The Student Room Group

Nottingham or Exeter??

Hey guys....just wanted a general opinion as i am totally confused on what to choose as I got an offer from 'Nottingham for MA Management' and from 'Exeter for MSc in International Management' so would really appreciate if you guys could suggest me on this...i like the course at exeter but i doubt if its being recognized here in India as i plan to work in india after my postgrad..whereas nottingham is well known around the world so would get me better career opportunities....and does it make any difference if i get a MA or MSc degree coz i believe its considered to be the same in UK...like if i plan to work in UK for sometime is there any preference by employers on this basis.
Reply 1
To be perfectly honest with you, many universities seem to label courses as either BA/BSc or MA/MSc in a rather arbitrary manner. In fact, various universities/courses in the UK don't even bother awarding such letters even though the course content is comparable. (instead you get MA (Hons), or MPhil, etc). In extreme circumstances the title of the degree (MA/MSc) simply comes down to academic discipline (BSc Science, BA Art), but social science courses (such as management) are such blends and hybrids that it's almost impossible to classify. You can get a science degree in history, and you can get an art degree in psychology. The UK lacks consistency outside of the obvious extreme examples (like I said, Master of Arts in Art, and Master of Science in Science). Social science is neither art nor science, so cannot be divided so simply. You may find that some courses try to be more scientific and also adopt the scientific-sounding MSc, but you could also find that similar courses have the title MA. The only thing that is important is the course content, and unfortunately the MSc/MA titles are not reliable indicators of such content.

I won't comment about reputation in India of the two universities since I (and nearly all) TSR users wouldn't have a clue (having never even visited the place).
Reply 2
hey...thanx for updating me on that!!
ok if i overlook the reputation in india...n see it from the UK perspective or i plan to work there after my postgrad....which would be a better option??
Reply 3
Nottingham has a better overall reputation here and abroad, and its Business school is certainly far more respected, as you never here a mention of Exeter's TBH
Reply 4
sam_86
hey...thanx for updating me on that!!
ok if i overlook the reputation in india...n see it from the UK perspective or i plan to work there after my postgrad....which would be a better option??


It's difficult for anybody to say really (especially me since it's not my field). How do you measure the quality of a business school?

Many people on TSR use university league tables to rank universities and their departments, but personally I would avoid them as such tables are based upon ambiguous data (out of date information, information that isn't relevant, information that isn't a valid measure of what it purports to be etc).

But, if you were to use such rankings, Exeter business school appears to be very well ranked and, from my quick Google search, appears to be consistently above Nottingham. Exeter is:

1st best for student satisfaction (and has been since 2006)
2nd best for research (specifically, in Accounting and Finance)
4th best school in the UK (Guardian League Table)
5th best school in UK (Financial Times League Table)
7th best school in the UK (Times Good University Guide)
7th best school in the UK (Independent League Table)
8th best school in Europe (Financial Times League Table)

It may be that Nottingham is a much better school, I really wouldn't know.


What I do know is that the Exeter school is something the university tends to be proud of and advertise a lot. They have brand new buildings and facilities, with lots of local and national business links, with a large work-placement portfolio and good links to large companies. Nottingham may have all of this and more though.

It may be best if you ask the same question in the Business Studies sub-forum (but beware - most posters in there are going to be students without any experience of the world of work beyond what their parents or teachers tell them, so the feedback may be a bit skewed!!).

So, to answer your question more directly, I don't know which school is best, nor do I know how well it is known in India (and nor does any other teenager on TSR), but I do know that both universities on the whole are well-regarded and can offer a good standard of education.
Reply 5
Just to balance out the above numbers (which are all in favour of Exeter), I quickly went to Nottingham Business Studies Wiki and found this info:

The 2008 Times Good University Guide ranked the School sixth among UK management schools. NUBS also ranks overall 28th in the world in the Aspen Institute's 2007 'Beyond Grey Pinstripes' Global Top 100; within this prestigious ranking's research category, Nottingham University Business School is placed 2nd in the world for their research into social, environmental, and ethical issues in management.

It means nothing to me though!!!
The Boosh
It's difficult for anybody to say really (especially me since it's not my field). How do you measure the quality of a business school?

Many people on TSR use university league tables to rank universities and their departments, but personally I would avoid them as such tables are based upon ambiguous data (out of date information, information that isn't relevant, information that isn't a valid measure of what it purports to be etc).

