BA (Hons) Business Management | Degree Course

Looking to study this September? You've still got time to apply. See the September 2017 course page

About this degree

Want the skills you need for a brilliant career and a Business Management degree from one of the UK’s top business schools?

On this course you will attend workshops with some of the biggest companies in the world, be mentored by industry professionals and be taught by experts, so that you really understand the principles of business management and how to apply them. Plus, you are guaranteed an internship as part of your studies, giving you some impressive experience to enhance your CV.

Top reasons to choose this degree

You’ll get the opportunity to undertake an internship. It’s important to get real experience so that’s why we always try to find you an internship that relates to your preferred career once you graduate (subject to academic performance).
Option to take a degree-related work placement - our BA (Hons) Business Management programmes give you the option to take an Industry Placement, where you can take up to 15 months of a degree-related work placement, continuing with your studies alongside. The placement allows you to apply and develop your knowledge and skills by replicating tasks performed in the workplace, as well as discover new approaches to and elements of your disciplinary interests. This means you’ll start to develop some of the key competencies that employers value, such as collaboration, teamwork and self-awareness.
Our Business Management programme is flexible. You can tailor the degree to suit your interests and career goals. If you’re unsure which route to take, you can study the core programme and choose your specialism at the end of the first year. We also offer ‘self-managed learning’ where you can choose* the topic of your module–offering the ultimate flexibility.
You'll learn from a combination of lectures, seminars and workshops, each designed to bring the world of business to life using real world examples from our industry partners. Developing a social enterprise in India, pitching your idea to a multinational company, speaking on a panel at a global conference and launching your own business! These are just a handful of unique industry experiences we’ve helped our students achieve. They are examples of how we can really help you stand out.
You'll graduate with a degree from the University of Kent. Known as the UK’s European University, the University of Kent is ranked 23rd in The Guardian University Guide 2017, it is also ranked 17th in the UK for research intensity out of 122 multi-faculty universities in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) and has the fifth equal highest score for overall student satisfaction in the National Student Survey (NSS) 2015, out of 115 multi-faculty institutions. It has also been voted one of the top five universities for teaching in the UK, according to the Times Higher Education (THE).
You can tailor your degree to suit your interests as you study. You’ll be able to choose from a wide range of modules to design a degree that suits you. This gives you specialist skills and knowledge in a wide range of areas, including management, marketing, HR, finance and consultancy. You can also design your own modules through our unique ‘self-managed’ learning options. Study up to half of this degree in the workplace, including through an apprenticeship scheme with your employer*

*Please note: It is not possible to apply for an accelerated programme; on completion of level 4, our full-time students have the opportunity to request to accelerate to a two-year Business Management programme. The decision to allow this is based on the student's performance in their assessments in the programme so far and you will need to satisfy performance criteria in the first two terms to be considered for it.

Industry partners

Designed by industry

All of our degrees are designed through our unique approach which brings together leading figures from business and academic communities to design degrees that are relevant to employers. Our programmes have been developed with input from industry partners, including Unilever, Lotus F1, IBM, WPP - a world leader in marketing communications, Lloyds of London and leading law firm Gowling WLG.
Employers get involved in the actual delivery of modules too, so there’s a wide range of industry activities and projects that you can be part of. You’ll visit the HQ of some of the biggest companies in London, be taught by professionals through industry workshops, attend a yearly conference and have the opportunity to work with a mentor with an industry background.
That means you’ll get direct exposure to hugely successful real-world businesses and business leaders, through regular industry workshops, termly industry conferences and a yearly residential event. Previous workshops and conferences have been hosted or run by Unilever, Savills, IBM, Direct Line Group, L'Oreal and Salesforce, to name just a few.
You’ll get the chance to compete in national and international business challenges too, like the L’Oreal Brandstorm competition. Three of our Business and Enterprise students won the UK final in 2013, so you’ll be following in impressive footsteps. Find out more

Module information

Our business management degrees are all about choice and you’ll be able to personalise your degree. You can choose from modules below to personalise your learning and sort your careers aims.

First year (level 4)

All Business Management students study the same core module in their first year. This module introduces you to key business topics in the context of a real organisation.

Core module – 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.

