About this course
- Entry year: 2012/13
- Course code: N201
- Applications: UCAS
- Level: Undergraduate
- Tariff points: 300
- Department: Bristol Business School
- Campus: Frenchay
- Duration: Three years full- time; Four years sandwich
- Delivery: Full-time, sandwich
- Study Abroad: There are opportunities for students to undertake a study year abroad or international placement year
- Programme leader: Jenni Wilkinson
Introduction
This course is ideal for those who are aspiring to become business managers. The degree is designed to provide you with a current and comprehensive business education, with a specific focus on the activities associated with management, and will equip you with the essential knowledge and skills required to pursue a successful career in a fast-paced, complex and ever changing business world. At Bristol Business School (BBS), we offer a curriculum that aims to challenge your ways of thinking, learning and behaving, with a focus throughout your studies on key contemporary business issues, such as ethics and ethical decision-making, sustainability and global citizenship.
Key Benefits
Practical courses designed for the real world
Our courses are developed and designed with employer input, using guest speakers, real-life case studies and linking between subject to allow you to see the bigger picture, all of which will help you to develop attributes essential for the world or work.
Employability
A focus on developing your employability starts from the very first term, with each course offering modules that requires students to start thinking about their future aspirations, what it means to be a professional in a given area of business and to develop a strong sense of ‘self’, supported by access to personal development workshops.
Integral to all our courses is the development of transferable skills which facilitate the transition into higher education and underpin employability and lifelong learning. You will have access to employability support through the UWE careers team, placement office, our graduate development programme and a series of employer talks.
Placements
We offer you the opportunity to complete a 40-week industrial placement during your third year of study as we know that this experience has a significant positive impact both on students’ future degree classification and employability outcomes. Previous students have undertaken placements in a wide range of employers including IBM, Lloyds TSB, Disney, Unilever and the Avon and Somerset Constabulary.
Alternatively, there are opportunities to undertake a study year abroad where courses are taught in English. Employers look favourably upon those students that have studied abroad as they are able to gain a global perspective, which is becoming even more valuable with increasingly globalised markets.
Flexibility
In your first year, you will study modules which are common across a number of Business and Management courses. This offers you the flexibility to switch between courses at the end of the first year as your interests develop and change.
Student's view
"I am glad I chose Business Management as it has enabled me to offer businesses a more specific set of skills other than just theory compared to a general business degree."Frances Allen BSc(Hons) Business Management
Structure
Content
You will study three modules in each of the two semesters. The first year provides a foundation for the development of the knowledge, skills and attributes necessary for future success. In the second year, you will study modules relating to the main functional areas of business, alongside specialist management modules, and you will develop your research and enquiry skills. All students are encouraged to spend their third year on placement and the curriculum in the second year provides support in securing this placement. The final year will include a major project, modules which require the integration of the knowledge gained in the earlier years of study and a number of advanced management module options which allow you to further develop your specific interests.The final year curriculum also includes a focus on managing change, both in organisational terms and in terms of your own career.
Year 1
Semester One:
- Meeting the Management Challenge, including 'Understanding the Role of Manager and Management'
- Understanding Business and Financial Information
- Understanding the Business and Economic Environment
Semester Two:
- Understanding Organisations and People
- Understanding the Market Process
- Engaging in Critical Business Enquiry
Year 2
Semester One:
- Managing People
- Accounting Information for Business
- Studying Organisations and Organising
Semester Two:
- Methods of Enquiry
- Managing Business Processes
- Management Communication and Decision Making
Final Year
Semester One:
- Final Year Project: choice of Business Enquiry or Enterprise or Work-based.
- Strategic Management
- Coaching in Organisations
Semester Two:
- Organisation Development (Change, Creativity and Complexity)
- Organisational Leadership
- One option module OR Placement credits*
* Students who complete a Placement year do one fewer module in their final year.
Option choices from:
- Entrepreneurial Management
- Project Management
- Sustainable Business
- Virtual Business
Teaching and learning
The programme is taught through a blend of learning activities - some tutor-led and face-to-face, some student-led and independent, some online, some in groups and some which require students to support each others' learning.
Lectures, workshops and seminars, group project working and tutoring account for 12 hours of contact per week. However you will be expected to spend at least as much time again in essential independent study, for example, in preparing for workshops and seminars, reviewing lectures, online working through the university’s 'virtual learning environment', reading, conducting research, preparing assessed work and revising for end of module exams.
Our approach to learning and teaching are student-focused with the emphasis on helping you to actively find out things for yourself. You will be expected to work with a mix of theory and practice, balancing academic rigour and a practical approach to your work, so that you can appreciate the relevance and application of concepts learnt. To help in doing this, all students are expected to gain high quality work experience, ideally through the 40 week Placement but if not then through short term internships, paid work (for example, as a Student Ambassador or as a Peer-Assisted Learning Leader) or through volunteering.
