BA/BA (Hons) Business Management

More and more employers require business management graduates who can join their company and hit the ground running. This degree will give you both the theoretical business knowledge and – crucially – the practical experience you need to make your professional mark from day one. You’ll also have the opportunity to study abroad*

Let’s talk business. When you study for a degree in business management at QMU you’ll gain a deep understanding of the nature and core functions of businesses. How do successful companies manage their resources? What’s the best way to make an organisation environmentally sustainable? What marks out a successful entrepreneur? You can study a broad business management degree or (after two years of general study) decide to focus your learning on the enterprise, finance or marketing elements of business management.

See the foot of the page for some student case studies/ staff profiles

Why QMU?

Placements give you the optimum balance of practical and theoretical learning.

Smaller class sizes mean you’ll get close support and guidance from staff who get to know you.

Graduate with a range of transferable business skills which are highly sought after by employers.

Tailor your degree in Years Three and Four and study business management with another subject – enterprise, finance or marketing – and make your skills stand out.

About the course

Let’s talk business. When you study for a degree in business management at QMU you’ll gain a deep understanding of the nature and core functions of businesses. How do successful companies manage their resources? What’s the best way to make an organisation environmentally sustainable? What marks out a successful entrepreneur? You can study a broad business management degree or (after two years of general study) decide to focus your learning on the enterprise, finance or marketing elements of business management.

People do business with people. If you have first-class management skills and practical expertise, people are going to want to be in business with you. The best companies will covet you. That’s why our business management options are designed to give you the knowledge and skills that you need to thrive as a business leader and manager in the fast-moving marketplaces of tomorrow.

All students enrol on the broad business management degree for Years One and Two. In these two years you’ll build a strong foundation in core business management areas – marketing, economics, finance, human resource management, entrepreneurship, digital business and law.

In Year Three you’ll choose which of the four named routes you wish to specialise toward. You can study for a broad business management degree or focus on one particular area such as enterprise, finance or marketing. This will allow you to graduate with a specialist award, for example in BA (Hons) Business Management with Enterprise.

Whichever business management path you take, you’ll be equipped with the skills employers are looking for – negotiation, project management, problem solving, critical thinking and team working.

Your practical business expertise will be honed by placements, guest speakers from the business world, business projects and the creation of your own business plan. You’ll also have the opportunity (subject to availability) in Years Two or Three to study for one semester at a university overseas in North America, Canada, Hong Kong, Europe, New Zealand or Australia.

Structure

You can opt to study for an honours degree over four years or an ordinary degree over three years. You will complete a range of modules each year as outlined.

Teaching, learning and assessment

You will be taught in lectures, seminars and practical workshops. Outside these formally timetabled sessions you will be expected to continue learning through self-study. You will be assessed by a range of methods such as written exams, reports, poster presentations, business plans, live pitch, group presentations and negotiation role play. >>Click for more information on 'Learning, Teaching and Assessment' - Please note that this is information relating to entry in 2019. Information for 2020 entry is not yet available.

Modules

Year One

Year One is designed as an introductory year, which will not only introduce you to key subject matter in business but will allow you to develop the skills and learning techniques required at university level education.Modules are:

Introduction to Marketing

Introduction to Economics

Introduction to Business in Society

Introduction to Finance and Accounting

Introduction to Management

Entrepreneurship

Year Two

Operations Management

Business Law

Live Business Event

Human Resource Management

Digital Business and E-Commerce Management

Negotiation

Years Three and Four

From Year Three you can choose which pathway to specialise towards. Modules are tailored to each route – see below for more information.

Specialist Business Management degrees

BA/ BA (Hons) Business Management

Our Business Management course will give you a solid foundation in the core principles of business management including marketing, human resource management, finance, economics and operations management. Years Three and Four examine business themes at a more strategic level and you can choose three elective modules from a range of modules on offer. In Year Four, you will undertake a placement and a practical, business-focused piece of independent work in an area of your choice. Studying a broad business management degree will allow you more flexibility to take advantage of a wide range of career options open to graduates in this field.

