BA (Hons) Business and Management (2-year Accelerated Degree)

Semester 1 (starting September)

• Developing Management Competencies: You’ll be exposed to real-life business and management challenges, enabling you to develop interpersonal, organisational, transferable, creative and reflective learning skills, as well as a learning culture founded on mutual support, empathy and respect
• Global Business Environment: An introduction to the fundamentals of the external global business context, enabling you to understand business-related political, economic, social and technological news stories and developments
• Introduction to Accounting: Expand your knowledge and skills needed to progress to further study of financial reporting and/or financial analysis by studying the fundamentals of accounting.

Semester 2 (starting January)

• Organisational Behaviour & Responsible Management: This unit covers the individual, psychological and social aspects relating to people in organisations and the systems that govern them
• Business Simulation: Through simulation, you will gain invaluable hands-on experience by analysing data and collaborating with your peers to resolve dilemmas, making managerial decisions.
• Fundamentals of Marketing: By identifying interesting marketing problems, you’ll understand the range of marketing solutions available and learn how to develop appropriate marketing strategies by focusing on real-life case studies.

Semester 3 (starting June)

• Recruiting, Selecting & Retaining Talent: You will be encouraged to develop an understanding of the recruitment and selection process, and contemporary recruitment and selection techniques, while developing an understanding of their position in relation to the wider talent pool. 

Optional units:

• Work Experience with a portfolio: As part of the optional 6-week placement, you will develop industry-facing competencies by reflecting on the placement experiences and evaluating your professional growth. Additionally, you will explore and reflect on current or future workplace challenges, considering potential management approaches to address them.

Or

• Applied Business Project: The Applied Business Project is an independently-managed unit, which aims to develop and enhance your self-management, critical thinking, analytical, evaluative and reflective skills, as well as your personal commitment, resilience and resourcefulness. The unit further aims to enhance your ability to make assumptions, manage information gaps and tolerate ambiguity, complexity and uncertainty.

Semester 1 (starting September)

• Digital Marketing Fundamentals: This unit provides a practical communication focused perspective of the rapidly evolving digital world, offering practical assistance in shaping professional digital identity and footprint

• Global Operations Management: This unit will cover the impact global operations management has on the business as a whole and the close relationship of operations management with other business functions.

Optional units

• Contemporary Issues in HRM: The main contemporary issues and themes within human resource management will be covered in this unit, providing you with an understanding of the role of a HR professional and the key aspects of ‘adding value’ to an organisation through enhancing performance.

Or

• Entrepreneurship & Business Ventures: Learn how individuals and teams build on opportunities to create new businesses or transform existing ones by undertaking entrepreneurial activities. 

Semester 2 (starting January)

• Strategic Management: You’ll develop the ability to apply appropriate tools and techniques to critically analyse the organisation and its environment, learning about the development of competitive marketing strategy and operations
• Organisational Leadership: The aim of this unit is to critically explore leadership styles, theories and followership concepts in a range of organisational contexts.

Optional units

• Project Management: Provides a practical communication focused perspective of the rapidly evolving digital world.  As such it offers students practical assistance in shaping professional digital identity and footprint. 

Or

• Branding and Integrated Communications: Covers strategic issues of integration and planning as well as the tactical considerations needed to execute relevant marketing communications campaigns that meet consumers’ needs.

Semester 3 (starting June)

• Business Futures: The aim of this unit is to equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to anticipate and respond to future challenges and opportunities in business, management and society. The unit will provide you with practical tools, conceptual frameworks and methodologies to explore and address real-world issues across various industries.

Optional units

• Practice-based Project: Hacking for Sustainability: This is a team-based consultancy-style project, which will give you the opportunity to work on challenging sustainability problems faced by large organisations, such as the Ministry of Defence (MoD). This Project involves working in a team, as well as with stakeholders and a client, and includes a mix of ‘real-life’ individual and group deliverables.

Or

• Consultancy Project: This unit gives you the opportunity, individually or as part of a team, to work on a real-life project brief, putting into practice your project management and CRM skills, to deliver a product, service or outcome for your client.

The course includes an optional 6-week summer placement in Year 1, providing a valuable opportunity to develop your vocational skills and understanding of the workplace.

We are proud that our students have played their part in the success of global companies including Microsoft, JP Morgan, IBM, Siemens and Unilever.

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements.

Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry.

If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

A placement should be a highly rewarding experience for you and the employing company and we do our best to ensure that everyone involved feels that they have got the most that they can from the experience.

Placements provide a great opportunity to make your first career steps and enhance your employability while you’re completing your studies. You’ll get the opportunity to:

• Put the theory learnt throughout the course into professional practice
• Enhance your study and help you decide on subject options (where appropriate)
• Learn a wide range of skills such as time management, problem-solving and teamwork (all of these are important to succeed in any career)
• Make contacts, as it is not uncommon for our students to be offered permanent positions to return to after graduating
• Gain a real insight into how the industry operates in roles that would be almost impossible to achieve for an outsider.

