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Aston Business School is one of just 1% of business schools in the world to hold AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA accreditation
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The placement year gives you invaluable professional experience
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18th in the UK for graduate prospects - outcomes (business and management studies) Complete University Guide, 2023
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This degree is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)
"The quality of teaching at Aston is high, and focuses more on practical aspects which prepared me for my future career. There is also excellent student support which guided me in my career search. Apart from lectures and seminars, Aston University also provides a wide range of opportunities for students to attend internally and externally held business events and talks for free."
Arthur Phang
Customer Supply Chain Management Trainee, L'Oreal
"The quality of teaching at Aston is high, and focuses more on practical aspects which prepared me for my future career. There is also excellent student support which guided me in my career search. Apart from lectures and seminars, Aston University also provides a wide range of opportunities for students to attend internally and externally held business events and talks for free."
Arthur Phang
Customer Supply Chain Management Trainee, L'Oreal
Course outline and modules
Aston’s Business and Management BSc will provide you with an understanding of the various functions of management, alongside the opportunity to specialise in areas of business that interest you, preparing you for a successful management career.
What you’ll learn
You will gain a solid foundation in your first year across a breadth of business topics before shaping your second and final years to concentrate your study on particular specialisms. You can gain professional accreditations and exemptions in many of these career paths and you’ll also undertake a placement year to put your learning into practice.
This course will make you career ready
This means, not only will you graduate with a great depth of knowledge in both management and your specialist area of interest, you will also be equipped with independent, work-ready, commercial skills and relevant work experience.
You have over 70 modules to choose from, allowing you to specialise your degree to suit your interests. That’s why our graduates go on to work in a breadth of roles, from product manager to accounting specialist, in organisations ranging from Google to Santander.
This programme may also lead to accreditation or exemptions from specific professional bodies, based upon certain specialist modules being taken.
Two undergraduate degrees
This course offers an Exchange Partnership Second Degree Pathway, meaning you could study overseas at one of our partner institutions during your placement year and graduate with two undergraduate degrees for the price of one. Find out more about our Exchange Partnership Second Degree Pathway here.
International students
- Information for international applicants
International students
Aston University is a diverse, close community and welcomes international students. Students from over 120 different countries chose to study with us every year. Based in the centre of Birmingham, Aston is not only a great place to study, it’s also a great place to live.
Aston’s professional work placements can improve your chance of securing a graduate job. Placements give you experience, confidence and opportunities and, as an Aston student, you’ll be better prepared for your future career. One of the great things about Aston is our focus on employability. Our close links with businesses, industries and professions make this possible.
For more information on applying as an international student, visit our webpage: www.aston.ac.uk/international/students-applying
Post-study work visa
Graduate Immigration Route
Aston University welcomed the creation of a new Graduate Immigration Route which enables international students to remain in the UK for two years after you complete your studies to find work. This new post-study work visa applies to international students completing full-time undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
Find out more information about the Graduate Immigration Route.
Foundation programme
Choosing to start your Aston journey with our foundation programme in business will help you develop specialist knowledge to ensure that you are fully prepared to study your chosen undergraduate course. During your foundation year, you’ll have excellent support from academics while group projects will give you the chance to meet new people, make new friends and build a network of peers who will share your university journey. We also have a Learning Development Centre that can provide additional support and offer pre-sessional English language programmes.
For International Students intending to do a foundation year, visit ONCAMPUS
Professional accreditations
With our BSc Business and Management degree accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), Aston University gives students the opportunity to gain marketing professional qualifications highly sought after by employers alongside their academic studies, thus ensuring that we are equipping students with the best opportunities for a successful marketing career.
Modules
- Year 1
In your first year, you will study a wide range of management related subjects, designed to ensure you have a broad foundation and knowledge of management. You will consider the economic, financial, human and legal issues managers deal with, and learn the tools and techniques they use to resolve them.