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 simulated placements where students are given the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills by replicating tasks performed in the workplace by industry professionals.

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

Principles of Business is assessed in four parts over the course of two terms.

See how our current students are getting on with the Principles of Business module

Electives

You can then choose 60 credits from the list of first year modules, so you can explore business and management broadly in your first year. Modules on offer include:

Agile App Design for Business (15 credits)
Business Mathematics (15 credits)
Industry Studies 1 (15 credits)
International Business Regions 1 (15 credits)
Introduction to Business Economics (15 credits)
Introduction to Research (15 or 30 credits)
Principles of Management Reporting and Decision Making (15 credits)
Professional Attitudes and Customer Management (15 credits)
Self-managed learning (15 or 30 credits)

The self-managed learning modules gives you the opportunity to demonstrate the use of your initiative and 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.

Second year (level 5)

Once students have had exposure to the different areas of business in their first year then they can either choose or switch their specialism before the second year begins. We aim to have more industry involvement than any other Higher Education institution and you’ll really start to focus on building connections and gaining experience. There are lots of exciting industry projects from internships to trips abroad that you can be involved in.

Core Modules

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

Strategic Marketing (15 credits)
People Management and Leadership (15 credits)
Operations & Project Management (15 credits)
Introduction to Contract Law (15 credits)

Specialist modules

You are then free to choose 60 credits worth of electives across a range of contemporary and established business subjects:

Analytics and Data (15 credits)
Business Ethics (15 credits)
Company Law (15 credits)
Consultancy Project (15 or 30 credits)
Corporate Reporting and Finance (15 credits)
Creative Campaigns (15 credits)
Digital and Social Marketing (15 credits)
Employment Law (15 credits)
Evolution of Global Economics (15 credits)
Financial Assurance and Risk Management (15 credits)
Global Markets (15 credits)
Industry Studies 2 (15 credits)
International Business Regions 2 (15 credits)
Introduction to Tort Law (15 credits)
Managing Organisational Performance (15 credits)
Sales Management (15 credits)
Self-managed learning (15 or 30 credits)

Third year (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 learnt together to solve real business problems.

Core modules

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

Strategic Management (15 credits)
Strategic Innovation Management (15 credits)
Final Project (30 credits)

Specialist modules

You can then choose from a range of specialist modules worth up to 60 credits:

Advanced Financial Management (15 credits)
Brand Building and Management (15 credits)
Consultancy Project (30 credits)
European Union Law (15 credits)
Industry Studies 3 (15 credits)
Innovative Marketing Strategies (15 credits)
Intellectual Property Law (15 credits)
International Business Regions 3 (15 credits)
Predictive Analytics and Big Data (15 credits)
Self-managed learning (15 or 30 credits)
Sustainability (15 credits)

Transnational Economics and Financial Markets (15 credits)

Final year electives

You will study 120 credits in total over your final year. The remaining credits can be completed by choosing from the range of modules listed above.

How will your work be assessed?

Throughout your degree we use a range of methods, designed to reflect the kind of activities you may be asked to do in the workplace, either individually or as part of a team. For example, report writing, data analysis, preparing strategies and presentations. You’ll also submit different types of coursework and sit written exams as part of the assessment for some modules.

We’ll challenge you academically, with inspiring, up-to-the-minute course content developed to give you the competencies that employers value. Best of all, we work with a wide range of professional bodies to make sure our degrees are aligned to their qualifications. So, as you study, you’ll gain exemptions from various professional business, management and finance examinations and have the opportunity to take professional qualifications.

What our students have been up to

Our students have also chosen to set up a number of companies themselves including Reel Time Art an initiative whereby artists attend a wedding and paint a scene of the special occasion in real time, Once Upon a Doug, a social enterprise project whereby our students have been helping cotton farmers in India to earn supplemental income which in turn has helped a whole community, and Yaantu - take a look at the video below to find out more about what Yaantu's all about!

Studying at Pearson Business School is fast paced, hard work but highly rewarding.

Benjamin Thomas, Pearson College London, final year student

Fees

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

Full time: £9,000 per year

Fee waiver

All applicants who pass the Business 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 tuition fee loans of approximately £6,000 a year to full-time students studying with Alternative Providers on eligible programmes. As we are committed to ensuring that talented students with potential have the opportunity to undertake our degrees, we give this partial fee waiver to all successful applicants to take the fee down to the level available as a tuition fee loan for eligible programmes.

