Rob Hunter

Where are you from?

Washington

What undergraduate course did you study and where?

Advertising Management at Northumbria University.

Why did you decide to study a masters? 

It was to help progress my career and I found that my undergraduate degree wasn't really what I wanted to do, MDI gave me the opportunity to change career paths and discover something new.

Why did you choose Northumbria university?  Why did you choose your specific course?

I chose Northumbria because they looked after me so well as an undergraduate student and it was somewhere I felt at home. I chose Multidisciplinary Innovation because it offered the chance to work as a consultant and gain real world experience whilst also letting me advance my academic knowledge and skills.

What makes your course challenging/inspiring/different?  

MDI is the best thing I have ever done. It challenges you in every way possible, makes you work harder, push yourself more and more and really make you think about who you are as an individual and how you work in a team. The difference in the quality of learning and the level of experience you gain doing this masters is unlike anything I did in undergraduate study.

What was it like studying at Northumbria?

Working with students from multiple backgrounds means that you learn how to see the world from other peoples eyes, using their perspectives and your own to create a much stronger team which produces much stronger results. We have a variation of weekly lectures, intense project work with real clients and guest lectures who are absolute experts in their field. This level means that whatever subject we are studying it is always improved and we keep getting better.

How connected is your course with industry?

My course is more of a job than a university subject, I work every day of every week on client projects as a consultant, solving complex problems using innovative methods and solutions. MDI has given me the most incredible exposure to industry, more than I could have ever imagined, and that knowledge has helped me advance an incredible amount.

What impressed you most about our academic staff?

Their knowledge and willingness to share this with the students, no question is too hard and they give up a huge amount of time to help us.

How accessible do you find our staff?  

Absolutely, we go out socially with the staff and are equal friends as we are students.

As a postgraduate student, what aspects of university life are important to you?

I belive that the most important thing as a postgraduate student is the opportunities that undertaking my course opens up, and the advancement this can make in your career.

What doors do you think this course will open for you? 

I think this will have opened a whole raft of new career opportunities, pretty much any career I want has been opened up thanks to MDI, the amount of transferable knowledge I have gained is huge and this has allowed me to be far more ambitious in my career than previously.

Have you changed as a person?

Absolutely, in ways that I never expected, I've developed more confidence in myself, discovered who I am more and what my strengths and weaknesses are. I've also discovered where I want to be in 5 years time and given me the drive and determination to achieve this.

How would you describe yourself in 3 words before coming to Northumbria?  What are the 3 key skills and attributes you have gained since being here?

1) Naive 2) Confused 3) Searching  1) Leadership 2) Confidence 3) Analytical

How would you describe Northumbria in 3 words?

Forward-thinking, innovative and honest.

Do you feel that your course has been a worthwhile investment in your future?

Absolutely, it has made me into a better person both personally and professionally and I would whole-heartedly recommend this course to anyone.