Year Three modules

New Enterprise Creation

Research Methods and Skills

Organisational Behaviour

Project Management

Two Elective Modules

Year Four modules

Strategy as Practice

Placement

Critical Issues in International Management

One Elective Module

Dissertation or Business Project

BA (Hons) Business Management with Enterprise

Are you bubbling with new business ideas? Are you prepared to do the hard work that will make them a success? Our BA (Hons) Business Management with Enterprise will help you finesse your entrepreneurial talents. In Years Three and Four, you can pick the modules best suited to your passion for enterprise. Year Four will probably be a particular highlight for you, as you’ll go on a live business placement and take the reins of an original, enterprise-focused piece of independent work. By the end of the course you’ll have broadened your career options and gained a solid foundation in the core principles of business management.

Year Three modules

New Enterprise Creation

Research Methods and Skills

One Elective Module

Organisational Behaviour

Project Management

Entrepreneurial Finance

Year Four modules

Strategy as Practice

Placement

Critical Issues in International Management

Critical Issues in SME and Family Business

Dissertation or Business Project

BA (Hons) Business Management with Finance

At the heart of every successful business is an accomplished Finance team. Our BA (Hons) Business Management with Finance is a specialist finance pathway that will give you the contemporary theory and practice you need to carve a career in business finance and management. In Years Three and Four modules will be tailored to your chosen route in finance. In addition, in Year Four you will undertake a finance placement and a practical, finance-based piece of independent work to develop your finance expertise in a relevant business context. The route is designed to increase your career options by also providing you with a solid foundation in core principles of business management. This route is fully accredited by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), so you know that we’ll support your learning and ensure your professional development.

Year Three modules

New Enterprise Creation

Research Methods and Skills

Financial Markets and Institutions

Organisational Behaviour

Project Management

Entrepreneurial Finance

Year Four modules

Strategy as Practice

Placement

Corporate Finance

Financial Risk Management

Dissertation or Finance Project

BA (Hons) Business Management with Marketing

What makes customers buy from a business? How can self-promotion make a company more profitable? On our BA (Hons) Business Management with Marketing you’ll develop a specialised understanding of marketing theory and practice, while honing your core business management skills. In Years Three and Four you will take modules that focus your marketing studies further. In addition, in Year Four you will undertake a marketing placement and a practical piece of independent work to develop your marketing expertise in a relevant business context. The route is designed to increase your career options by also providing you with a solid foundation in core principles of business management.

Year Three modules

New Enterprise Creation

Research Methods and Skills

Experiential Marketing and Consumer Behaviour

Organisational Behaviour

Project Management/ Advertising and Marketing Communications

Year Four modules

Strategy as Practice

Placement

Critical Issues in International Marketing

Strategic Marketing Management

Dissertation or Business Project

The modules listed here are correct at time of posting (Feb 2019) but may differ slightly to those offered in 2020. Please check the website for any updates.

Placements

You will complete a four-week placement in Year Four. Students are responsible for sourcing a placement host organisation, which can be in the UK or abroad. To help with the process, we hold a speed interview event on campus to match hosts offering placements with students.

Please note that exchange opportunities are subject to availability. In addition, please note that where exchange opportunities are arranged in the EU, Erasmus+ funding is available subject to the UK remaining in the Erasmus+ scheme.

Careers

This is a degree that works. In general management, marketing, sales management, logistics, financial services, operations management and human resources management, our graduates are proving their worth to companies in the UK and internationally. Graduates have also set up their own businesses or taken their learning even further as postgraduate students.

Entry requirements

Scottish Higher: Standard BBBC, Minimum: BCCC

A Level: BCC

Irish Leaving Certificate: H2 H3 H3 H3

International Baccalaureate: 28 points

International: IELTS of 6.0 with no element lower than 5.5

Required subjects: Maths and English at Nat 5/GCSE.

Mature/Access: Related Access course – see our website at www.qmu.ac.uk/college-qualifications. We welcome applications from mature students with other relevant qualifications and/or experience.

Special Information for EU Applicants: Previously EU students have had the cost of their tuition fees met by the Scottish Government. At the point of publication there is no information on whether this arrangement will continue for students starting their studies in 20/21. Updates will be posted on the QMU website when available.

A Student Story - more at foot of page

Stephanie da Costa - BA (Hons) Business Management
"Over the next three years I shall rotate to different parts of Capita Asset Services, one of the ten divisions that make up Capita. My first placement began in October 2015 with the project management team in Shareholder Solutions. Not only have I been given responsibility for a number of high profile projects and smaller projects, I am also getting project management training."
read my story...