Program Overview

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Business Management and Leadership BA (Hons)

Course Overview

Our Business Management and Leadership BA (Hons) course is designed to help you develop key skills, from managing people, projects and resources to strategic leadership within the UK and internationally.

Why You Should Study This Course

The degree offers:

• A focus on contemporary management issues, giving you the opportunity to develop a wealth of skills needed to aid progression from an operational level through to a leadership role within any organisation.
• Opportunities to help you develop the required confidence, versatility and strategic thinking, coupled with elevated communication skills and a desire to succeed.
• The chance to conduct critical research with our experienced staff, learn from guest visitors and take part in invaluable practical modules.

Accreditation and Professional Recognition

The Business Management and Leadership BA (Hons) degree part of this course is currently accredited and recognised by the following bodies for the 2023/2024 intake:

• Chartered Management Institute

This degree programme has been developed to allow modules to align to the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) qualification. Students who undertake the degree element of this course are provided with CMI membership for the duration of their programme and one year after graduating for free. This valuable CMI membership gives students access to resources, journals and professional insights, while putting students in the same arena as practising managers.

What You'll Study

Many areas of management and leadership, such as the development of new concepts and modern project management, require graduates to have good theoretical and practical knowledge to control, implement and evaluate new developments.

This varied degree supplies you with the skills and knowledge needed for successful entry into management. This is an applied course and recognises the multidisciplinary approach that is needed in business leadership.

Throughout your degree, you will study the details of operating markets, information technology and leadership practice, demonstrating a capability to maintain auditable records of your work.

Year One

Year one focuses on the organisational environment and decision making processes at junior management level. You’ll cover a broad range of topics, from core concepts of current management and organisational behaviour, to the fundamentals of business policy and strategy. You will also develop the necessary skills and knowledge that will prepare you for study in years two and three. Students who complete year one are eligible for a Higher National Certificate (HNC) in Business Management & Leadership.

Modules

• The Business Environment - 30 credits
• Principles of Sales and Marketing - 30 credits
• Communication and Collaborative Working - 30 credits
• Management and Leadership Perspectives - 30 credits

Year Two

At this stage, you are dealing specifically with the challenges and opportunities faced by a strategic manager. The need to continuously assess and evaluate the business landscape is of paramount importance, along with the ability to work effectively and autonomously. This final year covers strategic leadership principles, organisational design and strategic marketing. You’ll also conduct a strategic business project on a management issue that brings together key themes from across the three years of study. Students who successfully complete year three are awarded a BA (Hons) in Business Management and Leadership.

Modules

• Economic and Financial Management - 30 credits
• Entrepreneurship, Enterprise and Innovation - 30 credits
• Project Management - 30 credits
• Resource Management - 30 credits

Year Three

As the course progresses, you’ll be asked to build on the knowledge gained in year one to cement a solid foundation of core principles. Now that you are working to a higher level after completing the HNC, you should begin to develop a comprehensive range of skills and insights needed by operational managers to deal with complex issues. The focus of year two falls upon specialised areas such as financial management, entrepreneurship and the development of business practices. Students who successfully complete year two are eligible for a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Business Management and Leadership.

Modules

• Strategy and Change Management - 30 credits
• International Business and Globalisation - 30 credits
• Contemporary Issues in Business Management - 30 credits
• Business Management and Leadership Project - 30 credits

How You'll Learn

This course is available as a full-time three year or optional four-year sandwich course, the latter incorporating a work placement or study year in a related field.

Our teaching methods are varied, offering a number of teaching styles to suit the needs of all our students, so in addition to lectures, we also utilise a blended learning approach, including online aspects, workshops and group work. Additional support is available via email and our online learning platform, Aula.

Progression through the modules develops knowledge and skills, including communication (written and oral), study skills, research methods, project management, presentation and career development. We will also encourage you to consider your employability and/or entrepreneurial development.

Unlike traditional institutions, there are no end of year exams. Instead, learning is assessed through coursework and phase tests, which is more reflective of our learning model.

Teaching Contact Hours

You can expect up to 20 hours of learning activities per week, made up of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, online classes and independent learning.

Additionally, you will be expected to undertake up to 30 hours of self-directed study, depending on the demands of individual modules.

Entry Requirements

Typical offer for 2024/25 entry.

• UK: 64 UCAS tariff points. GCSE maths and English at grade 4 / C or Functional Skills Level 2, or other equivalent Level 2 awards. Minimum two A2 levels or BTEC equivalent qualification.
• International: IELTS: 6.0 (HNC - year 1/HND - year 2) or 6.5 (Degree/Top Up - year 3).

Fees and Funding

Student | Full-time | Part-time ---|---|--- UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man | 2026/27 fees TBC 2025/26 fees: £9,535 per year | Not available EU | 2026/27 fees TBC 2025/26 fees: £9,535 per year with EU Support Bursary** 2026/27 fees TBC 2025/26 fees: £14,800 per year without EU Support Bursary** | Not available International | 2026/27 fees TBC 2025/26 fees: £14,800 per year | Not available

Facilities

Our campus includes a library, IT suites, mock law court, engineering and science labs, cafe and lots of individual and group study spaces.

Next to us is Scarborough’s new leisure village. The complex includes an Olympic legacy swimming pool, sports hall, fitness suite, all weather pitches and the new Scarborough Athletic football ground.

Careers and Opportunities

On successful completion of the degree course, you should be able to:

• Demonstrate understanding and knowledge of the theoretical, analytical and practical aspects of management strategies and processes within a changing environment, to meet stakeholder interests.
• Critically appraise theories related to the development of staff, including crucial factors in the development of people management, including ethics, culture and change.
• Be proficient in developing international-level strategy, incorporating and considering currency, cultural and competitor risk.
• Develop appropriate research and analysis techniques, alongside the ability to undertake reliable market research activities.
• Operate, lead and collaborate in a team to solve problems of a practical (experimental) nature and to provide appropriate solutions.
• Apply appropriate presentation and evaluation tools to establish the significance of research data produced.

This degree is an applied course; it recognises the multidisciplinary approach that is needed in business management. This means you can apply this degree to any industry and into a number of positions, including but not restricted to retail manager, project management and business officers.

Where Our Graduates Work

We focus on producing global graduates, which means our graduates can go on to work in small and large companies around the world.

CU graduates from this subject area have gone to work in several industries, such as recruitment, finance and retail, in companies such as The Immigration Service, Tesco and Transport for London.

Other CU graduates have also progressed onto further education to study a master’s in subjects such as International Business Management, International Marketing, Business and Organisation Psychology and Human Resources.