- Introductory Accounting for Business
- Introduction to Organisational Behaviour
- Law for Business
- Introduction to Marketing Management
- Principles of Operations Management
- Foundations of Business Analytics
- Information Technology for Business
- Introduction to Business Economics
- Year 2
In your second year you will select elective modules from the list below. In addition to this you will study the following core modules:
- Virtual Business Manager
- Business, Government and Society
- Fundamentals of Strategy
Choose one of the following finance modules:
- Strategic Finance
- Corporate Financial Management
You can then select your remaining credits from the following specialist areas (selecting no more than 45 credits in any one area):
Accounting:
- Financial and Management Accounting for Managers
- Business Tax
- Audit, Governance and Company Law
Business Analytics:
- Optimisation and Decision Analytics
- Data Visualisation
- Software for Analytics
- Business Analytics in Practice
International Business:
- International Businesses and Emerging Market Economies
- International Business Economics
- The Modern Business World in Cultural Context
Business Psychology:
- Employee Resourcing
- Psychology and Work
- Effective Teamwork
- Developing Creativity
Business Economics:
- Intermediate Microeconomics
- Intermediate Macroeconomics
- Quantitative Methods
- Markets, Games and Strategy
- Sports Economics & Finance
Information Systems:
- Dashboards and Spreadsheets
- Database applications
- Doing E-Business
- Cloud Computing for Business
- Agile Practices in IT and Management
Law:
- Principles of Commercial Law
- Principles of Employment Law
- Principles of Intellectual Property Law
Marketing
- Market Research
- Services Marketing and Management
- Digital Marketing
- 21st Century Marketing Communications
Operations Management:
- Business Operations Excellence
- Enterprise Systems
- Managing Service Operations
*Availability of any optional modules will be subject to staff availability and a minimum number of students who express an interest in studying the optional modules.
- Year 3
You will spend this year in a professional placement or you may choose to take up an international study opportunity at one of our partner institutions. This year is compulsory for all UK students.
See the placement year section or find out more about the Aston placement year.- Final Year
In your final year you will study a range of modules along with elective modules from specialist areas:
Students must choose at least one of the following modules:
- Effective Management Consultancy 1
- Effective Management Consultancy 2
- Knowledge at Work
- Implementing Business Decisions
Students must then choose at least one of the following modules:
- Strategic Management
- Strategic HRM
- Theories and Practice of Leadership
- Marketing Strategy
- Operations Strategy
Choose the remaining 30 to 90 credits from the following modules selecting no more than 45 credits in any one area:
Accounting:
- Tax Policy and Personal Tax
- Risk Management
Finance:
- Financial Analysis
- Derivatives
Business Analytics:
- Simulation
- Performance and Efficiency Analytics (DEA)
- Business Analytics and Data Mining
Business Psychology:
- Employment Law for HRM
- Learning and Development
- Global Working
- Employee Relations
- Critical Issues in Human Resource Management
Business Economics/International Business:
- Further Topics in Macroeconomics
- Further Topics in Microeconomics
- Environmental Economics
- International Trade
- Economics of Entrepreneurship
Information Systems:
- Managing Information Technology in a Global Context
- Information Security
- Technology & Practice of eCommerce
Law:
- Fraud, Bribery & Corruption
- Product, Intellectual Property & Entrepreneurship
- Business Ethics
- Data Protection Law
- Emerging Technologies, AI and Law
- Ethics in a Crisis
Marketing:
- International Marketing
- Innovation & New Product & Service Development
- Strategic Brand Management
- Consumer Research and the Customer Experience
- Advanced Marketing Communications
Operations Management:
- Supply Chain Management
- Sustainable Operations Management
- Effective Project Delivery 1
*Availability of any optional modules will be subject to staff availability and a minimum number of students who express an interest in studying the optional modules.
Accreditation is a stamp of quality and prestige for a business school and its programmes. Aston is proud to be among 1% of business schools worldwide with triple accreditation.
Entry requirements
4 year with integrated placement year / 3 year course without integrated placement year option only available for non-UK/EU students
UCAS Code: NN12
Typical offers:
- A Levels
BBB – standard offer
BBC (with EPQ or Core maths minimum grade B)
BBC (contextual offer)*
*For details on our Aston Ready contextual offer scheme, please see here.
