Business Management - BA/BA (Hons)

Let’s talk business. When you study for a degree in Business Management at QMU you will gain a deep understanding of the nature and core functions of businesses. How do successful companies manage their resources? What is the best way to make an organisation environmentally sustainable? What marks out a successful business?

People do business with people. If you have first-class management skills and practical expertise, people are going to want to work with you. Our Business Management degree routes are designed to give you the knowledge and skills that you need to thrive in the fast-moving marketplaces of tomorrow.

Flexible routes

We offer the following five business management routes:

• BA/BA (Hons) Business Management
• BA/BA (Hons) Business Management with Analytics
• BA/BA (Hons) Business Management with Digital Marketing
• BA/BA (Hons) Business Management with Finance
• BA/BA (Hons) Business Management with Human Resource Management

On our BA/BA (Hons) Business Management routes you will:

• gain a solid foundation in the core principles of business management, including marketing, human resource management, finance, economics, digital business, strategy, law, and operations management;
• hone your practical business expertise with placements, guest speakers and project opportunities;
• choose electives from a range of modules on offer. You will gain the maximum possible flexibility in Years Three and Four by being able to select modules from any of the specialised routes for your electives;
• have the opportunity to apply for an exchange at a university overseas in North America, Canada, Europe or Australia**; and
• gain a degree that has a strong focus on employability, supporting you to develop your project management, problem solving, communication, innovation and other transferable skills valued by employers.

** Subject to availability

Structure

All students enrol on our general Business Management degree for Years One and Two which will give you a solid foundation in the core principles of business management. At the end of Year Two we’ll discuss the route options with you and help you make you decide whether to stay on our general Business Management degree for maximum flexibility or, if you want to, you can move onto one of our named routes. This will allow you to graduate with a specialist award, for example: BA (Hons) Business Management with Analytics.

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

You can opt to study for an honours degree over four years or an ordinary degree over three years.

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.

You will have the iterative support of Academic Development (AD) throughout your course to enable you to confidently manage the purely academic challenges of your study, and address the diverse technical requirements of your assignments. AD will be available not only as a regular taught component of your study timetable, but in the form of self-study materials available via your module hubs/websites etc. and as ad hoc one-to-one or small group sessions, which can usually be arranged at short notice.

Placements

In the second semester of Year Three you will undertake an ‘experience’ semester. You will have the opportunity to complete a placement, amongst other options. Placements are an excellent opportunity to put your learning into practice. Students are responsible for sourcing a placement host organisation, which can be in the UK or abroad. We support you to find a placement host.

Exchange opportunities

In Years Two or Three you have the opportunity (subject to availability) to study for one semester at a university overseas, in Europe, North America or Australia. Find out more about studying abroad.  

Teaching staff, class sizes and timetables

You can read more about the teaching staff on this course at the bottom of this page. Please note that teaching staff is subject to change.

For more information, please also visit ‘How we teach and how you’ll learn’.

Year One

You will:

• develop a foundational understanding of key areas of Business Management, including leadership, finance, marketing and digital business;
• build your analytical and data visualisation skills in readiness for more advanced analytical modules as you progress through the course; and
• Focus on your personal development through enhancing self-reflection and creative thinking skills.

Modules

• Introduction to Management and Leadership
• Development of Professional Skills in Business and Management
• Marketing and Consumer Behaviour
• Introduction to Finance and Accounting
• Digital Business and Innovation
• Data Management

Year Two

You will:

• focus on operational aspects of managing businesses in an ethical and fair manner across a range of business environments;
• explore concepts linked to sustainability, ethics and social justice to gain an understanding of ethical, responsible and sustainable approaches to managing businesses and organisations; and
• enhance your analytical skills even further using analytical methods and software valued by employers.

Modules

• Human Resource Management
• Operations Management
• Economics, Financial Institutions and Markets
• Digital Marketing and E-Commerce Management
• Business Law
• Ethics, Social Justice and Sustainability

Year Three

You will:

• examine business and management themes at a more strategic level, choosing electives from a range of modules on offer;
• develop valuable project management skills and experience in the application of project management techniques through a client brief; and
• gain management-related experience, through completion of an experience semester, to enhance your career prospects when you graduate. You can opt to undertake an organisational placement; study for one semester at a university overseas; create a fully costed business plan for a new business venture; or develop a new web-based application.

Modules

• Project Management
• Two optional modules
• Research Methods (Online)
• Choose from one of the following experience options: Placement; Semester Abroad; New Enterprise Start-up; or Web-based Application

Year Four

You will:

• deepen your understanding, and awareness, of contemporary issues and challenges facing organisations at a strategic level;
• complete an independent piece of research in an area of your choice in the form of a dissertation or a consultancy project; and
• develop a range of practical skills necessary for management roles such as hard and soft leadership skills alongside negotiation, collaboration, conflict resolution and change management skills.

Modules

• Strategy
• Negotiation Theory and Practice
• Organisational Behaviour
• Leading and Managing Change
• Dissertation or Consultancy Project

NB The modules listed here are correct at time of posting (Feb 2023) but may differ slightly to those offered in 2024. Please check back here for any updates.

Studying a Business Management degree will give you the opportunity to take advantage of a wide range of career options open to graduates in this field. This is a degree that works and is internationally recognised. In general management, marketing, sales management, logistics, financial services, operations management and human resource 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.

See the video graduate case studies on this page.

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: English Required and Maths preferred at Nat 5/GCSE. We can also accept National 5 Application of Maths or Lifeskills at the same grade.

Mature/Access: We welcome applications from mature students with other relevant qualifications and/or experience. 

For more information on related HNC and HND courses, visit our College Leavers and Mature Students Advice page.

Direct Entry:

Year Two

• HNC in a related subject with B in the graded unit
• Scottish Higher: BC at Advanced Higher in relevant subjects plus BB at Higher
• A Level: BBB in relevant subjects

Year Three

• HND in a related subject with CB in the graded unit

For details of related HNC and HND courses, visit our College Leavers and Mature Students Advice page.

Am I a Widening Access student?: We apply the minimum entry criteria to applicants who meet one or more contextual factor. To see if this would apply to you, please refer to the access and application page.

Terms and Conditions

The delivery of this course is subject to the terms and conditions set out in our 2024/25 Entry Terms and Conditions (Undergraduate).

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