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 start-ups in residence, 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.

Download a free course brochure

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 real organisations (including one you’ll start!)

Core modules - Principles of Business 1 and 2

These two 30 credit modules complement each other and have been designed to give learners a holistic introduction to business, whether or not they have studied this area previously.

In Principles of Business 1, learners 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, students will develop an integrated understanding of the operations of a business in the context of 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 where students work in groups to start their own businesses, 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.

During the first term, you will be studying two further modules (compulsory by logistics)

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 of elective modules - please see here.

Second year (level 5)

Once students have had exposure to the different areas of business in their first year then they can either choose 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 - see elective modules here.

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 - please see here.

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 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.

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.

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.

Entry requirements

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, 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 an online 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. 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 starting in September, you'll need to apply through UCAS. Our institution code is P34.

You can apply for our Business Management January start programme through our online application form. See more here.

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 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 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.

Next steps

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Industry Partners

Every aspect of your degree programme will be shaped by the employers we work with and you'll get the chance to learn directly from them, helping you develop the skills, qualities and experience you need for your career.

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. 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.
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'Oréal and Salesforce, to name just a few.

Why Pearson Business School

Choose Pearson Business School and you'll be immersed in business from day one. You will:

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 top industry professionals as well as leading academics as all of our courses are designed, developed and delivered by industry
benefit from guaranteed internships*, if you're a full-time undergraduate student within Pearson Business School *(subject to eligibility criteria)
learn about business as it really is, fast-paced, global, exciting, challenging and forever-changing and our workshops and events with industry give you the chance to show up and shine!
get the best of both worlds - by benefitting from the perfect balance of academic theory and practical, industry experience
graduate feeling ready to leap straight into your career and you'll stand out from the crowd too
also have a lot of fun along the way!