Business Management BSc

The BSc Business Management degree equips you with the expertise needed to understand business and management on both a national and global scale.

No matter what the sector – public and commercial organisations all require good leaders and this degree is aimed at students looking to take up leadership roles. Our broad based first year provides a solid foundation for you to shape years 2 and 3 to suit your interests and career aspirations. New modules around leadership and change management ensure future employers will recognise that you chose a degree from a premier UK institution that recognised these often overlooked skills.

With average graduate salaries of £20,000 and 95% of our students going on to professional or managerial careers – the BSc Business Management course at Birmingham is constantly evolving to reflect the changing world of business. This degree combines the latest research and thinking with the philosophy that future leaders of industry need a sound and broad-based business education.

Business education was pioneered at Birmingham. As the country’s first Business School, our range of undergraduate degree courses have always been designed to provide both academic excellence and vocational relevance. Since offering our first undergraduate course in 1902, Birmingham Business School continues to invest significantly in the provision of School and University support teams for all our undergraduate students.

Course fact file

UCAS code: N200

Duration: 3 years

Places Available: 110 (The number of places for the whole of the BSc Business Management suite)

Applications in 2011: 1530

Typical Offer: AAB (More detailed entry requirements and the international qualifications accepted can be found in the course details)

Start date: September

Details

The BSc Business Management equips you with the expertise needed to lead, change and understand business and management on both a national and global scale. It is structured to reflect the changing world of business.

Our broad based first year provides a solid foundation for you to shape years 2 and 3 to suit your interests and career aspirations. New modules around leadership and change management ensure future employers will recognise that you chose a degree from a premier UK institution that recognised these often overlooked skills.

Placements and Internships are individually selected to suit your interests and career aspirations.

First year

This year lays the foundation for the study of business. It introduces the key themes of: management; marketing; economics; finance; law; purchasing; and analytical techniques and IT for business.

The year complements but does not duplicate the content of the Business Studies A level. In the Analytical Techniques for Business and IT module you will be streamed according to your qualifications in Mathematics and Statistics.

Second and third years

In these years you have the ability to build your degree depending on your interests and career aspirations.  

We’re constantly updating the range of modules on offer to reflect the ever-changing world of business. This ensures that your degree remains sufficiently generalist to give you a wide choice of career options on graduation.

professional-development-module

If you want to take advantage of a unique opportunity to be supported with a work placement opportunity as part of your final year, this course includes the opportunity to undertake a 'Professional Development' module as part of your optional module choices

Why study this course


The BSc Business Management at Birmingham is not only very popular with students, it is also globally highly regarded by the sector.

This degree is a solid foundation if you want to develop a career in management.

Birmingham Business School has strong links with local, national and global businesses such as Deloitte, KPMG, PwC and Ernst & Young. As a result, this degree programme in retains a strong practical focus as well as exploring theoretical aspects.

Modules

This degree is a solid foundation if you want to develop a career in business management. Relevant to both the commercial and public sectors, this degree offers a solid foundation for a wide variety of careers or further postgraduate study.

Birmingham Business School has strong links with local, national and global businesses such as Deloitte, KPMG, PwC and Ernst & Young. As a result, this degree programme in Business Management is designed to have a strong practical focus as well as exploring theoretical aspects.

The BSc Business Management degree also enables you to study modules outside of the main discipline (or MOMD as they are sometimes called). This is an excellent opportunity for you to widen your choice of modules even further and the Business School has ensured that there is a dedicated member of academic staff who has the responsibility to ensure that this extra choice of modules is ever expanding and relevant to the needs and demands of future employers.

