Charlie Fuller - BA (Hons) Business Studies

'I have been interested in business from an early age and studied it both at GCSE and A Level. I knew I wanted a career in business but wasn’t quite sure what field of it; this led me to the decision to enrol onto a degree in business studies.

I looked into a couple of universities but the University was not my first choice when working through the UCAS application, but my opinion soon changed once I had visited it. I really liked the Business school, as it is still quite new with welcoming, dedicated staff.

I am currently on my placement year at Boots head office based in Nottingham. There I work in the professional haircare category learning the trade of a junior buyer. The experience has not only been beneficial in terms of my studies and my future career in procurement but has given me a real-life topic on which to base my dissertation. I have also lined up a position within Boots once I have graduated.

Even though I have enjoyed my year’s placement, I am looking forward to returning to complete my final year and becoming a real student once again.

The one thing I enjoy most outside of academic life in Portsmouth is the social experience as well as being a keen sportsman; I am hoping to improve on my personal best in October’s Great South Run based in Portsmouth every year.'

Andrew Dickson - BA (Hons) Business Studies

'The BA (Hons) Business Studies degree is one of the broadest business courses offered at the University of Portsmouth. It covers everything from web design to management accountancy and marketing to strategic management. Your interest in a particular business area will increase during the course, so you can tailor the units you study through the options system to reflect this. During the third year of this four-year course you are required to gain a 12 month industrial placement. The result is a very flexible and practical business course.

I chose the business studies degree as I wanted to gain a good all-round understanding of business. At the time of enrolling I didn’t know what area I wanted specialise in. In addition I wanted to do a course that included an industrial placement year as I felt that it was important to complement my studies with practical work experience.

On completion of my degree I gained an extensive insight into business, both in the theoretical and practical sense. I believe by achieving a high 2:1 classification in my degree coupled with gaining valuable and relevant work experience I have boosted my employability.

The BA (Hons) Business Studies course has given me a greater understanding of how businesses work and operate. This helped me determine the type of business I wanted to work for and has given me the knowledge and experience to allow me to do so.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Portsmouth Business School and would encourage anyone who is looking to study Business to come to Portsmouth. From day one I received excellent high level lecturing from a very knowledgeable and friendly team of experts. The facilities were also very modern and include plenty of up-to-date IT resources.'