After a decade working in digital and social media marketing, Kennetha decided to pursue her interest in strategy and organisational transformation by studying an MSc Digital Transformation at The University of Manchester (UoM)
Why did you decide to pursue a Masters?
I wanted to move from executing campaigns to leading business strategy and organisational transformation. I had seen firsthand how businesses struggled to align their digital ambitions with their operating models, and I wanted the intellectual framework and the credibility to work on those problems at a senior level. A Masters felt like the right bridge: rigorous enough to challenge me academically but directly connected to the kind of consulting-led work I wanted to aim towards.
Why did you choose this course and institution?
Aside from my familiarity with the university (having completed my undergraduate degree there), the programme sits at the intersection of strategy, technology, and organisational change management, which aligns with my career interests. It's a new course by Alliance Manchester Business School, and it offers a real-world consulting orientation to its teaching, which mattered to me.
What was the application process like?
The application process was thorough, but simple and straightforward. It required a personal statement setting out my motivations and relevant professional experience, an academic transcript from my undergraduate degree, and references. I drew on my background in digital marketing and social media management to show that I was coming to the programme with genuine applied experience not just academic interest. The prospect of returning to my alma mater excited me, so I completed the process in one evening and, luckily, was accepted the next morning.
Tell us about your course.
The MSc Digital Transformation is a one-year full-time taught programme covering the strategic, technological, and human dimensions of how businesses change in a digital age. Modules include:
core and emerging technologies
digital strategy
data strategy
fintech
organisational change management.
A significant part of the programme is project-based. We've worked on a consultancy capstone project with a real business client, in which we designed and pitched strategic recommendations in groups. The programme places strong emphasis on producing work to a professional, client-ready standard, directly preparing students for consulting roles.
What do you enjoy about your course?
The applied nature of the work is what I enjoy most. Producing outputs that look and function like real deliverables, rather than only academic or theoretical essays, keeps the learning grounded and motivating. There is a real sense that you are building a relevant toolkit and skillset you will actually use. Alongside that, working on group projects with peers from diverse professional and national backgrounds has sharpened my ability to operate across different perspectives, which is the skill set consulting requires.
What are the challenges?
Managing workload density has been the most consistent challenge. Multiple substantive projects run concurrently, each demanding a different analytical mode. Staying sharp across all of them simultaneously requires real discipline. Overall, though, these challenges have made me more organised and more self-directed than I might otherwise have been.
How does postgraduate study differ from undergraduate?
The expectation of independence is the sharpest difference. At undergraduate level, the structure does a great deal of scaffolding for you, including the reading lists, the lecture formats, and the essay prompts.
At postgraduate level, you're expected to make substantive intellectual choices yourself, to identify the gaps in the literature, to decide what framework best serves your argument, but simultaneously critique its shortcomings and contribute fresh perspectives to it. The stakes also feel different as you are producing work that is directly connected to the professional identity you are building, rather than simply demonstrating understanding for a grade.
What's one thing you wish you'd known before starting your Masters degree?
I wish I'd understood earlier how much the value of a Masters comes from what you produce, not just what you study. The temptation at the start is to focus on absorbing content and reading as much as you can. But there's a real opportunity to produce a body of work that demonstrates how you think and what you can deliver. If I'd started with that mindset from week one, I would have been more strategic about every assignment from the outset, treating each piece of work as a portfolio item and a proof of capability rather than just a requirement.
How are you funding your Masters?
It's funded partly from my personal savings and partly from the UK postgraduate loan. I also received the Manchester Masters Bursary from the university.
What study/careers support have you received?
UoM provides careers support through its careers service, which includes:
employer events
one-to-one guidance
sector-specific resources.
Alliance Manchester Business School in particular also has a dedicated postgraduate careers team, who I've spoken to about restructuring my CV, and my job prospects. Beyond formal support, the programme structure itself is careers-oriented, with the consulting capstone project, the professionally-framed assignments, and the expectation of executive-standard outputs all serving as preparation for the roles I am targeting.
What are your career ambitions after graduation?
I'm interested in a role in digital transformation consulting, ideally within technology consultancies. My goal is to work at the intersection of strategy and organisational change, helping large organisations navigate digital transformation in a way that is both sustainable and grounded in commercial rigour. Longer term, I'm interested in building expertise in emerging markets, drawing on my experience working in Ghana and my interest in African digital infrastructure.
What advice would you give to others considering studying a Masters?
Be honest with yourself about why you want to do it before you apply. A Masters is a significant investment of time, money, and energy, and it will likely deliver value if you're clear about the specific purpose or gap it fills in your trajectory. If you're using it to pivot, to accelerate, or to build credibility in a new domain, it can be very useful. If you're doing it because you are unsure what else to do, you might find it frustrating.
Choose a programme that challenges you to produce real work, not just to write about concepts. The assignments that pushed me hardest are also the ones I am proudest of, and they will carry the most weight when I engage with employers.
