Business Management BA Honours

Course overview

This Business Management degree combines contemporary business practice with world-class research.

You'll embark on a journey through a structured learning strategy which values applied learning. It encourages you to take a reflective approach to develop your business management knowledge, skills and behaviours.

You'll emerge as a critical thinker and a reflexive practitioner. You will be self-aware and able to deal with complexity and ambiguity.

You will be taught by our specialist lecturers and professors. They are internationally renowned in their areas of expertise. You'll have access to the latest thinking and practice, which we continually embed into our programme.

The taught modules adopt a combination of research approaches. You will learn to:

• conduct research
• extract research knowledge and analyse research from others
• apply research to your own practice

You will get opportunities to engage with the wider business community throughout the programme.

You will also have the option to select modules which give you the opportunity to gain associate level membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Download information about this course as a PDF

Your course and study experience - disclaimers and terms and conditions  
Please rest assured we make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the programmes, services and facilities described. However, it may be necessary to make changes due to significant disruption, for example in response to Covid-19.

View our Academic experience page, which gives information about your Newcastle University study experience for the academic year 2023-24.

See our terms and conditions and student complaints information, which gives details of circumstances that may lead to changes to programmes, modules or University services.

Quality and ranking

Professional accreditation and recognition

All professional accreditations are reviewed regularly by their professional body.

Modules and learning

Modules

The information below is intended to provide an example of what you will study.

Most degrees are divided into stages. Each stage lasts for one academic year, and you'll complete modules totalling 120 credits by the end of each stage. 

Our teaching is informed by research. Course content may change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback.

Featured module

BUS3062: Corporate Communication and Social Media

Explore the changing landscape of modern corporate communications techniques.

Optional module availability
Student demand for optional modules may affect availability.

Full details of the modules on offer will be published through the Programme Regulations and Specifications ahead of each academic year. This usually happens in May.

To find out more please see our terms and conditions.

In your first year, you will explore the fundamentals of business management, including topics such as:

• the global business environment
• integrated business practice
• management theory and research

Modules

Compulsory Modules	Credits
Introduction to Accounting and Finance (for Business School Students)	20
Global Business Environment	20
Management and Organisation	20
Academic and Professional Skill Development	20
Digital Business	20
Introduction to Marketing	20

In your second year, you will further develop your knowledge and understanding of business management theory, research and practice. You'll study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. This will enable you to specialise in a variety of business functions and organisational contexts.

Modules

Compulsory Modules	Credits
Introduction to Innovation and Technology Management	20
Research Methods	20
Operations Strategy and Management	20
Human Resource Management and the Future of Work	20

Optional Modules	Credits
Interpreting Company Accounts	20
Business Enterprise	20
Understanding Work and Organisations	20
Managing Change	20
HR to Improve Working Lives	20
Business Analysis and Business Analytics	20
Introduction to Business Law	20
Global Marketing	20
Placement and Study Abroad Info Sessions (Stage 2)	0
Career Development for second year students	20

In your final year, you can further specialise in a business function or organisational context. You'll study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. This focus will be further enhanced through the completion of a research project.

Modules

Compulsory modules

Strategy, Organizations & Society (20 credits)

Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethics (20 credits)

 

and one of:

 

Management Dissertation (40 credits)

or

Management Consultancy Project (40 credits)

or

Advanced Business Practice (40 credits)

 or

Management Research Briefing for Sustainable Organisational Futures (40 credits)

Modules

Optional Modules	Credits
Case Studies in Finance, Accounting and Business	20
Advanced Business Practice	40
Business Information Systems	20
Managing Diversity	20
Management Research Briefing for Sustainable Organisational Futures	40
The Representation of Management and Organisation in Popular Culture	10
Innovation and Creativity	20
Critical Organisation Studies	10
Contemporary Issues in International and Comparative Business	20
Management Dissertation	40
Management Consultancy Project	40
International Entrepreneurship	20
Corporate Communication and Social Media	20
International Human Resource Management	20
Critical Issues Human Resource Management: Pragmatic Dilemmas in Managing the Workplace of the Future	20
New Product and Service Development	20
Career Development for final year students	20

Information about these graphs

We base these figures and graphs on the most up-to-date information available to us. They are based on the modules chosen by our students in 2022-23.

Teaching time is made up of:

• scheduled learning and teaching activities. These are timetabled activities with a member of staff present.
• structured guided learning. These are activities developed by staff to support engagement with module learning. Students or groups of students undertake these activities without direct staff participation or supervision

Teaching and assessment

Teaching methods

You'll learn through a combination of:

• lectures
• seminars
• case studies
• group work
• projects 
• business simulation

Each week you will have a variety of learning opportunities to supplement your independent study.

