Portrait photograph of: Joseph Brewer

Joseph Brewer

Country Of Origin: United Kingdom

Degree: BSc Operations Management, 2013


Graduate Project Manager, EADS Astrium


The degree which Joseph studied, BSc Operations Management, is no longer available. It has been superseded by BSc Business Analytics and Consultancy. 

I chose to study at LUMS because it is consistently rated amongst the top business schools within the UK, giving it a great academic reputation. After speaking to LUMS members of staff during open days I realised that there was an opportunity to develop my learning across a number of academic disciplines, as I would be able to adapt the course to suit my interests.

The Operations Management degree offers the chance to work on placement for a year which I found to be the most enjoyable part of my degree. I worked on an important UK Ministry of Defence project at EADS Astrium. During the year I gained invaluable experience in a professional environment and made some great friends. Subsequently, I wrote a 20,000-word thesis based on the experiences of my year in industry which is by far the most technically impressive piece of work I completed during my time within LUMS.

In my first year of study, I was the County College Chairperson; this was great for my social life at University and helped me to gain an understanding of how the collegiate system works. When returning to Lancaster in my fourth year I joined the County College football club as a great way to make new friends.

During my placement I worked on the SkyNet5 project, which is an integral part of the telecommunication system to the Ministry of Defence, providing equipment that is relied upon on a day-to-day basis in the field. I gained invaluable experience in project management, managing engineers on mini-projects and creating a delivery schedule using a program called Primavera 6. I also greatly increased my skills in using Microsoft Excel VBA coding which I had gained a grounding in during my second year of university. At the end of my placement I was awarded a Bronze Award for outstanding achievement as well as a monetary bonus.

After graduating I was asked by EADS Astrium to return as they were pleased with my initial efforts during my placement year.

LUMS Careers helped me on a number of occasions, from writing CV and covering letters to interview techniques. They were always friendly and gave useful down-to-earth advice, which shows their grounding in the real world.