Kieran Joy, a past pupil of St Paul’s Community College in Waterford chose SETU as he knew the courses he was interested in would make his CV stand out.
Kieran studied a BA (Hons) in International Business followed by a Master of Business in Internationalisation at South East Technological University (SETU).
Double degree with Brest Business School
I chose SETU for a variety of reasons. The main one was that the course was a follow-up to my undergraduate degree and offered two Master's degrees by studying both at SETU and Brest Business School in France. I knew having this on my CV after college would stand out. I chose to study at SETU given the Business Facualty's outstanding academic reputation and having spoken with many alumni who graduated from SETU and have since gone on to have successful careers in a broad variety of industries both nationally and internationally.
A greater appreciation on the real-world impact of academic research
The highlights of the Master's course were getting to study International Business Negotiations at Brest Business School for part of the second semester. This was a great experience interacting with French students and we had a fantastic professor who made the week thoroughly engaging. At SETU I gained a greater appreciation and understanding of both the professional and academic environment through different modules with practical applications such as undertaking market research studies for live business projects which will have a real-world impact. The student group for the MBSI stream was also small which allowed for greater interaction with lecturers who valued the thoughts and openness of students to develop critical thinking skills which are greatly sought after in the graduate labour market.
Having an edge over other graduates
Read the business section of newspapers. There are daily events which affect the business environment and international economies which play a huge role in both the academic and professional worlds. Having an understanding of what’s going on in the world around us from a business and economic perspective gives students an edge in lectures and around exam time. As well as this it is vitally important that you have a genuine interest in the field of study you wish to pursue, at masters level many projects are self-determined giving great scope to research business-related topics that are of real interest to you.
Current role
Today I work at BNY Mellon as an Intermediate Client Representative in Corporate Trust Administration.
The importance of a strong CV
I made many contacts through LinkedIn which greatly assisted in applying for jobs in the run-up to graduation. I have a large pool of connections that I got advice from on where my next step should be after my experiences both within and outside of SETU. Thankfully I was in a position to choose between jobs that were offered to me given the strength of my CV having studied at SETU and undertaken many extracurricular activities.
John Hume Waterford Credit Union Bursary
I was a Class Rep for my MBSI course. This was a great experience getting to engage with my course leader and the Graduate Business School Administration staff all of whom were dedicated to making the student experiences at SETU as great as possible. I was fortunate enough through hard work to have made the Dean's List as an Undergraduate student and won the John Hume Waterford Credit Union Bursary for achieving academic excellence. Outside of college, I was active in Irish traditional music and regularly taught music locally in the south east. On our study abroad trip to Brest, I was able to share some pieces of Irish culture that the students in Brest Business School enjoyed.
Living arrangements
I commute from Dunmore East daily. Waterford has a great public transport network with regular bus services going both locally and nationally.
Waterford as a University city
Waterford today is a thriving city full of the arts, history, music and culture as well as boasting a thriving sporting community. Social life in Waterford is well worth a look with many pubs and clubs dotted throughout the ancient city for anybody interested in experiencing the night life. The Viking Triangle in the city centre is a fantastic experience to enjoy with its many museums showcasing 1000 years of Waterford's rich history. The city itself is very easy to navigate around which makes it a fantastic hub in the South East of the country for students from all over Ireland and abroad.
"The student group for the MBSI stream was small which allowed for greater interaction with lecturers who valued the thoughts and openness of students to develop critical thinking skills." SETU graduate, Kieran Joy