- IB
31 points overall in the IB diploma with 5,5,5 at HL.
- BTEC, Access & other
BTEC Extended Diploma DDD – standard offer.
BTEC Extended Diploma DDM – (Contextual offer)*
We accept the QAA-recognised Access Diploma which must consist of 45 credits at Level 3. You must obtain a minimum of 30 distinction and the rest must be at merit or distinction. Please note that we do not accept the English and Maths components within the Access qualification and you must meet the GCSE entry requirement.
The University also accepts the BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate/BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma and BTEC Level 3 National Diploma/BTEC Level 3 Diploma for entry onto degree programmes, provided that they are studied in combination with other qualifications that are equivalent to three full A2 Levels.
For details on our Aston Ready contextual offer scheme, please see here.
- T Levels
The following T levels are accepted qualifications for this course:
- T-Level - Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction Grade D
- T-Level - Digital Production, Design and Production Grade D
- T-Level – Education and Childcare Grade D
- T-Level – Onsite Construction Grade D
- T-Level – Building Services Engineering for Construction Grade D
- T-Level – Digital Business Services Grade D
- T-Level – Digital Support Services Grade D
- T-Level – Health Grade D
- T-Level – Healthcare Science Grade D
- T-Level – Science Grade D
- GCSEs
5 GCSE grades A*/9 – C/4 to include:
GCSE Maths – grade C/4
GCSE English Language OR English Literature– grade C/4
Please note that General Studies does not contribute towards the UCAS points requirement but is welcomed as an additional qualification.
- Our Admissions Policy
View our Admissions Policy.
Whilst the grades listed here are our entry requirements, we understand that predicted grades are only an estimate. We will therefore consider applicants with predicted grades that fall below these entry requirements if the application is of a high standard (however, initial offers will not be lower than stated above).
Entry onto our Foundation Year maybe offered as an alternative to the degree course if lower entry grades are achieved.
Other routes
You can also study business at Aston through the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship route.
The information contained on this website details the typical entry requirements for this course for the most commonly offered qualifications. Applicants with alternative qualifications may wish to enquire with the relevant admissions teams prior to application whether or not their qualifications are deemed acceptable. For less commonly encountered qualifications this will be judged on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the academic admissions tutor.
International students
Applicants whose first language is not English will be required to provide evidence of an English language qualification. Find out more about our English language requirements.
For more information about qualifications view our Aston in your country webpage.
International students can enter at Year 2 of this course having completed an undergraduate year one programme at the required academic level with approved teaching partners ONCAMPUS Aston or NCUK.
Aston University provides a range of opportunities for international students to join our community and study on our campus. A key part of our strategy is our relationships with teaching partners, providing multiple pathways to Aston. Find out more.
Learning, teaching and assessment
Our close links to industry and our focus on delivering practical business experience provides a blend of learning and teaching experience to equip you for your future career.
Learning and teaching
As a business and management student at Aston, you will experience our innovative approach to teaching, which combines a range of teaching methods including lectures, seminars, tutorials, group working, case studies and both individual and group presentations.
You’ll also hear from guest speakers from companies and get to work with them on live projects to feedback ideas as well as talks from students on placements as well as alumni.
Traditional teaching is supported by our virtual learning environment, which hosts a range of electronic supporting materials.
Aston University has subscriptions to both the Financial Times and The Economist, which you can benefit from whilst studying here.
Assessment
Assessment is provided through a mix of coursework and examinations.
Personal development
Our business degrees are designed to give you a range of transferable and practical skills to help you succeed in your chosen career. We make extensive use of group working and presentations to prepare you for the reality of working life. This experience will develop your team working and negotiating skills.
Placement year
The Aston placement year forms an integral part of your educational journey and is compulsory for all home students. International/EU students can request permission to opt out of the placement year, but we strongly recommend that it is completed where possible.
Find out more about the Aston placement year.
Our four year course with an integrated placement during the third year gives you the chance to put theory into practice, gain relevant work experience, and develop professional and transferable skills.
