Rebecca Goodwin-Vickers

Tell us about your degree - why did you choose it? What elements of the degree inspired you to study it?

The Senior Leadership MSc caught my attention because it is an apprenticeship offered in partnership with my current employer. For me this means great quality teaching and dedicated time at work to apply my learning. This style of learning improves my performance at work and makes my study even more relevant.

The business school has a fantastic reputation and I was attracted to studying with a new cohort of people with different experiences. I was interested to see how other sectors do things and share experience with other people.

What is the best part of your studies? What are you enjoying the most?

The people I have met have already become great support for the course but also a great network for work idea sharing. The online work has been very informative, interesting and relevant to my day job. The assignments have been challenging but rewarding and have already helped me make better decisions in my day to day work. My networks are already much bigger and I am already thinking differently.

What are your career aspirations? Do you think the experience and skills you will gain on your course will help you in your future career plans? In what way?

I have already gained a promotion after completing half a module! Completing strategy as our first module was perfectly timed in my interview preparation when applying for the Head of Physiotherapy at Leeds Teaching Hospitals. I will stay in this role whilst completing the rest of the course and have every faith that it will continue to make me better at my job.

In the future I would like to progress further, but I think understanding where I am right now and really getting my teeth into finishing the course will open more opportunities for me to be a great leader and give me more confidence.

How do you feel your employer and / or business has benefited from the degree?

I am quicker at decision making, better at strategizing, more reflective, and more able to share my learning. I feel more confident in using evidence to make decisions and finding and reviewing the evidence. I have access to a great network of other senior leaders in the city and a really supportive academic team. This is a level of support I have never been able to access before and it feels bespoke to me.

What is your impression/experience of the facilities, the staff and your peers?

The facilities are fantastic, the online learning is easy to access and the literature available now compared to when I did my first degree is incredible! The teaching staff have been very inspiring, approachable, friendly and helpful - and have given good feedback and support academically.

The support staff can’t do enough to help and my personal tutor who is helping me get my electronic portfolio ready is superb. My peers are fab and we all challenge each other to think differently, offer support at all hours through our WhatsApp group and make each other feel better when deadlines are looming!

Would you recommend the Business School to others who are considering studying here?

Absolutely! It’s great to step away from your day job and take the time to develop yourself with the excellent support and facilities and a like-minded group of people who all want each other to succeed. It’s been very enjoyable, informative and interesting so far.