This means that our students graduate with just 70% of the level of student debt when compared to the average debt held by a graduating student from a Public Provider. 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.

The Government offers loans of up to approximately £6,000 pa to full-time students studying on designated courses at Higher Education Institutions like Pearson College London (see student loans section on Fees and funding page). As we are committed to ensuring that talented students with potential have the opportunity to succeed by undertaking one of our degrees, we offer all applicants who successfully complete our applicant day the opportunity to bring their tuition fees down to the level available as a tuition fee loan for eligible programmes.

For full details of Pearson College financial support packages including scholarship and bursaries, please refer to our fees, funding and scholarship page

Entry requirements

Offers onto Pearson Business School Programmes are made following completion of a Business School Workshop.

Once we’ve received your UCAS application you’ll be invited to a Business School Workshop, where you’ll take part in five tasks to help us assess your suitability for the course. Your performance at the Workshop will determine whether we can offer you a place. If you are still studying then a course offer will be conditional with a tariff based on your predicted grades up to a maximum of 120 UCAS points. Offer conditions are based on your best three A Levels.

We also welcome applications from students who have studied (or are studying) the International Baccalaureate, Access to Higher Education diplomas, Higher National qualifications, BTECs, Scottish Highers, Cambridge Pre-U, Welsh Baccalaureate and equivalent non-UK qualifications. You can calculate your UCAS points by visiting www.ucas.com/tariff-calculator

English Language requirements

If your first language is not English you may need to complete an English language test, such as a Pearson English language test (PTE Academic) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test, to demonstrate you have the language skills needed to complete your degree. All our courses are taught in English.

Qualification	Score required
IELTS	6.5 IELTS (with a minimum of 6.0 in Reading and Writing and 5.5 in Speaking and Listening)
PTE	62 including 60 in each subtest
Cambridge English: Advanced & Proficiency	176 (with a minimum of 169 in Reading and Writing and 162 in Speaking and Listening)
Internet-based TOEFL	90 Overall including at least 22 in Reading, 21 in Writing, 21 in Listening and 23 in Speaking

New UCAS Tarriff for 2017

Only the numbers are changing.

Qualification and grade	Old tariff	New Tariff
A level grade A*	140	56
A level grade A	120	48
A level grade B	100	40
A level grade C	80	32
A level grade D	60	24
A level grade E	40	16

You still need to achieve the same grades.

www.ucas.com/tariff-calculator

How to apply

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

September 2017 entry - apply by 20 September 2017
September 2018 entry - apply by 15 January 2018

Business School Workshop

As part of our admissions process, all eligible applicants will be invited to attend a Business School Workshop as part of the application process. Your results from the day will be used as part of your application. You’ll have an interview with an academic and you’ll be able to meet other potential students. If you successfully complete the workshop you will be offered a place on one of our degree programmes and be awarded a partial fee waiver.

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

CONNECT. SUPPORT. SHARE.

Once you apply to study with us you’ll gain exclusive membership to Pearson Business Club!

All stages of the club ensure you’ll stay connected throughout your degree and long after graduation. You'll benefit from great networking opportunities, gain an insight into your chosen industry and best of all you’ll be connected with like-minded people where you'll be able to share knowledge!

The Savills workshop really helped me with my future career plans. I got so many diverse perspectives from their employees and the advice they gave me was fantastic – they had been there as graduates.

Harry Edmonds, Final Year Pearson Business School student

Course summary

UCAS CODE: 4K22
INSTITUTION CODE: P34
LOCATION: Midtown campus
START DATE: September 2018
FEES: £9,000 p.a (See fee waiver)
MODE OF STUDY: Full time (FT)
DURATION: 3 years (FT)* Option to accelerate and complete the programme in 2 years (subject to minimum numbers). It is not possible to apply for an accelerated programme; on completion of level 4, our full-time students have the opportunity to request to accelerate to a two-year programme. The decision to allow this is based on the student's performance in their assessments in the programme so far
CONTACT HOURS Typically 10-16 hours per week (FT)