BSc (Hons) Business Management with foundation year

• 48 UCAS points. We accept a full range of qualifications that carry UCAS points, including A-levels, BTECs and T levels. Please see our guide to the UCAS Tariff for examples of how to achieve these points. For most courses, we are also able to consider non-tariffable qualifications.
• Any subjects are acceptable at Level 3.
• You should also have five GCSEs at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent), including English and Mathematics.
• We'll be happy to consider your application if you have non-traditional qualifications and relevant experience or a suitable portfolio of work that we deem a reasonable substitute for the qualifications we typically accept for this course.
• You may be required to attend an interview and/or provide a portfolio of work.
• If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
• If English is your second language and you feel you need extra help with your language skills, you have the option of studying specialist language modules during the foundation year. Please contact the English for Academic Purposes team for further information and advice.

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.

Our dual award BSc (Hons) Business Management with foundation year course is designed to provide a broad understanding of business functions in the business and commercial world. You'll have the opportunity to transfer to individual pathways in specific areas of business if you wish.

The course offers you a route into general management and specialist areas. With modules covering areas such as business accounting and finance, enterprise, human resource management, company law, information systems, marketing, retail or supply chain management, you can tailor your skills and knowledge to pursue your chosen career. The dual qualification gained on successfully completing this course is designed to enhance your employability in your preferred field of management.

In addition to nurturing academic and sector-specific knowledge, the programme supports your development of key employability skills, such as critical thinking, problem-solving and data analysis. Overall, the course aims to give you an essential appreciation of the skills needed to thrive and adapt in the changing world of work.

What can I do with this qualification?

Graduates with specialist knowledge underpinned by a broader understanding of how businesses and managers operate have a competitive advantage when entering employment or self-employment. As a graduate of this course, you'll be well-equipped to enter a wide range of business and management roles in the public, private and voluntary sectors. Some typical employment opportunities could include retail management, human resources, marketing, customer service management, advertising, merchandising, logistics and supply chain management, accountancy and law.

You may also choose to undertake further study in subjects such as marketing, finance, human resources, data analysis, and international business management to develop your expertise in a particular area of business. Studying for an MBA is also another option.

Alternative career options

Graduates can also use the qualification as a stepping stone into a range of other careers, bearing in mind that some of these roles may require relevant experience and/or postgraduate study. Some possibilities include:

• Hotel and leisure management
• Public relations
• Financial management
• Information systems
• Market research analysis
• Product management
• Health policy and information
• Purchasing
• Teaching and education
• Media (TV, film, online, newspaper, magazine)
• Self-employment
• Banking
• Auditing and quality assurance
• Project management
• Risk and insurance

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2023-2024 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.

The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

For 2023-2024 entry, the maximum government approved undergraduate tuition fee for UK students is £9,250 per year. The University is able to charge this fee subject to an approved Access and Participation Plan for 2023-2024 and its current rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.

Bursaries

Click here for more information about the scholarships and bursaries available to University of Bolton students.

Lectures introduce the core course content, while seminars explore subjects in greater detail. Tutorials allow you to ask questions, ensuring you understand the topics covered in the lectures and seminars. We use case studies and practical scenarios to help you learn to apply academic theory to real-life practical scenarios, allowing you to gain insights into contemporary practice in a working business environment. We'll also expect you to undertake considerable guided independent study; for instance, library research and background reading, preparing for seminar and tutorial activities, and working on assignments.

Furthermore, we'll expect you to adopt work-based learning as part of your employment or during a work experience placement.

Guest lectures and presentations by various visiting speakers from relevant employment areas offer you the chance to develop your knowledge and understanding further.

Regarding assessment, you can expect time-constrained exams, essays, reports, presentations, and portfolios. These contribute to your final module mark and allow you to demonstrate that you have met the learning outcomes.

We also use other assessment forms to help you learn, provide feedback, and inform your development. These do not, however, count towards your final module mark.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

• Academic Language and Skills 1
• Academic Language and Skills 2
• Academic Language and Skills 5
• Academic Skills and PDP
• Business In Practice
• Further Academic Skills
• World of Work
• Applied Business Finance
• Practical Digital Marketing
• Professional and Academic Skills Development
• Financial Decision Making in Business
• Business Environment
• Contemporary Issues in Marketing
• Information Systems and Big Data Analysis
• People and Performance
• Business Management and Career Development
• Leadership Management and Organisational Culture
• Project Management
• Enterprise Innovation and Creativity
• Business Case Study Analysis
• Business Project
• Dissertation
• Strategic Management
• International HRM
• Learning and Development
• Work and the Employment Relationship
• E Commerce and Contemporary Marketing Practice
• Global Consumer Behaviour
• Integrated Digital Marketing Strategy
• Retail Management
• Strategic Information Management
• Supply Chain Management
• Logistics and Operations Management
• Corporate Governance
• Company Law
• Financial Reporting for Management
• Professionals in Practice
• Financial Accounting and the Regulatory Framework
• Advanced Data Analytics
• Information Security and Risk Management

Assessment methods

Learning activities

Disclaimer

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.