Program Overview

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Business Management with Foundation BA Honours

Overview

Our degree courses with Foundation year offer the opportunity to prepare you for advanced study before you progress on to a full honours degree at the University of Westminster.

Whether you do not feel ready for degree-level study, don’t have the right qualifications, want to change your subject specialism or return to study after an absence from education, we aim to encourage a broad range of students to undertake our Foundation year in order to progress onto their full honours degree with us.

The Foundation year is designed to give you the opportunity to explore new ideas, opening up new perspectives on the key debates within your chosen field. Core modules accelerate your academic and professional development and you will also take modules from areas closely related to your chosen field, giving you the chance to develop a cross-disciplinary perspective on your course.

On successful completion of the Foundation year, you will be able to move on to study for the Business Management BA Honours degree.

Our highly flexible business degree is designed for those who want to thrive in a rapidly changing global, cultural and technological business world. You’ll develop the versatility, vision and wisdom that future business leaders and managers need.

With an emphasis on learning through practice, you will develop the breadth of knowledge, skills and capabilities to respond proactively and creatively to contemporary business issues and challenges. A large range of optional modules – covering everything from brands and business ethics to entertainment and sport – means you can tailor your studies each year.

You’ll also hear direct from industry practitioners, who will share their own experience of, for example, incorporating the principles of the circular economy in their businesses.

You will be encouraged to adopt an enquiring and critical approach to ideas and issues, developing the graduate attributes that employers value. For example, when learning how to evaluate company performance in sustainability, you will be tasked with investigating the big picture through news and contemporary journals, rather than relying solely on a company’s PR. You’ll also gain hands-on experience of common business computing and software, including Tableau Data Visualisation, FAME and the Microsoft Office suite.

All of this will help develop the necessary confidence and business acumen to set up your own business or contribute proactively to private business, public or ‘third’ sector organisations. Past graduates have found successful employment as management, marketing and advertising trainees, as trainee accountants and brand managers, recruitment consultants, retail managers and as assistants in market research, PR and global brand.

Top reasons to study with us

• Study at one of London’s leading centres for business education based in the heart of London and its political, media and financial services scene
• Highly flexible structure with the opportunity to change to other business management course specialisms and choose from a large range of optional modules
• Programmes are delivered by a multicultural and international teaching body , who come from professional practice and/or regularly publish in top international journals
• Access to one of the largest financial databases in our state-of-the-art Bloomberg virtual trading room
• Free online subscription to The Financial Times
• Employability embedded across the curriculum , with dedicated specialist modules at every level
• Optional placement year to gain valuable work experience – previous students on this degree have conducted cloud marketing operations for an IT company and project management with General Electric and Rolls Royce
• Opportunity to undertake an internship which has enabled previous students to gain experience with, for instance, the NHS and Disney
• Guest lectures from industry practitioners have previously included speakers from IBM, Tableau, Coca Cola and LinkedIn
• Participate in Westminster Working Cultures trips to understand working cultures within businesses abroad, which in the past have included Berlin, Mumbai and Washington DC
• Past graduates have secured jobs with prestigious organisations , including the Bank of England, BT, Coca Cola, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Goldman Sachs

Course structure

This degree will help you understand what makes a business tick and how to drive a business to succeed. In each year of study, you will take a combination of core and option modules. The flexible nature of the course allows you to choose topics that most suit your interests or career aspirations – even if these change as your course progresses. You can build your own general business degree or choose to specialise in subjects such as economics, entrepreneurship, human resource management, digital business or marketing.

The following subjects are indicative of what you will study on this course.

• Foundation
• Year 1
• Year 2
• Placement Year
• Year 3

Subjects of study include:

• Critical Thinking in a Changing World
• Current debates in Digital Business
• Current debates in Global Business
• Foundations in Business Data Analysis
• Foundations of Management
• Introduction to Academic Practice

There are no optional or elective modules offered at Level 3, as the focus is on the development of key academic skills through a broad understanding of Business and Management.

Credit Level 3

You are introduced to the functions of business organisations, the broader business environment, and key management skills and competences, including information gathering and analysis, accounting, economics, marketing and organisational behaviour. We consider business organisations – their purposes, structures and governance in a global context, together with cultural differences and ethical constraints. You’ll be introduced to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and, through case studies, discover how environmental, social and governance issues have affected companies including Divine Chocolate, for example. Drawing on real-life data from FAME, you’ll be tasked with analysing the financial performance of an organisation of your choice.

