BA (Honours) Business Management (Professional Pathway)

• Learn with professionals - you’ll study alongside other professionals and you can tailor the course to suit your chosen industry/business sector. 
• Study inside a successful FTSE 100 company - Pearson Business School is the only business school in London set within a global FTSE 100 company - Pearson Plc.
• Guaranteed taught day - we guarantee set days and times for lessons ensuring you are able to fit your study around your work commitments.
• Expert tutors - You’ll be taught by tutors who are experts in their field and have worked in industry.
• Central London location - Classes are held at our Midtown campus at Holborn, Central London.
• Graduate with a degree from University of Kent - You’ll graduate with a full honours degree that is validated by The University of Kent, a leading UK university.

Level 4

Core Module - BM4001 Principles of Business

Our unique 60 credit module Principles of Business, consists of four interlinked parts which are designed to give you a holistic introduction to key business topics in the context of a real organisation, including finance, marketing, people, law, organisational behaviour and technology.
Principles of Business is assessed in four parts over the course of two terms.

Part 1 of the module focuses on the overall purpose of business, including the set-up and infancy of organisations.

Part 2 gives a technical introduction to the pillars of business: finance, law, management, marketing and innovation.

Part 3 consists of the experiential project which encourages students to apply their knowledge to real industries and organizations.

Part 4 brings together each of the pillars of business in the context of strategy, governance, ethics, and leadership before concluding with the end of an organisation’s life-cycle.

Professional pathway modules

Students on the professional pathway will normally study the following two modules:

• AS4002 Introduction to Research (30 credits)
• IL4002 Self-Managed learning (30 credits)

The self-managed learning modules gives you the opportunity to demonstrate the use of your initiative and a level of autonomy by applying your skills and knowledge to a specialist area which is of particular interest to you. As an example, you could draft a report in an area of interest not covered in the main syllabus, study a module at another institution (e.g. a language at another university), create a practical project by applying a topic in depth, write a report on work based learning on an internship, or complete a professional qualification. You can design some of your own learning, incorporate learning from other sources, or incorporate work- based or entrepreneurial activities. This will help to ensure that you have the confidence to take your learning and personal development further into new areas and emerging sectors, and will allow you to pursue your own unique interests.

Level 5

Core Modules

All Business Management students study these core modules in order to build an understanding of the central functions within an organisation.

• BM5003 Strategic Marketing (15 credits)
• BM5002 People Management and Leadership (15 credits)
• BM5001 Operations & Project Management (15 credits)
• LW5006 Introduction to Contract Law (15 credits)

Professional Pathway Modules

• IL5002 Self-managed learning (30 credits)
• IL5004 Consultancy Project (30 credits)

Level 6

By your final year you will have developed a thorough understanding of the principles of business and will have had lots of exposure to real organisations, industry case studies and working practitioners. This final year is focused on bringing everything you have learned together to develop your strategic view of business.

Core Modules

In your final year, all business management students study three core modules:

• BM 6001 Strategic Management (15 credits)
• BM6002 Strategic Innovation Management (15 credits)
• IL6004 Final Project (30 credits)

Professional Pathway modules

• BM6010 Sustainability and Purposeful Business (15 credits)
• IL6002 Self-Managed Learning (30 credits)
• BM6008 Predictive Analytics and Big Data (15 credits)

Other elective modules outside of the professional pathway
You can, if you wish choose to study other elective modules instead of Introduction to Research and/or Self-Managed Learning. If you decide to study another elective please note that you will be required to attend classes outside of your designated weekly teaching day. You can find the most up-to-date list of these modules in the BA (Hons) Business Management course page.

For further information please see the module specifications.

How will your work be assessed?

Formative assessment

Each module contains at least one piece of practice or ‘formative’ assessment for which you receive feedback. Formative assessments are developmental and do not count towards your overall module mark.

Summative assessment

Here is the assessment breakdown for the modules:

First year (level 4)

• 80% coursework
• 10% written exams
• 10% oral assessment*

Second year (level 5)

• 75% coursework
• 15% written exams
• 10% oral assessment*

Third year (level 6)

• 75% coursework
• 25% oral assessment*

*this percentage might be higher as some modules offer alternative forms of assessment

Apart from receiving feedback for your formative assessment, you will also receive feedback for your coursework and practical exams, and upon request, for your written examinations.

Progression

In order to progress to the next stage (from first to second year, and from second to third year), you will have to achieve 120 credits at the end of the academic year.

Furthermore, the specialist nature of this programme requires us to closely monitor the students on the professional pathway:

1. You must attend at least 90% of your classes each term; and
2. You are participating well in class and achieving at least 2:2 standard grades in your summative assessments; and
3. You must be able to provide evidence that you are spending your time outside of your designated teaching on work/volunteering projects, ie:
   - employed on a part time basis in an operational or management role;
   - in the process of setting up or running your own start-up organisation; or
   - engaged in an ongoing developmental activity outside of the classroom, for example volunteering for a charity.

If you are not meeting the following performance criteria each term then you will be required to transfer to the normal full time route of study where teaching takes place across the week.

For further information, including pass marks and progression rules, please see the Student Handbook.

Your overall workload will be divided between teaching sessions and independent learning.

Teaching

You will be taught through a combination of lectures and seminars. Seminars enable you to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures in smaller groups. You will be taught by an experienced teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The team includes both academics and professional practitioners with industry experience.

