BA (Honours) Business Management
This is a business management degree with a difference, designed, developed and delivered with our industry partners, including Unilever, IBM, WPP and Lloyd’s of London.
You’ll learn business as it really is in the corporate and entrepreneurial world of London, through regular industry events, interaction with our industry partners and start-ups in residence, guaranteed internships (subject to eligibility criteria) and lots of opportunities to build your employability skills through our Talent Development programme. Previously, our students have pitched to Salesforce, met the directors of Direct Line Group and presented to the former CEO of Unilever.
Get more than a degree with a programme that values employer engagement alongside academic excellence. Be immersed with practical experiences, study within a FTSE 100 company and be taught by industry-experienced tutors.
You will be at the heart of the action, with course modules and practical experiences that are closely connected to industry.
- UCAS code: 4K22
- Institution code: P34
- Location: London campus
- Start date: September
- Fees: (See Fees and Funding section)
£9,250 per year for 2022/2023 entry - Mode of study: Full time
- Duration: Full time over 3 years
- Entry requirements: Typical offer: 120 UCAS points (BBB at A levels) or assessment-based entry route
Awarded by
- Have the benefit of flexibility by choosing a business management degree with the option to choose a specialism at the end of your first year or continue on the main programme, allowing you to mix and match a range of subject areas.
- Learn business from real-world organisations through our Talent Development programme and benefit from, a guaranteed internship (subject to eligibility criteria), regular industry workshops and access to our in-house start-ups in residence.
- Explore both the commercial and social sides of business with direct exposure to businesses and social enterprises.
- Completion of this degree gives exemption to paper Business and Technology (BT) of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). You could also gain exemption from papers Management Accountant (MA), Performance Management (PM), Audit and Assurance (AA) and Financial Management (FM), depending on your pathway – see Module Information for more details.
Professional accreditations:
Our programme is accredited by ACCA, which means that if you pass your exams, you will be exempt from 5* of the ACCA qualifications needed to become a Chartered Accountant. ACCA is the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, the global professional accounting body offering the Chartered Certified Accountant qualification. *Obtaining exemptions is dependent on selecting and passing the relevant accredited modules.
First year (level 4)
All Business Management students study the same modules in their first year, to introduce you to key business topics in the context of a real organisation.
Core modules - Principles of Business 1 and 2
These two 30 credit modules complement each other and have been designed to give you a holistic introduction to business, whether or not you have studied this area previously.
In Principles of Business 1, you will be made aware of the many interconnected core areas of business (such as strategy, finance, organisational behaviour, law, people management and marketing) that need to be considered in successfully running an organisation.
In Principles of Business 2, you will develop an integrated understanding of the operations of a business in the context of organisations. This module proceeds in two parts. The first part consists of an experiential project where you will work in groups to start you own business. In the second part, you will need to consider and reflect upon the key issues around strategy, leadership, governance and the ability to function as a team.
During the first year, you will study three further modules:
- Professional Behaviours and Customer Management (15 credits)
- Introduction to Research (30 credits)
- Agile App Design (15 credits)
Second year (level 5)
Once you have had exposure to the different areas of business in your first year, you can choose your specialism before your second year begins. We aim to have more industry involvement than any other higher education institution, so you can really start to focus on building connections and gaining experience. There are lots of exciting industry projects, from internships to workshops and events, that you can be involved in.
Core modules to build an understanding of the central functions within an organisation:
- Strategic Marketing (15 credits)
- People Management and Leadership (15 credits)
- Operations and Project Management (15 credits)
- Introduction to Contract Law (15 credits)
During your second year, you will study a further four modules:
- Sales Management (15 credits)
- Business Ethics (15 credits)
- Digital and Social Marketing (15 credits)
- Industry Studies 2 - Creative Industries (15 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 learned together to solve real business problems.
In the final year, all Business Management students study three core modules:
- Strategic Management (15 credits)
- Strategic Innovation Management (15 credits)
- Final Project (30 credits)
You will also study the following two modules:
- Sustainability and Purposeful Business (15 credits)
- Industry Studies 3 - IT Industry (15 credits)
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
Typically, your assessment will be designed to reflect the kind of activities you may be asked to carry out in the workplace, either individually or as part of a team. For example, writing reports, analysing data, preparing strategies and presentations. You’ll also submit different types of coursework and sit written exams as part of the assessment for some modules.
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.
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, seminars and industry workshops. Seminars enable you to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures in smaller groups. Industry Workshops, jointly led by an industry expert together with the academic tutor, will give you an opportunity to solve authentic work-related tasks to gain hands-on experience. 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.
Independent learning
Independent learning plays an important role in your academic 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 support you in your learning. At the start of your programme, you will attend a workshop on Good Academic Practice. Moreover, our OLE (Online Learning Environment) 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
The academic year consists of three terms: Autumn, Spring and Summer. You will attend classes during the Autumn and Spring term, for a total of 30 weeks, and will normally not attend during the Summer term, unless you have to re-attempt assessments. See term dates.
During one term, you will typically be attending four modules of 15 credits each. A taught 15 credit module consists of approximately 10 hours of Lecture content, 15 hours of Seminar content and Industry Days. On top of this, you will be expected to spend around 100 hours on independent learning as a preparation for the module.
For independent learning modules (such as Self-Managed Learning), you will usually attend one hour supervision per week. This means, that per week, your overall workload will be approximately 40 hours, typically, you will spend 4 hours in Lectures, 10 hours in Seminars and 26 hours on independent learning in each.
Moreover, you will have the opportunity to attend industry workshops and other employability skill building activities each term.
Applicants are expected to have GCSE English and Maths at grade C or equivalent. If you don't have these, please contact the Admissions Team by emailing admissions@pearsoncollegelondon.ac.uk or calling +44 (0)207 190 4013 and we'll be happy to discuss your options with you.
UCAS tariff points
Typical entry - 120 UCAS points.
Our UCAS tariff entry is 120 points or above which is equivalent to BBB from three A Levels or equivalent qualifications. After reviewing your application, if you have, or are predicted to get those grades/points, we will be able to make you an offer through UCAS Track.
We also welcome applications from students who have studied (or are studying) a range of qualifications, including but not limited to: the International Baccalaureate, Access to Higher Education diplomas, Higher National qualifications, BTECs, Scottish Highers, Cambridge Pre-U, Welsh Baccalaureate, T Levels and equivalent non-UK qualifications. You can calculate your UCAS points by visiting www.ucas.com/tariff-calculator.
Assessment-based entry
If you do not have the UCAS tariff points you need, or traditional entry qualifications, you can still apply through our assessment-based entry route. You’ll be invited to a professional workshop, where you'll undertake four tasks (including an interview) to help us assess your suitability for the course. Your performance at the workshop will determine whether we can offer you a place on our programmes.
Travel Bursary
At Pearson College London, we’re committed to admitting the best students regardless of their background. For this reason we offer travel bursaries for students who meet our eligibility criteria.
International students
We are currently unable to accept international students onto undergraduate courses who require a student visa to study in the UK.
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 of 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, 17 in Listening and 20 in Speaking |
If you'd like to study at Pearson Business School full-time starting in September, you'll need to apply through UCAS. Our institution code is P34.
Take a look at our application and admission process.
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.
Other possible career paths from this degree include:
- Operations and Product Assistant/Manager
- Buying/Merchandising
- Human Resources
- Marketing
- PR
- General Management
To find out what our trailblazing alumni are up to now, read our alumni success stories.
Visit our finance pages for more information on fees, funding and scholarships.
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.
At our campus, you will have the benefit of access to free printing and photocopying facilities. However, you will have to purchase notebooks and other ordinary stationary 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 accommodation options 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.
Next Steps