Course Structure

First Year


Core modules

  • Developing entrepreneurial opportunities
  • Principles of  marketing
  • Organisation and management
  • Economics for business
  • Introduction to British strategy and SCM
  • The firm and the Business Environment
  • Intro to the economy, business and government
  • Analytical techniques for business A/B/C

Second Year


Core modules

Optional modules - choose from:

Third year (for Business Management with a Year in Industry and International Business programmes only )

  • Year in Industry ( for BSc Business Management with Year in Industry programme only)
  • Year abroad (for BSc International Business programme only)

Third Year


Core modules

Optional modules - choose from:

Fees and funding

Standard fees apply
Learn more about fees and funding 

Scholarships
Learn more about our scholarships and awards

Entry requirements

Number of A levels required: 3

Typical offer: AAB

Required subjects and grades: GCSE Mathematics at grade B if not offered at AS or A2 level; GCSE English at grade B if not offered at AS or A2 level

General Studies: not accepted as one of three A2s, but a good performance may be taken into account if you fail to meet the conditions of the offer and have General Studies as a fourth A2

Additional information:

Other qualifications are considered – learn more about entry requirements

International students:

International Baccalaureate Diploma: 35–36 points

Standard English language requirements apply
Learn more about international entry requirements

Depending on your chosen course of study, you may also be interested in the Birmingham Foundation Academy, a specially structured programme for international students whose qualifications are not accepted for direct entry to UK universities. Further details can be found on the foundation academy web pages.

How to apply

Apply through UCAS at www.ucas.com  
Learn more about applying

Key Information Set (KIS)

Key Information Sets (KIS) are comparable sets of information about full or part time undergraduate courses and are designed to meet the information needs of prospective students.

From September 2012 all KIS information will be published on the Unistats website and can also be accessed via the small advert, or ‘widget’, below. On the Unistats website you will be able to compare all the KIS data for each course with data for other courses.

The development of Key Information Sets (KIS) forms part of HEFCE’s work to enhance the information that is available about higher education. It will give you access to robust, reliable and comparable information in order to help you make informed decisions about what and where to study.

The KIS contains information which prospective students have identified as useful, such as student satisfaction, graduate outcomes, learning and teaching activities, assessment methods, tuition fees and student finance, accommodation and professional accreditation.

Learning and teaching

Your learning will take place in a range of different settings, from scheduled teaching in lectures and small group tutorials, to self-study and peer group learning (for example preparing and delivering presentations with your classmates).

To begin with you may find this way of working challenging, but rest assured that we’ll enable you to make this transition and you’ll soon be benefiting from some of the most highly regarded teaching in this subject in the country, as our independent accrediatations show.

You will have access to a comprehensive support system that will assist and encourage you, including personal tutors and welfare tutors who can help with both academic and welfare issues, and a formal transition review during your first year to check on your progress and offer you help for any particular areas where you need support.

Find out more about our academics' approaches to teaching and learning.

Personal Tutor

From the outset, you will be assigned your own Personal Tutor who will get to know you as you progress through your studies, providing academic and welfare advice, encouraging you and offering assistance in any areas you may feel you need extra support to make the most of your potential and your time here at Birmingham.

Contact hours

As well as time with your lecturers and personal tutor, academic and professional services staff (like our dedicated Careers Network team) will be aviailable to offer individual and group support throughout your time here at Birmingham.

Learning settings

You’ll find academic and professional staff involved in the delivery of your BSc Business Management degree here at Birmingham located in University House. Set in landscaped gardens this multi-million pound home to Birmingham Business School is equipped with the latest facilities and technology to ensure your studies are inspired by their surroundings.Lectures and teaching will take place in a variety of versatile lecture theatres and breakout rooms which, as well as the traditional whiteboard and pen, are equipped with wireless connection and constantly updated technology including all the audio-visual equipment that you would expect from one of the UK’s premier insitutions.

Click and drag in the image above to take a virtual tour of our lecture theatre

 

  • Small-group tutorials/personal tutorials run alongside our lectures, addressing any individual problems you may have and allowing you to consolidate lecture material, as well as test your understanding through problem-solving exercises.
  • Self study is an essential part of the programme and requires self motivation and enthusiasm for your subject. It also allows you to pursue your own lines of enquiry and become an independent thinker.

