BSc (Hons) Business Management (Retail) top-up
Course Overview
Business management qualifications open doors and are considered essential whether you're looking to pursue a career in business or achieve higher levels of responsibility in your current work. We'll support you to enhance your existing foundation degree or HND-level knowledge and skills, ready to achieve the status of BSc (Hons) Business Management (Retail) top-up graduate. You can study advanced aspects of business, management and retail, enhance your professional skills, and boost your employability.Building on your prior studies, we'll guide you as you explore specialist areas, including retail operations, global consumer behaviour and digital marketing strategy. This honours-level programme will also support you in gaining knowledge of strategic management and developing critical inquiry and research skills to improve your work and enhance its quality. As a graduate, you'll also receive the CMI Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management, helping you stand out to employers.
Developing your employability is a key focus of this dynamic and flexible programme. Real-life case studies, guest speakers and industry visits are designed to help you to understand the business environment and the needs of employers in local, national and international contexts. We'll support you in developing sought-after skills such as communication, data analysis, time management, teamwork, and problem-solving.
We also aim to help you develop lifelong learning skills, empowering you to take ownership of your professional development for the future and maximise your potential for success.
Highlights
- Our Business, Management and Marketing courses are ranked second in the UK and top in the North West of England for course and teaching satisfaction by the Guardian University Guide 2022.
- The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022 also ranks our Business, Management and Marketing courses second in the UK and top in the North West of England for student experience.
- The Institute of Management Greater Manchester, and the wider University, provide a warm and friendly environment for your studies, with relatively small class sizes, purpose-built teaching facilities, and excellent student support and library services.
- When you successfully complete this dual award course, you'll receive both an academic degree and a professionally-recognised management qualification – the CMI Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management. You don't need to take extra exams or coursework to achieve the Award – we combine our degree module and CMI assessments streamlining your route to both qualifications.
- This course is part of our Business Management suite of degrees. At the honours level, depending on your prior studies, you can follow this specialist pathway in Retail, choose the core Business Management route, or select one of our other specialist pathways.
- Face-to-face sessions and one-to-one support are offered by our highly experienced and enthusiastic lecturers who have worked in a wide range of businesses ranging from multinational organisations to SMEs.
- We'll introduce you to your course and new study environment through a bespoke induction programme focused on helping you transition smoothly and effectively to honours-level study.
Key Features
- You'll study in our vibrant Institute of Management environment in Bolton town centre.
- We use small group and tutorial teaching, so you can benefit from the excellent support offered by our teaching staff.
- We regularly invite guest speakers who hold senior positions in industry and practice, enabling you to benefit from their knowledge and advice.
- Course materials are available online, allowing you to prepare work at home and make the most of the highly interactive in-class tuition.
- We weave contemporary research findings into our teaching, ensuring a robust academic base underpins your business management studies.
- Our dedicated team will support you as you develop critical thinking and research skills and apply these during your final year dissertation or work-based project (if you’re in suitable employment).
- By choosing to study with us, you'll have the chance to enjoy Bolton's many shops, bars, restaurants and leisure facilities. Nearby Manchester is one of the UK's most multicultural and lively cities, and the Northwest of England is renowned for its beautiful countryside, coastline, and heritage.
Entry Requirements
- Normally, you should possess a relevant Level HE5 qualification, such as a foundation degree or HND; for example, FdA/FdSc or HND Business Management. Alternatively, you may have a relevant professional qualification at an equivalent level.
- 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.
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.
Career Opportunities
Our dual award BSc (Hons) Business Management (Retail) top-up course is designed to consolidate and extend your understanding of business functions in the business and commercial world to the honours level and develop your knowledge in the specific area of retail.
The course offers you a route into general management and the specialist area of retail. As a graduate, areas such as supply chain management, enterprise, finance, company law, marketing and people management would also be open to you. The dual qualification gained on successfully completing this course is designed to enhance your employability in your preferred management field.
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.
Completing your honours-level studies should prove valuable in helping you achieve your career goals.
What can I do with this qualification?
Possessing retail-specific expertise and knowledge of the operational and staffing concerns relevant in a retail environment is valuable for roles where you advise organisations on retailing matters. You might also pursue a career as a manager in the retailing sector. Alternatively, you'll be well placed to embark on careers in areas such as marketing, human resource management, finance, customer service management, advertising, merchandising, logistics and supply chain management and accountancy.
You may choose to undertake further study to develop your expertise in a particular area. A wide range of postgraduate and professional development courses are available in areas such as human resources, marketing, finance, law, computing and international business management. 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
Professional Recognition
Graduates of the University of Bolton's BSc (Hons) Business Management (Retail) top-up course will receive a Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management from the CMI (Chartered Management Institute).