But, if you were to use such rankings, Exeter business school appears to be very well ranked and, from my quick Google search, appears to be consistently above Nottingham. Exeter is:

1st best for student satisfaction (and has been since 2006)
2nd best for research (specifically, in Accounting and Finance)
4th best school in the UK (Guardian League Table)
5th best school in UK (Financial Times League Table)
7th best school in the UK (Times Good University Guide)
7th best school in the UK (Independent League Table)
8th best school in Europe (Financial Times League Table)

It may be that Nottingham is a much better school, I really wouldn't know.


What I do know is that the Exeter school is something the university tends to be proud of and advertise a lot. They have brand new buildings and facilities, with lots of local and national business links, with a large work-placement portfolio and good links to large companies. Nottingham may have all of this and more though.

It may be best if you ask the same question in the Business Studies sub-forum (but beware - most posters in there are going to be students without any experience of the world of work beyond what their parents or teachers tell them, so the feedback may be a bit skewed!!).

So, to answer your question more directly, I don't know which school is best, nor do I know how well it is known in India (and nor does any other teenager on TSR), but I do know that both universities on the whole are well-regarded and can offer a good standard of education.


This, especially in bold. Exeter is currently pouring alot of money into its Business and Management department which will no doubt have paid off in terms of table rankings by the time you've finished your course and are looking for employment.

However, even though Exeter and Nottingham seem to have pretty equal courses, they are very different in terms of surrounding, atmosphere, city centre etc. Maybe you should consider more about what else you want out of University life other than just league tables, because at the end of the day a bunch of stats isn't going to make or break your experience.
Reply 7
sophisticated
This, especially in bold. Exeter is currently pouring alot of money into its Business and Management department which will no doubt have paid off in terms of table rankings by the time you've finished your course and are looking for employment.

However, even though Exeter and Nottingham seem to have pretty equal courses, they are very different in terms of surrounding, atmosphere, city centre etc. Maybe you should consider more about what else you want out of University life other than just league tables, because at the end of the day a bunch of stats isn't going to make or break your experience.


I whole-heartedly agree.

I find the amount of promotion and advertising of the business and science-based subjects odd. It's almost as if the university is attempting to shed it's traditional image (as being focused primarily a arts, humanities and (to a lesser extent) social science). Then again, there is a LOT more money to be made in these disciplines, and Exeter's annual incomes has risen dramatically by about £35m per annum.

The OP would be wise to think about location - as you say, they are VERY different types of city.
The Boosh
I whole-heartedly agree.

I find the amount of promotion and advertising of the business and science-based subjects odd. It's almost as if the university is attempting to shed it's traditional image (as being focused primarily a arts, humanities and (to a lesser extent) social science). Then again, there is a LOT more money to be made in these disciplines, and Exeter's annual incomes has risen dramatically by about £35m per annum.

The OP would be wise to think about location - as you say, they are VERY different types of city.


Yeah I don't understand the whole emphasis on the Business department at the moment either, but I guess if its a strong department then they're just trying to boost the facilities so Exeter can become a well-known University for its Business courses amongst other things.
Reply 9
hey guys...thanx for sharing your research!!
i agree exeter is growing fast but i believe the city is quite secluded and there is no social life as such whereas nottingham is lively and socially active hence easier to adjust...however i have an inclination towards nottingham but i just wanted to ask that considering only the course and university (ignoring the other factors) which one should i go for??
sam_86
hey guys...thanx for sharing your research!!
i agree exeter is growing fast but i believe the city is quite secluded and there is no social life as such whereas nottingham is lively and socially active hence easier to adjust...however i have an inclination towards nottingham but i just wanted to ask that considering only the course and university (ignoring the other factors) which one should i go for??


Its not research as such, I go to University in Exeter and have seen first-hand all the work thats happening in the Business department at the moment. Exeter is far from secluded. It has excellent transport links, a lovely city, lots of heritage/history and is very close to the coast. If there was "no social life" in Exeter do you seriously think they would have plonked a University here, and such a popular one too? Exeter has a fair few clubs and plenty of nice pubs and places to go out and eat/drink etc. In a way its nice that its a bit smaller because whereever you go you will pretty much always bump into someone you know. But meh, if you like the idea of being a small fish in a big pond at Nottingham then fair game.