 

Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is an excellent tool for supporting our academic courses, allowing you to share throughts on assignments with other students via the discussion group facilities, and even submit your work electronically.

Enquiry Based Learning (EBL) is a group activity which requires you to work in a team, with a variety of assessment methods; in either a group or individually, by written reports and sometimes as a presentation. Based on techniques used in research-led organisations like the University of Birmingham, EBL gives you a research-orientated approach to a problem and helps you to gain essential skills that are highly valued by employers.

Assessment methods

We constantly talk to existing students and BSc Business Management alumni to ensure the right balance of assessment tools and techniques are available.

Studying at degree level is likely to be very different from your previous experience of learning and teaching.  You will be expected to think, discuss and engage critically with the subject and find things out for yourself.  We will enable you to make this transition to a new style of learning, and the way that you are assessed during your studies will help you develop the essential skills you need to make a success of your time at Birmingham. 

You’ll be assessed in a variety of ways, and these may be different with each module that you take.  You will be assessed through coursework which may take the form of tests, essays, group and individual presentations or formal exams.

During your first year you will undergo a formal ‘transition’ review to see how you are getting on and if there are particular areas where you need support.  This is in addition to the personal tutor who is based in your school or department and can help with any academic issues you encounter.

At the beginning of each module, you’ll be given information on how and when you’ll be assessed for that particular programme of study.  You’ll receive online feedback on each assessment, so that you can learn from and build on what you have done.  You’ll be given feedback on any exams that you take; if you experience any difficulties we will ensure that particularly detailed feedback is made available to enable you to learn for the future.

Employability

Our business degrees have long been recognised by major employers across all sectors of the economy. Our students find employment in areas as diverse as retail management, financial services, accountancy, motor manufacturing, management consultancy and pharmaceuticals; some become self employed.

The BSc Business Management degree enables you to undertake unique work experience opportunities to enhance your employability and rise above the competition.

Work Experience provides an ideal opportunity to gain invaluable skills and knowledge that will help further your career plans. With generous support from Alumni, undergraduate students (excluding those in their final year) can apply for funding to cover their incurred costs whilst they are working.

  • Global Challenge Bursary (apply for one of our sourced opportunities)
    Up to £9000 available
  • Gateway Bursary
    Up to £2000 available
  • International Bursary
    Up to £800 available
  • UK professional Bursary
    Up to £800 available
  • Research Experience Bursary
    Up to £500 available

This funding can help you pay for:

  • Accommodation costs
  • Travel expenses
  • Living costs

Birmingham Business School also works closely with top graduate recruiters, hosting careers fairs, interactive skills sessions, workshops, presentations, specialist skills programmes and events in conjunction with employers such as Deloitte, Accenture, PWC, KPMG, Ernst & Young and many more. 

Preparation for your career should be one of the first things you think about as you start university. Whether you have a clear idea of where your future aspirations lie or want to consider the broad range of opportunities available once you have a Birmingham degree, our Careers Network can help you achieve your goal.

Our unique careers guidance service is tailored to your academic subject area, offering a specialised team (in each of the five academic colleges) who can give you expert advice. Our team source exclusive work experience opportunities to help you stand out amongst the competition, with mentoring, global internships and placements available to you. Once you have a career in your sights, one-to-one support with CV’s and job applications will help give you the edge. In addition, our employer-endorsed award-winning Personal Skills Award (PSA) recognises your extra-curricular activities, and provides an accredited employability programme designed to improve your career prospects.

Your Birmingham degree is evidence of your ability to succeed in a demanding academic environment. Employers target Birmingham students for their drive, diversity, communication and problem-solving skills, their team-working abilities and cultural awareness, and our graduate employment statistics have continued to climb at a rate well above national trends. If you make the most of the wide range of services you will be able to develop your career from the moment you arrive.

Professional accreditation

Depending on the options you choose, you may be able to gain partial exemption from the examinations of professional bodies such as CIM, CIMA and ACCA. This will depend on the options chosen in your second and final years.