Business Studies provides graduates with the skills and knowledge fit for a career in business. You will study areas such as marketing, finance, economics and management, allowing you to specialise too.
Our Business Studies course provides you with the opportunity to develop specialist business expertise, while helping you learn key transferable skills, all of which will make you stand out when it comes to securing your dream job. The course covers a variety of subject areas to ensure that you have the skills to gain employment in a number of sectors.
Whatever your ambitions, we’re here to help you to achieve them. We’ll support you to identify the skills you’re learning during your course, find your strengths and secure practical experience so that when it comes to applying for jobs or further study you’ll feel confident in standing out from the crowd. We’ve created the Northampton Employment Promise because we are so confident that if you focus on your studies and complete one of our awards you’ll be highly employable by the time you graduate. Putting you in a great position to secure employment or continue your studies.
Course Details
This course combines academic challenge with a practical focus and gives you the option to spend a year out on placement which will enhance your prospects on graduating from your course.
Aside from the required modules, there are options for you to study areas of business law, languages and business in a global context meaning you can focus on specific areas you are passionate about.
Throughout study, you will become an affiliate member of CMI, giving you access to a range of knowledge and support services from CMI to enhance your learning and boost your employability prospects. Recent studies have found that 75% of employers believe that graduates should pursue professional qualifications such as CMI as evidence of practical skills.
Stage one
At stage one you will follow compulsory modules where you will learn the core concepts of business. This will give you the foundation you need to build on theory and process of management as you will study the business environment and how this is managed. The management of human and financial resources is explored in combination with managing business information.
The first stage introduces you to a range of essential aspects of business. The modules you will study are marketing, accounting and finance, managing people and the business environment. A module on information management will support your development of practical digital skills for business purposes for employability. Business in Society explores the dynamics of organisations’ relationship between profit generation, environmental sustainability and social development with a particular focus on the media influence in driving businesses attention towards issues such as child labour, modern slavery and image.
Stage two
The second stage of the course enables you to start to define the areas that you would like to specialise in for your future career. Modules at this stage build upon the foundations of the first year.
You can begin to tailor your studies according to your desired career development. With a range of optional modules to complement the core modules on this course, you will be able to select to specialise in areas such as finance, marketing, human resources management, project management and information technology.
Optional Work Placement Year
You are encouraged to undertake a year-long placement in between Stages Two and Three of study. If you meet the entry criteria, and choose to take up a placement year you will find it an invaluable experience that helps you to apply your learning in your final year and prepares you for your career. Whilst on your Optional Work Placement Year you will study a 40 credit module ‘The Placement Year Experience – Organisations in Context’. We offer a lot of support in helping you to find a placement, which can be in the UK or overseas.
Stage three
In the final stage, you will complete modules on debates in strategic management, together with a dissertation in your chosen specialist area. In addition, you can choose to study further modules in a vocational area such as marketing, finance and accounting, operations management or human resource management. Alternatively, you can choose from more general interest modules such as cross-cultural management and global business development.
Methods of Learning
This course is three years full-time with an optional placement year. We also offer a flexible part-time mode of study.
From day one, we immerse you in your chosen modules. You will be working on problems and projects that will give you practical insight that will stay with you throughout your learning journey and after you graduate.
If you are studying this course you can expect up to 12 hours face to face contact in seminars, workshops and tutor supported activity through the virtual learning environment. We recommend that you spend 15 hours per week in self-directed study time in addition to your supported learning.
We have an increased focus on seminars or tutorials that allow closer interaction between our students and staff. This can take the form of one-to-one or small group discussions, allowing for the exchange of ideas, teamwork and feedback, allowing you to develop a wide range of cognitive and intellectual skills, together with competencies specific to business and enterprise.
Assessments
The course is assessed in a number of ways through individual or group presentations, individual written assignments such as portfolios of work and reports as well as examinations.
EU and International Scholarships
We’re committed to offering the opportunity to study in the UK to the best and brightest students from around the world.
The Sir Thomas White scholarship will support and acknowledge an academically gifted student, with the proviso that the selection panel is confident that there is…
The T D Lewis Scholarship provides both undergraduate and postgraduate students with financial awards of up to £1,000. This scholarship is awarded on educational excellence…
The Chancellor’s Fund is a bi-annual fund providing students with awards of between £100 and £1,000. You must be a current student to apply. The…
The Wilson Endowment Scholarship provides a £1,500 scholarship to undergraduate students from the Northamptonshire area. The endowed scholarship was donated in memory of Mr Lynn Wilson,…
Entry Requirements
Standard entry requirements apply. A typical offer would be BCC at A Level or DMM at BTEC. We welcome international applications and applications from students with non-traditional educational or professional qualifications.
Foundation Study Framework Entry Requirements
Admission to this foundation course is normally DEE at A Level or MPP at BTEC. However, we would also like to hear from you if you have professional or industry experience instead, a range of other qualifications or self-developed subject knowledge that relates to the programme you wish to study.
For information on how to apply to study with us, please see our How to Apply page.
English Language Requirements
All International and EU students applying for a course with us must meet the following minimum English language requirements:
For information regarding English language requirements at the University, please see our IELTS page.