Many of our students, during their placement, are given responsibilities normally associated with graduate trainees.

The faculty running your course will offer the support of a Placement Co-ordinator. 

Through timetabled sessions and one-to-one appointments, they’ll help support you in your placement search including advice on finding a placement, information and advice on all aspects of job searching and job applications, as well as ensuring your proposed placement meets the requirements of your course. 

Our CareersBU service is also available throughout your time at BU, offering services like CV checking and careers fairs to meet employers.

Placement Development Advisors will support you once you have started your sandwich placement – so you will be able to maintain contact with the university throughout. 

• BMW
• Babcock
• Boots
• IBM
• Intel
• JP Morgan
• Walt Disney
• L'Oreal
• Xerox
• Microsoft.

AccessBU: AccessBU provides you with the opportunity to tell us about your circumstances that are not always evident in your UCAS application. This widening access initiative also considers relevant criteria such as being in care or if you live in an area with a low participation rate in Higher Education - if you are eligible, your offer could be up to 16 UCAS tariff points below the published tariff.

Apprenticeships: We recognise the transferable knowledge and skills gained through apprenticeships and welcome applications from students with a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship recognised by the Institute for Apprenticeships. Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Deferred entry: We are happy to consider eligible applicants for deferred entry. If you have already submitted your application, please submit your deferral request through our website. 

Direct entry: We welcome applications from students who have previously studied at degree level at other institutions and wish to transfer onto a BU course. Our Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) procedure enables credit awarded from one institution to contribute to a BU award, subject to an application process. Please visit our RPL webpage for more information.

Mature applicants: We recognise that mature applicants may have a wealth of experience rather than formal qualifications, so we’ll consider your application on these merits if included in your application. You’ll need to apply to BU in the usual way through UCAS and you may be invited to an interview to discuss your suitability for the course based on the experience you tell us about in your application.

All of our business courses see you working closely with the local community and businesses to gain practical and valuable experience before you graduate. This will give you a head start when you begin job hunting, as well as allow you to make useful connections within a business environment.

Example roles our graduates take on include:

• Account Executive
• Account Manager
• Business Analyst
• Business Development Assistant
• Operations Manager.

The skills you learn on the course should stand you in good stead for your continuing professional development too – giving you more control over your career direction.

A degree in Business & Management will give you various career options once you graduate. Combining this knowledge with a solid grounding in economics will make you highly sought after in corporate environments, where analysing situations and putting them into a wider context is important to a business’ success, regardless of its size.

And as there’s so much choice over the pathway you choose to follow, you can align your studies to your career ambitions.

Once you have completed an undergraduate Honours degree, you can further develop your education by studying for a postgraduate degree. Please visit our postgraduate section for further details about our range of Master’s degrees.

Research degrees 

If you are a BU graduate you are eligible for a 20% ‘loyalty’ discount on the published fees for further programmes with us!  

Depending on your qualifications and experiences, you can choose to undertake a MRes or PhD level research degree. Bournemouth University has a strong business research foundation within our Department of People & Organisations through a number of research centres, which explores theory, education and professional practice. 

Visit our postgraduate research courses for further details about research degree options with the Bournemouth University Business School and the funding options available. 

What’s included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

• Materials for laboratory and mandatory field-based teaching activity.
• Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement if this is part of your course of study
• A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service
• The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces
• Access to Brightspace, our virtual learning environment, which offers a responsive and personalised learning experience with powerful learning analytics capabilities, integrated social media and advanced video features.
• IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow
• Free software download to your personal device of Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus while you are studying, as well as access to applications provided on AppsAnywhere, subject to licensing and compatibility restrictions
• Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme
• Disability and additional learning support, according to individual circumstances.
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team.

​Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

• Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding hardship funds.
• Textbooks, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of textbooks and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shop stocks a wide range of stationery supplies.
• Accommodation and living costs. Our accommodation price guide can be found on our website. 
• Travel costs to and from the University campus. An annual bus pass is included in your rent if you are living in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation or may be purchased separately.
• Travel costs to and from your placement (both in the UK and overseas). Information about funding your placement year can be found on our website.
• You will need to meet the cost of any Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check if required by your placement setting, including any Post Office verification changes. 
• Clothing or equipment costs required for your placement if this is part of your course of study.
• SportBU membership.

While all aspects of the programme, including required field trips, are included in the fee, additional, optional or extra curricula activities may be available for which a student contribution is required.

If you need to repeat one or more units during your studies (with or without attendance) the pricing will be pro-rata of the full-time fee.