What Our Graduates Say
Employability
Durham University is committed to producing graduates who are in high demand and stand the best chance of securing the career they want. Graduating with an intellectually rigorous and globally respected degree is central to a Durham education.
What you achieve academically and experience as a person whilst at Durham will say a lot about you in the future. One of the main reasons for our system of colleges and college mentors is to equip our students with adaptable and marketable workplace skills.
The opportunities we provide to become involved in committees, clubs and societies and to be active in voluntary or paid work experience will help you develop an enviable set of professional techniques enabling you to be more successful in the graduate job market. Your Durham University experiences will help you build up skills in team-working, problem-solving, communication, negotiation and leadership. These are all qualities highly valued by regional, national and international employers who know that a degree combined with a unique Durham life experience is just what they need from graduates that they recruit.
The QS rankings (2010-11) placed Durham University in the top 25 globally for employer reputation after 5,000 blue-chip organisations across the world ranked the quality and demand for Durham's graduates ahead of leading institutions in the UK and major international universities in Singapore, Hong Kong, Toronto and Sydney, as well as a number of Ivy League institutions in the US, including Princeton.
But don't just take our word for it ... let's hear success stories from some of our graduates:
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Akansha Nath - EconomicsMSc Economics and Finance
2009-2010
After completing my undergraduate degree in Economics in India I studied the MSc Economics and Finance course at Durham and it was even better than I had expected it to be. The course provided a strong theoretical foundation coupled with practical application. What was taught in the lectures was fortified with practical application through case studies and problems during seminars. Learning from professors who brought in varied points of view was a stimulating experience for me; just the sheer scope of the knowledge which I could absorb was overwhelming. The entire framework of instruction really opened up my thought processes and helped me develop my analytical abilities. My dissertation, on Credit Risk Models, was extremely helpful for me to develop my skills of research, independent thinking and analysis. The wheel of expanding my frontiers has been set in motion.
My MSc course was complemented by a most wonderful college life in Durham. Being an international student, I was quite anxious about fitting into the college life here. Even though I was living out, my college's Induction Week programs helped me meet new people in my course and college, make new friends easily and fit in and become part of my college. I became the Social Secretary for Ustinov College and hence played a major role in the social life. I also formed and presided over the Durham University Indian Society and was part of Ustinov's Network Communications Group, hence keeping myself busy. I also took part in the MSc Focus Group. Durham was a wonderful place to study in because being a student city it provided a good atmosphere for studying but also had a good nightlife for my friends and me to enjoy. I have collected such wonderful memories here.
During this past year I have learnt and grown a lot. The Business School has been like a second home and I have made good friends for life. Overall, my one year stay in Durham for the MSc course at Durham Business School was one of the most satisfying, productive, brilliant and enjoyable experiences of my life!
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International @ Durham Career Blog
Case studies and career news from Durham University's international students.