Open Days
Bookings for our next on-campus Open Day are now open!

Taster Days
Bookings for our next on-campus taster day will open soon.
In the meantime, why not book a place at our upcoming Open Day?

Prospectus
Find out everything you need to know about our courses and small and friendly community in an interactive digital guide.

Get to know us
If you can't make it to an event, there are plenty of other ways to find out more about us, from personal tours to online resources.
Industry Partners
We work closely with our industry partners – from global industry giants in the private sector to high-quality SMEs and world-leading public sector organisations – so our students get more than just a degree, with up-to-the-minute inspirational knowledge and experience.
- Our degrees are designed in collaboration with industry partners, including Lloyd’s of London, Unilever, IBM, WPP (a world leader in marketing communications) and Lotus F1 through our DegreeConcept Team (DCT) approach. The DCT brings together experienced industry leaders, academics and students to design degrees that are relevant to employers and up to date.
- 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. Some of our students got the opportunity to visit the headquarters 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.
- 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'Oréal and Salesforce, to name just a few.
Why Pearson Business School
Be immersed in business from day one and get more than a degree.
- study within the heart of a FTSE100 company, in Pearson's offices in the heart of central London, a little different from the average university campus!
- be taught by industry-active tutors using projects and case studies based on real-world challenges. Our degrees are also regularly reviewed and updated with input from employers
- benefit from guaranteed internships (subject to eligibility criteria)
- learn about business as it really is, fast-paced, global, exciting, challenging and forever-changing
- get the chance to show up and shine with our workshops and events with industry partners
- get the best of both worlds - by benefitting from the perfect balance of academic theory and practical, industry experience to build your employability skills
- graduate feeling ready to leap straight into your career and stand out from the crowd too
- also have a lot of fun along the way!

The lecturers are all professionals in their field, which enabled them to relate what we were learning in the classroom to the actual reality in the workplace.
Lewis Gray, Media Rights Coordinator, UEFA, Business Management alumnus