Business and Management International Foundation
This course prepares you for an undergraduate degree in a range of subjects at Newcastle University. This course is full time for 3 or 4 terms.
Course overview
Interested in progressing to Year 1 of an Economics, Accounting and Finance, Marketing or Management degree?
This course will prepare you to enter the world of business and accounting. Experts in the field of business will enhance your studies by giving presentations. You will also benefit from using case studies from the Financial Times 100 series.
This course is suitable if you:
- need to improve your English language study skills within the context of business
- want to increase your subject knowledge of business and management
Expand your skills and knowledge on various topics including:
- key features of business in the UK
- mathematical and statistical techniques
- accounting concepts and principles including financial statements and double entry bookkeeping
You will also learn how to research, analyse and present your work effectively thanks to your improved language and communication skills. Successful completion of this course will lead to you being awarded our International Foundation Certificate (RQF Level 3).
Progression
You're guaranteed a place on one of our designated undergraduate degrees at Newcastle if you successfully complete the International Foundation in Business and Management.
As a successful pathway student, you’ll have access to a number of Newcastle progression options. Each progression option will follow a specific pathway and specific requirements for both English/study skills and overall grade. You’ll also find some courses have specific requirements, such as:
- successfully completing an interview;
- having previously studied a relevant discipline;
- having previously completed a degree; or
- having IELTS 6.0 or equivalent in English language
Your progression options:
- Accounting and Finance BA Honours (N400/N401)
- Economics BSc Honours (L100)
- Economics and Business Management BA Honours (LN12)
- Economics and Finance BSc Honours (L161)
- Law LLB Honours (M101)
- Agri-Business Management BSc Honours (N280)
- Business Management BA Honours (N200)
- Marketing BSc Honours (N500)
- Marketing and Management BSc Honours (NN52)
- Politics and Economics BA Honours (LL21)
Quality and ranking
Business and Management
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Top 200 for Business and Management Studies - QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024
Accounting and Finance
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16th in the UK – The Complete University Guide 2025 (Accounting and Finance category)
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Top 200 for Accounting and Finance - QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024
Core modules (80 credits)
Introduction to Accounting (10 credits)
This module will prepare you for the world of Business and Accounting by giving you opportunities to develop knowledge and skills in accounting and the mathematics needed for these disciplines.
Through lecture delivery and small group seminar interaction, you will gain understanding of the practical topics in the study of accounting. Topics include:
- accounting concepts and principles
- the main financial statements
- an introduction to double entry bookkeeping
You will also learn how to understand a range of graphs as well as studying an introduction to statistics. Assessment will consist of both online and written tests.
English for Academic Purposes (40 credits)
This module is designed to help you develop your skills and confidence in academic English. Four key skill areas are developed in an integrated and task-oriented way:
- reading
- writing
- listening
- speaking
The module will encourage you to take responsibility for your learning and a lot of emphasis is placed on:
- private study
- student research
- student-led presentations
- seminar discussions
- e-learning
- group work
Study Skills and Project (20 credits)
This module will help you adjust to the specific demands and expectations of UK higher education. The skills covered include:
- personal and time organisation
- library and information skills
- using and interpreting data
- team-working skills
- problem-solving skills
- examination and revision techniques
- presentation skills
- avoiding plagiarism
You will also have workshop sessions in core ICT skills including the use of:
- Word
- Excel
- PowerPoint
- web-based learning systems
Specialist modules (40 credits)
Introduction to Business (20 credits)
This module will help you understand key features of business in the UK. You will be introduced to many aspects of business in preparation for a range of business degrees.
Topics covered include:
- motivation
- management and leadership
- business classifications
- business funding in the UK
- scrutiny of corporate annual reports and accounts
- how economic factors affect business
- marketing
- current themes in business
You will be taught in lectures, seminars and tutorials, and will be assessed via examinations and coursework.
Maths for Business (20 credits)
This module covers mathematical and statistical techniques that have applications in business and economics. It reinforces algebra skills and builds on these in the areas of equation handling and graphing techniques.
Differentiation is introduced as a technique for finding the slope and turning points of a curve.
You will develop skills in the area of handling, summarising and representation of data, and become familiar with probability as a concept. The concept of correlation is also introduced and developed to establish relationships between variables.
Teaching and assessment
Teaching
Class hours: 21 hours per week minimum
Class sizes: Average of 20 students per class for English language teaching
Age requirement: 17 years and above
Assessment
Entry to all honours degrees at Newcastle University is highly competitive, and students hoping to progress to Newcastle must maintain high standards throughout their course.
Whilst your grades in the Foundation course do not count towards the final degree, your performance will be used to determine whether you meet the specified progression grades for direct entry to your chosen degree at the University. Assessment is both formal and informal.
Informally you will be given advice and feedback throughout your course from your teachers. You will also be assessed via a combination of examinations at the end of each semester and coursework including:
- written essays
- reports
- practical exercises
- group and individual research projects
- bibliographical searches
- oral and video presentations
- problem solving
Careers and employability
With 5 QS Stars for Employability (2023), Newcastle University consistently has one of the best records for graduate employment in the UK.
We provide an extensive range of opportunities to all students through an initiative called ncl+. This enables you to develop personal, employability and enterprise skills and to give you the edge in the employment market after you graduate.
Our award-winning Careers Service is one of the largest and best in the country, and we have strong links with employers.
Find out more about careers and employability at Newcastle University.
Entry requirements
To study on this course you need to meet the following entry requirements.
All candidates are considered on an individual basis. If your qualifications are not listed here, please see our additional entry requirements web pages to find out which other qualifications are considered.
The entrance requirements below apply to 2024-25 entry.
English requirements
To progress to all degrees except Law
Three term: a minimum of IELTS 5.5 (with a minimum of 4.5 in any subskill) or an equivalent score
Four term: a minimum of IELTS 5.0 (with a minimum of 4.5 in all subskills) or an equivalent score
If you do not meet the minimum English language requirements you should
To progress to Law
Three term: a minimum of IELTS 6.0 (with a minimum of 5.5 in all subskills) or an equivalent score
Four term: a minimum of IELTS 5.5 (with a minimum of 5.0 in all subskills) or an equivalent score
Don't meet English language requirements?
If you do not meet the minimum English language requirements you should apply for Academic English.
Additional fees
Enrolment fee: an extra charge of £250 per academic course, charged on confirmation
Text books: £75-£415
Accommodation is not included in the fees. View your INTO Newcastle accommodation options.