Under the professional pathway you will attend classes at Pearson Business School on one designated day of the week during term time. However please note that you are likely to be required to attend assessments on dates which do not fall on your teaching day.

You will also be required to attend a weekly group mentoring session during term time. This will usually take place in a live online environment using our Blackboard Collaborate and might not fall on your teaching day.

Independent learning

Independent learning plays an important role in your academic and professional development. When not attending lectures or seminars you are expected to learn by self-study. Typically, this will involve reading books and journal articles, working on individual and group projects, preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for examinations.

You will have an access to a variety of materials to aid you in your learning. At the start of your programme, you will attend a workshop on Good Academic Practice. Moreover, our OLE platform offers an online module focused on improving your study and research skills and academic writing. Finally, the Online library also offers an extensive range of literature on both study skills and academic writing.

For further details, go to our Learning Resources page. Students with additional needs or disabilities are supported by the Student Services team.

Overall workload

Under this pathway we expect you to study a self-managed learning module and a research-based module at each level of the programme i.e. in your first, second and final year of study. Each of these modules should be based on your activities outside of attending classes at Pearson Business School, for example at work or in setting up your own company.

The academic year consists of three terms: Autumn, Spring and Summer. Students on a typical 3 year degree attend classes during the Autumn and Spring term, for a total of 30 weeks, and will normally not attend during the Summer term, unless they have to re-attempt assessments. See term dates.

During one term, you will usually study a total of 60 credits, which will mean you attend four modules of 15 credits each, two modules of 30 credits each, or a combination. Per week, your overall workload will be approximately 40 hours. Typically, you will spend 6-7 hours in combination lectures, seminars, and assessment practice, all of which will fall on your one designated teaching day. Moreover, you will generally spend 1 hour on pre-recorded online lecture. You will also need to spend approximately and 32 on independent learning. Please note that approximately half of this independent learning should be based on your activities outside of attending classes at Pearson Business School, for example at work or in setting up your own company.

You will also be required to attend an online weekly group mentoring session during term time.

You will also have the opportunity to attend four industry workshops per term, but please note that these are not compulsory and will not generally take place on your designated teaching day.

More information can be found in our Learning and Teaching Strategy 2017/2018.

All applicants will be required to attend a Professional Pathway Workshop. You will take part in individual tests, a group task and an extended interview. Your performance at the workshop will determine whether you can be offered a place on the course.

All applicants must be able to provide evidence that they are spending your time outside of their designated teaching day, i.e:

• employed on a part time basis in an operational or management role;
• in the process of setting up or running their own start-up organisation; or
• engaged in an ongoing developmental activity outside of the classroom, for example volunteering for a charity.

If you'd like to study at Pearson Business School full-time, you'll need to apply through UCAS. Our institution code is P34.

If we make you an offer for a place on the programme, it will be subject to our Terms and Conditions.

Our business students go on to pursue a range of different careers from setting up their own businesses to earning a place on some of the country's top Graduate Schemes with companies like Sainsbury's and IBM.

This degree course is designed for students that are already working or starting their own business. The aim of the course is to develop your skills, knowledge and network to give you the confidence and qualification to pursue a promotion or drive your business forward.

Our fees are as follows, but make sure you read our fee waiver information below:

Full time: £9,250*

Fee waiver

All applicants who pass the Professional Workshop will be offered a partial fee waiver. Our fee waiver policy means that the cost of our degrees compares really well to other universities and because you’ll graduate career-ready, it's a great investment in your future. The fees include registration, tuition and examination fees, all your reading materials as eBooks and full access to our online library 24/7 as well as much more.

Why do we offer a fee waiver?

Currently the Government offers reduced tuition fee loans to full-time students studying with alternative providers such as Pearson College London. If this remains the case, all students that attend and pass a Professional Workshop will be awarded a partial tuition fee waiver, this will reduce the fee to the maximum fee loan available for eligible programmes at Pearson College London.

The government reviews the programmes eligible for student loans for new students on an annual basis, so visit our website for up-to-date information on which of our programmes are eligible for loans. These loans are for UK or EU students living in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland to help cover the costs of tuition fees.

For full details of our financial support packages including scholarships, please refer to our finances page.

Additional costs

In addition to your tuition fee you will need to budget for your living costs and some other costs associated with your studies. An additional re-attendance fee of £750 per 15 credit module is charged if you need to repeat a module.

Pearson Business School has a “bring your own device” policy: you will need to have your own laptop or tablet computer to access the learning materials on the Online Learning Environment, as well as the books, journals and databases available from our online library. The cost of a laptop or tablet varies according to your personal preference but we have prepared some guidance on the specification to choose.

At our Midtown campus you will have the benefit of access to free printing and photocopying facilities. However, you will have to purchase, notebooks and other ordinary stationery items. You may wish to purchase your own copies of the recommended textbooks, but please note that all textbooks are available to students in electronic editions.

If you will not be living at home, you will need to pay for accommodation. For up to date details of Pearson College London’s accommodation partners and estimated rental costs, visit our accommodation pages. You will incur transport costs travelling to your classes and to events, such as industry workshops, which may take place elsewhere in central London. Details of public transport costs are available from the Transport for London website. There may occasionally be an optional opportunity for you to attend an event outside central London for which you would need to pay the transport costs, should you choose to attend.