We have a dedicated Employer Team within our Careers and Placements department who have links with local, national and international organisations, and advertise vacancies to students through an online platform exclusively for Aston students and graduates.
The opportunity to undertake a study placement with one of our international partner institutions is also available if you would prefer.
Aston University was recognised as the 'Best University Placement Service'.
The Careers and Placements team at Aston University won the 'Best University Placement Service' category at the National Undergraduate Employability (NUE) Awards 2022. This was achieved by launching Virtual Employability Festivals and recognising the power of peer-to-peer communication by pairing 500 students looking for placements with 500 students who had completed placements.
Fees and scholarships
UK students (2023/24)
Annual tuition fees: £9,250
During placement year: £1,250
International/EU students (2023/24)
Annual tuition fees: £17,750
During placement year: £2,500
The United Kingdom government has confirmed that European Union (EU), other European Economic Area (EEA) and Swiss nationals commencing academic courses in England from August 2021 will no longer be charged the same tuition rates as Home students.
Tuition fees for students are reviewed annually and may increase in subsequent years in line with inflation linked to the Retail Price Index (RPI) to take account of the University’s increased costs of delivering the Programme. Any such increase shall always be in accordance with the law. When undertaking a placement year a placement year fee applies.
More information on fees and funding
Scholarships
At Aston University we are committed to supporting the most talented and hardworking students to achieve their potential by providing a range of scholarships to help lower tuition and living costs. Find out more about our scholarships here.
Career prospects
Our graduates are in high demand by organisations that need managers who can combine broad-based and specialist knowledge in areas such as accounting and finance, marketing, business administration, and operations management.
Recent graduates
Our graduates are successful in finding employment in a range of business roles such as:
- Corporate Marketing Graduate Scheme Associate
- Area Manager
- Project Manager
- Event Management
- Sales and marketing graduate scheme
- Operations graduate scheme
- Associate Accounting Strategist
- Product Marketing Manager
- Credit Risk Analyst.
Our graduates have gone on to work at companies such as Samsung, Coutts, Amazon, Hewlett Packard, Santander, Chamber of Commerce, KPMG, Lloyds Bank, Google, Channel 4 and West Midlands Police.
"I chose to study Business and Management at Aston because it allows you to see business from different angles. It also provides you with an idea of how business works in real life."
Margarita Latoseva
Final Year Business and Management student and part-time Marketing Coordinator at Aston University SU
Victoria Hurst, who has just completed her year-long placement at Lubrizol – and has been appointed on a permanent basis.
- Read Lubrizol's article on Victoria
It may have taken her a while to find her voice in meetings, but it didn’t take long for Aston University student Victoria Hurst to realise how much potential there was for her to put her creativity into good during her year-long placement at Lubrizol.
She said: “My degree is in business management, I don’t have any technical expertise at all, and there I was working at a company which sells engine lubricants and additives for industrial and driveline applications.
“It was a huge jump from what I was used to and I’d say it took me three months to really understand what the company did because there was so much to learn, with plenty of acronyms and technical jargon.
“In my first few meetings, I found it challenging to ask the right questions and offer my perspective. However, my colleagues supported me and were always there if I had a silly question” she says.
“Once I got a full understanding, I felt really confident, because I realised how much scope there was to be creative with information that I’d found overwhelming at first.”
This was because Victoria’s role, as part of her one-year student placement at Lubrizol, which is based in Derbyshire, was to offer business and marketing support, meaning that her role was to prepare marketing material that would help the company’s sales teams to demonstrate the benefits of their latest products.
“The strategy was to show how the products are useful to the end user so our job was precisely to turn all that technical data into information that demonstrated how it would bring value to the end user,” she said.
“Once I got to grips with that, I realised that it was not that different to the kind of consumer-focussed marketing that I had been learning about and that gave me confidence.
“I went from thinking I would be doing a placement just to be there and to learn about business to being given lots of responsibility and seeing how my work was being put into practice and was having a direct benefit for the company.”
This exceeded Victoria’s expectations and she rose to the challenge, as well as taking on a role with the charities committee, which enabled her to network with employees from across the company – a strategy she recommends for anyone undertaking a work placement.