I don't know much about the course I'm afraid. Subject league tables will be able to help you with that. But like Boosh and myself were saying, its not all about league tables. If you're miserably unhappy at Nottingham because of the atmosphere etc then I doubt a bunch of stats is going to comfort you. Really you need to visit the two places (assuming you haven't done so already) and get more of a feel for them.
sam_86
hey guys...thanx for sharing your research!!
i agree exeter is growing fast but i believe the city is quite secluded and there is no social life as such whereas nottingham is lively and socially active hence easier to adjust...however i have an inclination towards nottingham but i just wanted to ask that considering only the course and university (ignoring the other factors) which one should i go for??


I've lived in Exeter for a few years and I know Exeter and Nottingham graduates. You are right in thinking that Nottingham is larger and busier than Exeter (both as a city and as a university), but to say that Exeter has "no social life" is categorically false. I cannot stress how wrong your impression of Exeter is. Whilst I don't want to turn this thread into an Exeter city vs. Nottingham city debate, I promise you, as an experienced clubber/festival goer/gig-goer (of over 10 years) that Exeter packs a punch for a night out if you are interested in the night-time music scene. If you are interested in the arts, then there are enough mainstream and back-ally theatres to keep you entertained. If you are interested in drinking then the South has much more of an ale culture than the North (being from the North I can vouch for this cliche!). If you are interested in out-door pursuits (from trekking to surfing), then you are in luck because Exeter has the warmest climate in the UK, close to the best surf beaches and about 40 minute drive away from Dartmoor, which is a protected national park.

Again, I don't want a "which city is best" debate, and I deliberately haven't put down Nottingham because some people I know are fond of it. But I live in Exeter precisely because of the entertainment it has on offer. My friends (who live/lived in major cities like Nottingham, Bristol, London) come to stay with me for a weekend break and prefer this part of the country (they reason they don't stay is because they can't get jobs in their fields in the southwest).

If you want to compare cities, think of this: Nottingham has one of the highest crime rates in the UK, if not the highest, outside of London. Exeter has one of the lowest crime rates in the UK and is deemed one of the safest places to live. You are choosing two extremes when it comes to safety.

Anyway, that is all I want to say. Nottingham may be your kind of city - it's larger, more populated, busier, more shops and bars, more industry, more crime, more urban, etc. But please don't choose Nottingham on the assumption that Exeter lacks a social life and is very boring, because this isn't the case.
Reply 12
ok now i got it....here in india people have a different perception for exeter as not much people know about the university...so since you people live there can guide me better...im afraid i cant visit the place as i dont have a student visa yet or would have surely visited...but as you guys say exeter seems to be interesting...i might opt for it now and as its a campus university..it should be fun.
Thanks for the help guys and do lemme no if theres anything else i should be knowing about the city or the university.
sam_86
ok now i got it....here in india people have a different perception for exeter as not much people know about the university...so since you people live there can guide me better...im afraid i cant visit the place as i dont have a student visa yet or would have surely visited...but as you guys say exeter seems to be interesting...i might opt for it now and as its a campus university..it should be fun.
Thanks for the help guys and do lemme no if theres anything else i should be knowing about the city or the university.


I can appreciate that nobody would have heard of Exeter in India. I rarely see Indian students at the university. Certain universities seem to draw in international students because of the university brand name (Oxford, Cambridge and London being particularly famous), whereas other universities draw in international students because of the university's efforts in certain regions of the world.

The University of Exeter has a strong Arab/Islamic following, particularly at postgraduate level, where many students are from Iran, Iraq, Dubai etc. There are university offices in that part of the world, and the university has a strong group of Middle Eastern scholars. A certain prince out there offers financial support to these activities too.

http://www.exeter.ac.uk/meo/

http://www.exeter.ac.uk/research/excellence/keythemes/middleeast/

http://huss.exeter.ac.uk/iais/

http://www.exeter.ac.uk/businessandcommunity/international/students/

So whilst India is not the focus, other parts of the world are. Also, the university seems to be appealing to people in Asia, particularly China, where many postgraduate students are from.
Reply 14
oh thats gud if it has a strong islamic following...i guess ill be more comfortable there...but the only thing im doubtful about is its recognition in india...so thats holding me to take the decision otherwise the course at exeter is anyday better than nottingham...so im completely CONFUSED!!
You could try and ask the question in the International Study section:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=116

In the UK I have serious doubts over whether any employer would make a distinction between an Exeter and a Nottingham degree. I have friends who went to less-known universities working in major finance and business firms. Whether or not it will make a difference in India is not something I would know. I suspect not - I fail to see why employers would pick out Nottingham from 130 other UK degree-awarding institutions (but I could be very wrong).

If you have any more questions for me, just post here.

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