Career development that builds on your experience

If you're aiming higher up the career ladder you need courses and qualifications that build on what you know and have done.

An MBA is the first thing that comes to mind for career development. See our MBA section.

We also offer other routes to successful career development. Currently they relate to the following business and professional areas:

Business studies

The following courses are part of our BA (Hons) Business Studies but can be taken outside that framework to improve your business competences and career development.

Level 2 and 3 business studies courses

• Business organisations and their environments
• Business functions in context
• Making sense of strategy

Financial services

If your career would benefit from an understanding of the international dimension to managing finance and reporting in a large company, consider:

• Postgraduate Certificate in International Finance and Reporting

Relevant undergraduate and postgraduate courses

• Accounting for strategy implementation
• Corporate finance

Flexible online CPD

• Finance for non-financial managers
• Understanding finance and budgets
• Influencing strategic thinking for finance professionals

HR

Senior HR professionals, or those aspiring to the role, can make a more strategic contribution in changing organisational contexts, by taking our HR courses singly or as part of an MBA or MSc in Human Resource Management.

• Strategic human resource management

Legal

Your current role or your career progression may require knowledge and understanding of, the law and legal system of England and Wales.

Level 2 and 3 law courses

• Understanding law
• Law: the individual and the state
• Law: agreements, rights and responsibilities

Entrepreneurship

Have you reached the stage in your career when you would like to develop new business ideas, implement innovations or launch a new venture? This is the course for you.

• Investigating entrepreneurial opportunities

Higher level CPD courses

We offer many courses to develop or update professional skills. Some of our flexible online courses are introductory but others build on existing experience and knowledge. Click for the full list of flexible online CPD.

Further information

See our suggested qualification routes to see how our qualifications fit together and underpin career progression.

For more career advice online, visit the OU Careers Advisory Service.