AUT Business degree - Domestic enrolments up 30%

AUT University business degree first year domestic enrolments are up 30% from this time last year.

Dean of the Business School, Professor Des Graydon says the increase is part of a seven-year trend for the university.

"The growth is remarkable," he says. "Equivalent full time students (EFTS) enrolments have been rising about 15% each year and this year we expected about the same or a levelling off.

"Instead, for the first time we have seen a 30% increase in our first year enrolments and a 20% domestic student increase across the whole programme."

Professor Graydon says people are attracted to the AUT Business School for different reasons. Among them are the school's programmes, including the new degree majors in sales, human resource management and employment relations, the quality of teaching staff, AUT's unique classroom learning and the attraction of the new building and its facilities.

"We've created an engaging and exciting environment for learning in," he says. "It's set up for students and staff to network and form meaningful relationships, and this works very well."

He says AUT's holistic approach outside the university has gained traction and added to the rise in numbers of school-leavers enrolling.

"We've focussed on getting AUT staff out into high schools as well as bringing the students onto our campus," he says.

"Programmes like the Young Enterprise Scheme, Prefects That Peak, the Plantation Business Challenge and Stage Challenge, as well as the scholarship programme have reinforced to prospective students and their families that AUT is committed to supporting business endeavour."

Professor Graydon will join with New Zealand's leading businesses and business academics to honour the school's top students at the annual Business School Awards tomorrow. Air New Zealand, AC Nielsen, ASB Bank, DB Breweries, PricewaterhouseCoopers and TVNZ are among the businesses to present awards.

Recipients include Kelly Lee, whose four awards include Top Media Student of the Year in the Bachelor of Business and postgraduate winner Ivy Chen, who will receive the Overall Master of Business Graduate award.

ENDS

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