Assessment
You will be assessed through a mix of coursework and examinations, all of which aim to assess not only what you know and can do, but also to develop the graduate attributes that are valued by employers. These attributes include communication and presentation skills, IT and numeracy skills, team work, project and time management skills as well as the intellectual skills of problem solving, critical thinking, analysis and evaluation, creativity and innovation.
Coursework comes in many different forms: essays and reports; business plans and applied research projects; portfolios and weekly notes; assessed group and individual presentations and posters. You will also be required to reflect and comment on your own learning and personal development.
Special Features
Placements
We strongly recommend that you spend your third year undertaking a work placement in order to gain valuable work experience and have the chance to put theory into practice in a real business environment - as well as earn a salary.
On this programme, students can obtain placements in any area of business (including sales and marketing, finance and human resource management), and we encourage students to seek work which matches their career aspirations. Your placement will enable you to obtain valuable work experience and to apply the knowledge and skills developed during your first two years of study in a practical situation. Students in previous years have undertaken placements in organisations ranging from large multinational corporations to small businesses. Usually students work in the UK but occasionally students can obtain employment overseas.
The School's placements team will support you in finding a placement, providing guidance on CV writing, applications and interview skills, as well as access to an extensive database of placement opportunities. Whilst working, the Placements office continues to support you and your progress is monitored by both your employer and the Business School. The portfolio you complete whilst working is a valuable resource to support your future employability and evidences your achievements in your placement. In your final year, you will complete a project based on your placement experience.
The fee for the placement year for 2012/13 starters is £1,125. The final year fee will then be £7,875.
Study year abroad
As an alternative to a placement year, there are opportunities to undertake a study year abroad where courses are taught in English. Students are selected for a study year abroad through a competitive process. Employers look favourably upon those students that have studied abroad as they are able to gain a global perspective, which is becoming even more valuable with increasingly globalised markets.
GDP
The Graduate Development Programme (GDP) is a programme of activities to help you develop the confidence and skills for academic and employment success.
Study facilities
Your learning is supported through the provision of high quality study facilities: an excellent library, with a dedicated Business Librarian, and online support to help you develop the information literacy skills essential in identifying and evaluating resources. We also have flexible learning spaces in the Business School with wireless Internet access and study areas, complete with sofas and areas for group working.
Careers/further study
This degree provides a broad business education with a particular focus on the skills and knowledge associated with business management. It is an ideal launch pad for a career in any area of business, management and entrepreneurship, and in any sector of the economy.
Our graduates are employed in a wide range of roles, such as Financial Analyst, Commercial Manager, Marketing Executive, Events Manager and Human Resources Coordinator. They work across private and public sector organisations including Lloyds TSB, Intel, Airbus, BBC and Avon and Somerset Constabulary.
Almost three-quarters of UWE Bristol Business School undergraduates from the UK who studied on full-time and sandwich courses went on to secure graduate level employment in 2010. This was in a very competitive job market and demonstrates the high level of employability of our students.
Further study is also an option open to UWE Business School graduates and graduates have gone on to study Masters courses in areas such as Financial Management, Marketing, Human Resource Management and Economics, as well as professional qualifications studied alongside working, such as Accountancy professional body qualifications like ACCA and CIMA.
Graduate destinations
Find out what our graduates are doing six months after graduating- includes examples of careers, employers and further study. Download a PDF from graduate destinations.
Creating employable students
UWE places strong emphasis on employability and skills development at every level. Through work placements, volunteering, study abroad and UWE initiatives which nurture talent and encourage innovation, students gain valuable real world experience and graduate with diverse career opportunities and a competitive place in the job market.
See great graduate prospects for further information.
Be inspired
Read about Vincent's flourishing business enterprise.
Useful links
UWE - graduate occupations
Prospects - careers in business and management
Guardian - what to do with a degree in management studies
The UWE careers service provides guidance and support throughout your studies in addition to useful resources, CV checks, career coaching and details of current job vacancies.
Entry
Typical offers
- Tariff points: 300
- GCSE: Maths and English Language at grade C or above required.
- Specific subjects: None specified
- Access: Achievement of the Access to HE Diploma; achievement of level 2 credits in Maths and English Language.
Entry requirements
We welcome applications from students who do not have the entry requirements outlined. The university will consider applications on the basis of evidence of personal, professional and educational experience which indicates an applicant's ability to meet the demands of the degree.
International applicants
A large percentage of our student community is of international origin. We welcome enquiries from international applicants. Further information can be found on our international web pages.
Advice on typical offers
In addition to the 'typical offer' given above, please read the general information about entry requirements.
How to apply
Please see the general information about applications
For further information
Page last updated 14 December 2011