Subjects of study include:

• Accounting and Finance for Business
• Analytics for Decision Making
• Behaviour in Organisations
• Global Economies and the Business Environment
• Marketing for Business Managers

You will also have the opportunity to take an option module that broadens your skills or helps you gain more in-depth knowledge of your specialist area. Your option module may be a foreign language.

Credit Level 4

You will investigate and learn how businesses operate, looking at how people are managed, how you manage business operations and how managers make key decisions. We analyse business operations from both traditional and digital perspectives: the business process; the supply chain; systems integration; and the management of information, quality, demand, capacity and resources. This covers aspects of electronic and mobile services, commerce and business; innovation and design in products and services; and developments in technology and systems. You will select three optional modules.

Subjects of study include:

• Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
• Corporate Governance
• Entrepreneurial Practice
• Leadership and Development
• Management Decision Making for Business
• Project Management
• Sports Marketing
• Supply Chain, Operations Management and Digital Business
• Sustainable City Economies
• Web-enabled Business

You will also have the opportunity to study a module from other faculties of the University, including a foreign language.

Alternatively, in place of the option modules listed above, you may be able to take the WBS Study Abroad Experience (subject to eligibility) or the WBS Work Experience.

Credit Level 5

Optional work placement/study abroad year

Between Years 2 and 3, you can take an optional work placement or study year abroad. The work placement year is a one-year full-time business work placement. Past students have completed placements in a variety of small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and prestigious organisations, including Barclays Bank, British Airways, Disney UK, IBM and the National Health Service (NHS). The study abroad year allows you to follow a programme of study at one of our partner institutions, giving you an opportunity to experience life in another country and learn Business from a different cultural viewpoint.

You can also choose to split your year abroad into a first semester exchange and a second semester work placement, both conducted overseas.

Developing your specialist knowledge further through optional modules, you will learn to apply critical and reflective approaches to help explore the challenges facing organisations at a strategic level and from an organisational perspective, with a view of the broader competitive environment of today’s turbulent economy. In doing so, you will undertake research on a topic of your choice – anything from e-sport business development to environmental sustainability in business. Your studies culminate with the Global Strategic Management module, designed to simulate as closely as possible the nature of strategic decision-making in the management of a commercial organisation. You will analyse market, financial and human resource information on a weekly basis, making complex decisions.

Subjects of study include:

• Banking Theory and Practice
• Comparative International Management
• Contemporary Issues in Business Management
• Creating Entrepreneurial Leadership
• Developing My Professional Identity
• Digital Analytics
• Forecasting for Managers
• Global Accounting and Multinational Enterprises
• Global Marketing Management
• Interactive and Digital Marketing
• International Trade
• Project and Programme Management
• Social and Green Innovation
• Social Media for Business
• Strategic Management
• Sustainable Supply Chain Management

Credit Level 6

Foundation

Subjects of study include:

• Critical Thinking in a Changing World
• Current debates in Digital Business
• Current debates in Global Business
• Foundations in Business Data Analysis
• Foundations of Management
• Introduction to Academic Practice

There are no optional or elective modules offered at Level 3, as the focus is on the development of key academic skills through a broad understanding of Business and Management.

Credit Level 3

Year 1

You are introduced to the functions of business organisations, the broader business environment, and key management skills and competences, including information gathering and analysis, accounting, economics, marketing and organisational behaviour. We consider business organisations – their purposes, structures and governance in a global context, together with cultural differences and ethical constraints. You’ll be introduced to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and, through case studies, discover how environmental, social and governance issues have affected companies including Divine Chocolate, for example. Drawing on real-life data from FAME, you’ll be tasked with analysing the financial performance of an organisation of your choice.

Subjects of study include:

• Accounting and Finance for Business
• Analytics for Decision Making
• Behaviour in Organisations
• Global Economies and the Business Environment
• Marketing for Business Managers

You will also have the opportunity to take an option module that broadens your skills or helps you gain more in-depth knowledge of your specialist area. Your option module may be a foreign language.

Credit Level 4

Year 2

You will investigate and learn how businesses operate, looking at how people are managed, how you manage business operations and how managers make key decisions. We analyse business operations from both traditional and digital perspectives: the business process; the supply chain; systems integration; and the management of information, quality, demand, capacity and resources. This covers aspects of electronic and mobile services, commerce and business; innovation and design in products and services; and developments in technology and systems. You will select three optional modules.

