BA (Honours) Business Management
This is a business management degree with a difference: it’s designed, developed and delivered with our industry partners, including Unilever, IBM, WPP, Lloyd’s of London and Gowling WLG.
Go beyond textbooks, be immersed with practical experiences and study within a FTSE 100 setting. You’ll learn business as it really is in the corporate and entrepreneurial world of London, through regular industry events, our in-house business incubator, guaranteed internships (subject to eligibility criteria) and talent development sessions. Previously, our students have pitched to Salesforce, met the directors of Direct Line Group and presented to Paul Polman, the CEO of Unilever. What's more, you can bring your ambitions to life including starting up your own company.
Welcome to the business degree where you're 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: January or September
- Fees: £9,250 per year for 2021 entry (£9,000 per year for 2020 entry)
- Mode of study: Full time (FT)
- Duration: 3 years (FT) Option to accelerate and complete the programme in 2 years (subject to certain conditions)*
(subject to minimum numbers) after 2 years. 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 - Entry requirements: Typical offer: 120 UCAS points (BBB at A levels) and an interview
Validated by
Why choose this course
- 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 businesses through a guaranteed internship (subject to eligibility criteria), regular industry workshops and access to our in-house business incubator.
- Choose from a wide range of modules to study a degree that is tailored to you with the option to design your own module through our unique 'Self-Managed Learning' modules.
- 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 F1 of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). You could also gain exemption from papers F2, F5, F8 and F9, depending on module choice – see Module Information for more details.
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 modules - Principles of Business 1 and 2
Principles of Business is made up of two 30 credit modules which complement each other: Principles of Business 1 and Principles of Business 2. These modules have been designed to give learners a holistic introduction to business.
In Principles of Business 1, learners will be made aware of the many interconnected core areas of business (such as strategy, finance, organisational behaviour, people management, and marketing) that need to be considered in successfully running an organisation. The assessment for this module is by an assignment and an exam.
In Principles of Business 2, students will develop an integrated understanding of the operations of a business in the context of real organisations, to inspire them with a real interest in the discipline at the beginning of their degree study. This module proceeds in two parts. The first part consists of an experiential project, and in the second part, students will need to consider and reflect upon the key issues around strategy, leadership, governance and the ability to function as a team. The assessment for this module is by an assignment and a group presentation.
During the first term, you will be studying two further modules (compulsory by logisitics)
- Professional Behaviours and Customer Management (15 credits)
- Introduction to Research (15 credits)
Elective modules
During the second term you will be able to choose 30 credits from the indicative list below, so you can explore business and management broadly in your first year.
- Agile App Design for Business (15 credits)
- Business Mathematics (15 credits)
- Industry Studies 1 - Consumer Goods (15 credits)
- International Business Regions 1 - Greater China (15 credits)
- Introduction to Business Economics (15 credits)
- Self-Managed Learning (30 credits)
- Principles of Management Reporting and Decision Making (15 credits) - This module gives exemption to ACCA paper F2
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 and Project Management (15 credits)
- Introduction to Contract Law (15 credits)
Elective modules
You can then choose 60 credits of elective modules across a range of contemporary and established business subjects from the indicative list below:
- Analytics and Data (15 credits)
- Business Ethics (15 credits)
- Company Law (15 credits)
- Consultancy Project (30 credits)
- Corporate Reporting and Finance (30 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) - This module gives exemption to ACCA paper F8
- Global Markets (15 credits)
- Industry Studies 2 - The Sports Industry (15 credits)
- International Business Regions 2 - South America (15 credits)
- Introduction to Tort Law (15 credits)
- Managing Organisational Performance (15 credits) - This module gives exemption to ACCA paper F5
- Sales Management (15 credits)
- Self-Managed Learning (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)
Elective modules
You'll then have a choice of 60 credits from our range of elective modules as in the indicative list below:
- Advanced Financial Management (15 credits) - This module gives exemption to ACCA paper F9
- Brand Building and Management (15 credits)
- European Union Law (15 credits)
- Industry Studies 3 - The IT Industry (15 credits)
- Innovative Marketing Strategies (15 credits)
- Intellectual Property Law (15 credits)
- International Business Regions 3 - Africa (15 credits)
- Predictive Analytics and Big Data (15 credits)
- Self-managed learning (30 credits)
- Sustainability (15 credits)
- Transnational Economics and Financial Markets (15 credits)
Assessment information
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
As you will be able to greatly personalise your degree by choosing elective modules to suit your needs, we cannot provide a precise break-down of your assessments. Typically for elective modules, your assessment will be 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.
Here is the assessment breakdown for the core modules:
First year (level 4)
- 50% coursework
- 25% written exams
- 25% oral assessment
Second year (level 5)
- 80% coursework
- 15% written exams
- 5% oral assessment
Third year (level 6)
- 65% coursework
- 35% oral 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.
For further information, including pass marks and progression rules, please see the Student Handbook.
Teaching and learning
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 also have an opportunity to tailor your degree by choosing elective modules with a higher level of independent learning, including our Self Managed Learning modules which are available at every level.
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
The academic year consists of three terms: Autumn, Spring and Summer. Students 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. Students on the two year accelerated programme attend classes during the summer term.* 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. More information can be found in our Learning and Teaching Strategy 2017/2018.
If you choose independent learning electives (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 attend four industry workshops per term.
*The 2 year accelerated option is not applicable to the law programmes:
Entry requirements
UCAS tariff points
Typical entry - 120 UCAS points and interview.
Our UCAS tariff entry is 120 points or above which is equivalent to BBB from three A Levels or equivalent qualifications. If you have, or are predicted to get, those grades/points, we still invite you for an interview. We want to find out more about you and make sure the course you've chosen is right for you. Just as important, it's also a chance for you to find out more about us.
We also welcome applications from students who have studied (or are studying) a range of qualifications, inclulding but not limited to: 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.
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 take part in 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. Click here for more information.
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 |
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.
If we make you an offer for a place on the programme, it will be subject to our Terms and Conditions.
Where will this get me?
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.
Fees and funding
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 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.