deputy vice-chancellor, dean or registrar, says Taylor. Students tend to be in their late thirties or early forties. "We're looking for the career-minded, reflective professional who wants a systematic research programme that gives priority to developing management expertise."

Currently in its first year, the course has already attracted 14 students from places as diverse as the West Indies, Uruguay, South Africa and Australia. "The diverse geographical background provides an ideal opportunity for interaction and the exchange of ideas between students and staff," says Taylor.

Postgraduates combining a language with management skills have some of the best rates of employment, according to Marcel Van Miert, the director of the European Business School in London. The school is launching two new masters programmes in September, an MA in entrepreneurial management and an MSc in global banking and finance, which include a foreign language as a core component.

"People with fluency in another language have a cultural openness and ability to accept change," says Van Miert. "They're confident about going into an unknown situation or to unfamiliar countries.

"Our students have very high employment rates, and we have companies coming to us asking for people with fluency in a particular language. They want someone who is educated in the British system but has language ability."

The new courses will cover a range of management subjects, including e-commerce, management of financial institutions, entrepreneurship and new business ventures, and financial regulation and governance. The Department of Education and Skills has selected Loughborough University to host a pioneering new postgraduate management programme, where students can design their own course of study according to their business needs.

The part-time postgraduate certificate in continuing professional development, which arose out of a collaboration between industry and national training organisations, is designed to fit in with students' current employment. "This is a new type of programme," says Anna Hughes, the graduate apprentice project manager at Loughborough's Business School. "It allows students to tailor their training to their individual needs. Because they continue working while they study, they are able to apply what they learn directly to their everyday work."

The course consists of a compulsory introductory business module, and two or three options selected from the wide range available right across the university. It's also hoped it will benefit regional businesses by increasing the retention rate of graduates. The East Midlands has traditionally been a net exporter of graduates, with around two-thirds of those who study at one of the region's higher-education institutions leaving to pursue careers elsewhere.