Subjects of study include:

• Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
• Corporate Governance
• Entrepreneurial Practice
• Leadership and Development
• Management Decision Making for Business
• Project Management
• Sports Marketing
• Supply Chain, Operations Management and Digital Business
• Sustainable City Economies
• Web-enabled Business

You will also have the opportunity to study a module from other faculties of the University, including a foreign language.

Alternatively, in place of the option modules listed above, you may be able to take the WBS Study Abroad Experience (subject to eligibility) or the WBS Work Experience.

Credit Level 5

Placement Year

Optional work placement/study abroad year

Between Years 2 and 3, you can take an optional work placement or study year abroad. The work placement year is a one-year full-time business work placement. Past students have completed placements in a variety of small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and prestigious organisations, including Barclays Bank, British Airways, Disney UK, IBM and the National Health Service (NHS). The study abroad year allows you to follow a programme of study at one of our partner institutions, giving you an opportunity to experience life in another country and learn Business from a different cultural viewpoint.

You can also choose to split your year abroad into a first semester exchange and a second semester work placement, both conducted overseas.

Year 3

Developing your specialist knowledge further through optional modules, you will learn to apply critical and reflective approaches to help explore the challenges facing organisations at a strategic level and from an organisational perspective, with a view of the broader competitive environment of today’s turbulent economy. In doing so, you will undertake research on a topic of your choice – anything from e-sport business development to environmental sustainability in business. Your studies culminate with the Global Strategic Management module, designed to simulate as closely as possible the nature of strategic decision-making in the management of a commercial organisation. You will analyse market, financial and human resource information on a weekly basis, making complex decisions.

Subjects of study include:

• Banking Theory and Practice
• Comparative International Management
• Contemporary Issues in Business Management
• Creating Entrepreneurial Leadership
• Developing My Professional Identity
• Digital Analytics
• Forecasting for Managers
• Global Accounting and Multinational Enterprises
• Global Marketing Management
• Interactive and Digital Marketing
• International Trade
• Project and Programme Management
• Social and Green Innovation
• Social Media for Business
• Strategic Management
• Sustainable Supply Chain Management

Credit Level 6

Careers

This course is designed to prepare you to become a business leader, an entrepreneur or seek employment in SMEs, blue-chip organisations, the public, private or third sector. It can lead to a wide variety of careers in:

• business, HR and finance
• marketing, PR and sales
• management
• consultancy (strategic consulting, organisational planning, marketing; IT consulting; human resource consulting and business process management)

The skills, knowledge and practical experience you gain will allow you to start contributing to your employer’s organisation quickly and effectively. Many of our students go on to postgraduate study here and at a range of other universities.

Course Leaders

• Kamala Balu, Senior Lecturer
• Beverley Marsland, Senior Lecturer

Course Team

• Kamala Balu, Senior Lecturer
• Dr Alireza Nazarian, Reader
• Nuala OSullivan, Staff
• Andrew Amayo, Staff
• Beverley Marsland, Senior Lecturer

Entry Requirements

• UK
  • A levels – CCD (88 UCAS Tariff points)
  • T levels – 88 UCAS Tariff points
  • International Baccalaureate – 88 UCAS Tariff points from all components of the Diploma Programme. International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme will be considered on a case-by-case basis
  • BTEC Extended Diploma – MMM
  • BTEC Diploma – DD
  • Access – 88 UCAS Tariff points from the Access course
• International
  • International Baccalaureate – 88 UCAS Tariff points from all components of the Diploma Programme. International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme will be considered on a case-by-case basis
  • Other international qualifications – We accept a wide range of international high school level qualifications.
  • International Foundation courses – We work in partnership with Kaplan International College London who provide the International Foundation Certificate at their College based in Liverpool Street.

Fees and Funding

• UK tuition fee: £9,535 (Price for Foundation year only)
• International tuition fee: £17,600 (Price for Foundation year only)

Teaching and Assessment

• How you'll be taught: Teaching methods across all our undergraduate courses focus on active student learning through lectures, seminars, workshops, problem-based and blended learning, and where appropriate practical application.
• How you'll be assessed: Our undergraduate courses include a wide variety of assessments.

Facilities

• The Learning Platform
• Lecture theatres
• Library
• Bloomberg Financial Market Suite
• Digital Marketing Lab
• Meeting spaces
• Cafe

Course Location

Our Marylebone Campus has benefitted from a multi-million-pound refurbishment resulting in new workshops, digital studios and development of the Marylebone Library. The campus is home to Westminster Business School and our award-winning Architecture, Planning and Tourism courses.