Business and Management BSc

Aston University’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. 

Typical offers:

A Levels

BBB (standard offer)

BBC (with EPQ or Core Maths minimum grade B)

BBC (contextual offer*)

IB

31 points overall in the IB diploma with 5, 5, 5 in 3 higher level subjects.

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.

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

Learn more about admission to this course

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 Programme may be offered as an alternative to the degree course if lower entry grades are achieved. Aston University welcomes applications from students with a wide range of qualifications from the UK and overseas, including combinations of qualifications. If your qualifications are not listed here and you wish to check whether they meet the entry requirements for this course, please contact the university.

Please note that General Studies does not contribute towards the UCAS points requirement but is welcomed as an additional qualification.

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. 

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.

*For details on our Aston Ready contextual offer scheme, please see here.  

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.

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. Further information can be found here.

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.

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.

Why study Business and Management at Aston University?

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.