Fees & Funding
Home/EU Fees
No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.
International Fees
No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.
Bursaries
Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2025-26 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.
How to apply
Home Applicants
If you wish to apply for multiple institutions or multiple courses at Bolton for September entry, then apply through UCAS
You can apply for up to 5 courses through UCAS (at the same or different institutions) for a fee of £27. Alternatively, if you only wish to apply for a single course at a single institution then a reduced applicant's fee of £22.50 is applicable.
The online application form and guidance notes are available on the UCAS website.
You will need the following information to complete your UCAS application form:
Institution Code Name: BOLTN
Institution Code Number: B44
Tel: 0870 1122211
Web: www.ucas.com
If you wish to apply for a single course offered by the University of Bolton for any intake, you can apply directly
If you have carefully considered your course and institution choices and decided that this course is the best option for you, you may apply directly to the University using our online application form shown below.
A direct application to Bolton provides the following features:
Free of charge to apply
Secure, simple and streamlined
Contact us directly for any admissions queries
Regular updates on your application directly from the University
Invites to offer holder events and taster sessions where you can meet your future tutors and get a flavour of university life
NOTE: You cannot apply both through UCAS and directly to Bolton. Submitting an application to any university through UCAS during the same academic year will void any direct application you make to Bolton.
For courses starting in September, please be aware that we are required to share your information with UCAS if we accept you on this course. We will create a simplified UCAS acceptance record on your behalf and return this to UCAS. By submitting your application directly to the University of Bolton, you agree to these terms.
If you are ready to apply directly, please select your chosen start date from the list below.
Before applying, please read the entry requirements section of this page.
If your course runs at multiple locations or has various start dates, please be sure to select the correct application link from the list below.
Before beginning your application, you should have the following information to hand:
Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
Details of any employment history, including name, address, dates and role
Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
Details including e-mail addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference
Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.
Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already inputted.
If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Undergraduate Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk
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Apply online: University of Bolton BSc (Hons) Business Management (Retail) TU - 22 September 2025
International Applicants
Thank you for your interest
In order to determine your suitability for this course as an international student and also to confirm you meet any initial eligibility criteria, we need you to answer a few short questions.
Partner Organisation Applicants
University of Bolton Group Partners
Bolton College
University Collegiate School
Alliance Learning
University of Bolton
For valued members of the University of Bolton Group and progressing students, we try to make our application process as simple and as fast as possible.
If you have carefully considered your course and institution choices and decided that this course is the best option for you, you may apply free of charge to the University. By selecting the appropriate link from the list shown below, you will be taken directly to our online application form. Please read the user guidance before completing this, and ensure you upload all supporting documents such as certificates and your personal statement when you apply.
When you are asked to add a contact email address, please ensure you add your college/university email account address as well as your personal address. If you do not add your college address as your contact address, we will be unable to identify you as a partner and offer you the benefits of being part of our group.
NOTE: You cannot apply both through UCAS and directly to Bolton. Submitting an application to any university through UCAS during the same academic year will void any direct application you make to Bolton.
For courses starting in September, please be aware that we are required to share your information with UCAS if we accept you on this course. We will create a simplified UCAS acceptance record on your behalf and return this to UCAS. By submitting your application directly to the University of Bolton, you agree to these terms.
If you are ready to apply directly, please select your chosen start date from the list below.
Before applying, please read the entry requirements section of this page.
If your course runs at multiple locations or has various start dates, please be sure to select the correct application link from the list below.
Before beginning your application, you should have the following information to hand:
Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
Details of any employment history, including name, address, dates and role
Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
Details including email addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference
Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.
Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already inputted.
If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Undergraduate Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk
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Apply online: University of Bolton BSc (Hons) Business Management (Retail) TU - 22 September 2025
We look forward to receiving your application and you continuing your academic journey with us!
Teaching & Assessment
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.
Guest lectures and presentations by various visiting speakers from relevant employment areas offer you the chance to further develop your knowledge and understanding.
Regarding assessment, you can expect time-constrained exams, essays, reports, presentations, portfolios, and others. 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.
- Business Project
- Dissertation
- Retail Management
- Global Consumer Behaviour
- Strategic Management
- Integrated Digital Marketing Strategy
- Academic Language and Skills 5
Assessment methods
| Level | Assessment method |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Coursework 66% Practical exams 15% Written exams 19% |
Learning Activities
| Level | Activity |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Guided independent study 77% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 23% |
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.