She also says that she put her presenting skills, learned at Aston University, into good use and they helped her to win an in-house competition among all of Lubrizol’s 28 work placement students, where they each showcased their work to an audience of 70 people.
Victoria won, and her triumph, and her day job, got her noticed, with Lubrizol having since given her a graduate position in marketing, sales and product management, starting this month on a flexible contract so that she can fulfil her role while completing her final role at university.
“The general manager, Alison Fisher, phoned me and told me personally, and it was a total shock,” said Victoria. “I’m going to be working remotely while undertaking a blended approach to my university studies, which is certainly going to be hard work.”
Lubrizol, which operates from a site deep in the Derbyshire countryside overlooking a valley and home to hundreds of animals, birds and plants – “I’m from rural Somerset so I felt very at home there,” says Victoria, – has wide restrictions in place and so Victoria and her colleagues will not be back on site full-time until January.
By that time, she will be fully used to remote working – which experts predict will be very much part of doing business in the future – and will have developed her commercial skills and abilities even further, all of which leaves her in no doubt as to the benefits of applying for a work placement.
“In terms of the opportunities it gives you, the networking and the way it allows you to build up your profile on LinkedIn, there are so many positives to doing a work placement that universities don’t offer,” she says.
“Plus, there was the experience of being given the opportunity to do work that fed directly into the work of our sales team which really helped me to build my confidence and feel valued as an employee.
“And, of course, I’m so happy that I have secured a long-term position, which means I won’t have the stress of worry of looking for employment when I finish my degree.”
Thierry Douchy, regional business manager of industrial specialties, said: “Victoria integrated very quickly into the industrial team and made a significant contribution to the department.
“As the year progressed, she took on more and more work and we felt that it would be of benefit to our department and for Lubrizol for us to extend her contract.
“Well done Victoria, and welcome back.”
Frequently asked questions
- Why study business and management at Aston University?
Business and management at Aston is in the Top 100 globally (QS University Rankings, 2020). You will develop a strong business knowledge with a strategic management perspective. You’ll also have the opportunity to tailor your degree to the areas of business that interest you most in your second and final year, helping you to shape your studies and career path to suit you.
- Is a placement useful for business and management?
Your integrated placement year will allow you to demonstrate to employers that you are able to transfer your knowledge to a real-world environment. A placement also helps you to understand the type of career you may want to establish once you graduate. You will have the opportunity to put your learning into practice, and develop skills that you can’t replicate by study alone.
- What kind of jobs does a degree in business and management lead to?
You will gain strategic management skills, a broad knowledge of business, and an opportunity to develop a specialism in an area of business that interests you most.
Our graduates are in high demand and go into a wide range of roles in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.
Recent roles have included:
Our graduates work at companies such as Samsung, Coutts, Amazon, Hewlett Packard, Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, Google, Channel 4 and West Midlands Police. Corporate marketing graduate scheme associate Area Manager Event Manager Associate Accounting Strategist Product Marketing Manager.
- What is the Exchange Partnership Second Degree Pathway at Aston Business School?
You can deepen your learning and stand out from other graduates whilst gaining a fantastic learning experience overseas. The Exchange Partnership Second Degree Pathway is similar to an exchange programme, but during your placement year you’ll follow a particular curriculum, setting you on track for our partner institutions degree award. This means, if successful, you will graduate with two undergraduate degrees.
Find out more about the Exchange Partnership Second Degree Pathway
- Why should international students choose Aston University?
Aston University is a diverse, close community and welcomes international students on many of our undergraduate programmes. Students from over 120 different countries chose to study with us every year and Aston is not only a great place to study, based in the centre of Birmingham, it’s also a great place to live.
Aston’s professional work placements can improve your chance of securing a graduate job. Placements give you experience, confidence and opportunities and as an Aston student, you’ll be better prepared for your future career.
Choosing to start your Aston journey with our foundation programme in business will help you develop specialist knowledge to ensure that you are fully prepared to study your chosen undergraduate course.
