Program Overview

BA (Hons) Business and Management for Sustainability

The BA (Hons) Business and Management for Sustainability degree equips students with critically informed, practical expertise to address pressing environmental and social challenges. Students will graduate ready to lead positive change in business and beyond.

Course Overview

The new BA (Hons) Business and Management for Sustainability course seeks to prepare and equip students with the skills, knowledge, professional attributes, and problem-solving competencies required to undertake a successful career in sustainability management and a range of sustainability-related roles.

Year 1

In the first year of study, students will be introduced to the fundamentals of business and management and the sustainability case. They will explore sustainable development and the business response, which will lead to an understanding of the complexity of the business environment in terms of integrating social, environmental, and economic sustainability as well as sustainable development goals.

• Sustainability and Grand Challenges: This module provides students with an introduction to sustainability at the macro, meso, and micro levels. As well as this, students will explore complexity in the business environment and the sustainable development goals.
• Developing Professional Competencies: This module will equip students with the skills, knowledge, and techniques to undertake academic work.
• Fundamentals of Sustainable Enterprise: This module will introduce students to the fundamentals of business management and how sustainability can be integrated within different aspects of a business model.
• Sustainable Leadership: This module will provide students with fundamental knowledge and awareness concerning ethical and responsible leadership issues related to business and sustainability.

Year 2

The second year of study will build on the fundamentals explored at Level 4 to consider business sustainability management in more detail. There will be a focus on business and government interface, exploring the ways in which the political economy, regulatory environment, and government at the local, national, and international level impact and influence business sustainability.

• Critical Perspectives on Management and Entrepreneurship: This module provides students with a historically grounded understanding of the current economic system and how this has encouraged business activities that have contributed to diminishing social, environmental, and economic conditions.
• Sustainable Innovation: Building on the developing sustainable enterprise module at Level 4, this module teaches students the theory and practical application of both responsible and sustainable approaches to innovation.
• Technology Skills for Professional Excellence: This module equips students with the digital, technological, and professional competencies needed to excel in modern entrepreneurial and sustainable business environments.
• Business, Government and Governance: This module explores the intricate relationship between business and government, exploring the role of the state in shaping policies that affect economic, environmental, and social outcomes.

Year 3

In the final year, students will embed their learning from previous years to undertake two practical projects. They will undertake a civic engagement project to design innovative solutions to real-world challenges. They will also embark upon a sustainability management project, where they will deliver a project to assess sustainability impact, explore sustainable solutions that improve performance, and support change and transformation towards sustainability for a client organisation.

• Connectivity, Partnerships and Transformative Systems: This module explores how partnerships between different stakeholders can drive transformative sustainability.
• Civic Action for Sustainable Communities: This client-facing module engages students in a collaborative research project undertaken with a local authority based in Greater Manchester.
• Sustainability Management Project: On this module, students will deliver a project to assess sustainability impact, explore sustainable solutions that improve performance, and support change and transformation towards sustainability for a client organisation.
• Environmental Ethics: This module is rooted in principles and values of ecological integrity and focuses on the interdependence of business and the natural environment.

Entry Requirements

• Typical offer: 104-112 UCAS tariff points
• IELTS score: 6.0 overall with no individual element below 5.5
• UK students:
  • Level 3 qualifications: 104-112 UCAS tariff points
  • GCE A levels: grades BCC or equivalent
  • Pearson BTEC National Extended Diploma: grade DMM
  • Access to HE Diploma: Pass overall with a minimum 106 UCAS Tariff points
  • UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma: grade of Merit overall
  • OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma: grade DMM
  • T level: We welcome applications from students undertaking T level qualifications
• International students:
  • IB Diploma: with minimum 26 points overall or 104 UCAS Tariff points from Higher Level
  • IELTS: 6.0 overall with no individual element below 5.5

Fees and Funding

Tuition fees for the 2026/27 academic year are still being finalized for all courses.

Careers Support and Prospects

• Employed or in further study: 88.7% of our UK-domiciled, full-time, first-degree graduates are employed or in further study 15 months after graduation.
• Explore your options and build sought-after skills: Through our Careers Service, you will be supported and encouraged to get ready for further study or working life, including starting your own business.
• Graduate roles: Many companies, such as Unilever, PWC, and Deloitte, have included a graduate track in Sustainability. Other Graduate roles you might consider include:
  • Consultancy
  • Finance and Purchasing
  • Project management
  • Operations Analyst
  • Business Support officer
  • Public Sector Graduate Schemes
  • Sustainability projects officer
  • Environmental Consultant
  • Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Manager
  • Supply Chain Sustainability Manager
  • ESG analyst
  • Sustainable Procurement Officer
  • Environmental Sustainability Officer

Study and Assessment

• Study:
  • Year 1: 25% lectures, seminars or similar; 75% independent study
  • Year 2: 25% lectures, seminars or similar; 75% independent study
  • Year 3: 20% lectures, seminars or similar; 80% independent study
• Assessment:
  • Year 1: 100% coursework
  • Year 2: 100% coursework
  • Year 3: 100% coursework

Placements

The BA (Hons) Business and Management for Sustainability degree offers the chance to spend a year getting a taste of professional life. It not only gives you the opportunity to develop your core skills and learn about how business really operates in your industry, but also shows employers that you’re ready to get to work.

Accreditations, Awards, and Endorsements

• Association for Project Management: The Association for Project Management, the chartered body for the project profession, is committed to developing and promoting project and programme management in the UK.
• Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business: Our business school is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
• Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs: We are accredited by the IOEE for our commitment to enterprise and entrepreneurship in the UK.
• EFMD Quality Improvement System: Our business school holds the EQUIS accreditation - a leading international system of quality assessment, improvement, and accreditation of higher education institutions in management and business administration.
• Business School Impact System (BSIS): The BSIS scheme is designed to determine the extent and nature of a business school's impact upon its local environment.
• Teaching Excellence Framework: We have received an overall gold status in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), meaning we're rated as an outstanding university for our student experience.
• Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP): We are accredited by the ISEP. Students can get ISEP membership and fast-track to graduate ISEP status after graduation.