Assessment methods

You'll be assessed through a combination of:

• 

  Essays

• 

  Examinations – practical or online

• 

  Portfolio submission

• 

  Practical sessions

• 

  Presentations

• 

  Projects

• 

  Reflective report/journal

• 

  Reports

Skills and experience

Opportunities

Work placement

You'll spend 9 to 12 months working in an organisation either in the UK or internationally. You'll receive University support from our dedicated team to help you apply for work placements. Work placements take place between Stage 2 and 3.

You'll gain first-hand experience of working in the sector, putting your learning into practice and developing your professional expertise.

Recent placement students are in roles such as:

• business support intern
• finance assistant
• trainee assistant buyer
• analyst
• continuous improvement technician

They are working on the following projects:

• mapping out business development opportunities and market alignment planning at IBM
• working within Mars' manufacturing environment to support activities to increase efficiencies
• providing relationship management to the Private Wealth Management division at Goldman Sachs

If you choose to take a work placement, it will extend your degree by a year. Placements are subject to availability and must be secured by the student.

Find out more about work placements

Study abroad

Experience life in another country by choosing to study abroad as part of your degree. You’ll be encouraged to embrace fun and challenging experiences, make connections with new communities and graduate as a globally aware professional, ready for your future.

You may choose to spend a year abroad as part of your degree in one of our partner institutions. If you choose to take a study abroad year, it will extend your degree by a year.

Find out more about study abroad

Facilities and environment

Facilities

Newcastle University Business School is one of the largest Schools in the University. We have over 3,500 students representing over 80 nationalities. This valuable network extends beyond our current students to include:

• regional, national and international leaders
• over 34,000 alumni in our network, spanning over 150 countries
• leading professionals and practitioners from industry

The Business School is the gateway to Newcastle Helix - an innovation hub and community that brings together industry leaders, businesses and top researchers.

Our facilities include:

• flexible conference room with panoramic views across the city
• Wi-Fi enabled connectivity throughout the building, including three computer clusters housing over 120 PCs
• four large lecture theatres and over 25 seminar and teaching spaces, providing comfortable teaching and group study space
• dedicated Student Hub and Quiet Space, providing a balanced mix of study space for group work or quiet, individual study
• contemporary café
• employability hub to support your career aspirations
• Bloomberg Room to give you a real feel for the trading room floor
• Experimental and Behavioural Economics Lab, a state-of-the-art research facility for conducting studies in experimental economics and economic psychology

This is in addition to our Frederick Douglass Centre at Newcastle Helix, which offers further study and learning spaces including a 750 seat auditorium – the largest in the University.

Find out more about Newcastle University Business School

Support

Each degree offers you a stimulating curriculum and a supportive teaching and learning environment.

You will have an academic member of staff as a personal tutor throughout your degree. They can help with academic and personal issues.

Peer mentors will help you in your first year. They are fellow students who can help you settle in and answer any questions you have.

Your future

Professional accreditation and recognition

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)

This degree offers the opportunity for a graduate pathway to professional accreditation by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

By studying a combination of human resources modules at stage 2 and 3, students gain the underpinning knowledge required for associate membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Benefit from excellent links

We have excellent links with national and international organisations, allowing you to benefit from work placements, guest speakers, and networking opportunities.

Through these links, you'll have the chance to gain commercial experience through an optional paid work placement or a summer internship.

You'll also have plenty of opportunities to develop personal, employability, and enterprise skills that will make you highly employable amongst a diverse range of companies when you graduate.

Join a network of successful graduates

82% of our 2018/19 graduates were in work or further study within 15 months of graduating*.

Recent graduates have secured roles such as;

• recruitment consultant
• project analyst
• leaders for business graduate
• logistics freight coordinator
• tactical buyer
• civil servant
• client relationship executive

at companies including:

• EY
• British Airways
• Ministry of Defence
• Santander
• Cummins Limited

Make a difference

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Careers support

You'll have access to a wealth of resources and support to enhance your employability, including:

• the annual Future Focus: Careers Conference, tailored to different industry areas
• interwoven employability provision
• access to a dedicated placement officer within the Business School who can help you find a work placement in your area of interest
• specialist careers and business start-up support from the University's award-winning Careers Service and the Business School's careers consultants
• career management sessions with a careers consultant
• work experience opportunities while studying with us
• Business School summer internship scheme

We're also one of 140 business schools worldwide to be accredited by the EQUIS scheme for our managerial and entrepreneurial skills development.

Our award-winning Careers Service is one of the largest and best in the country, and we have strong links with employers. We provide an extensive range of opportunities to all students through our ncl+ initiative.

Visit our Careers Service website

Recognition of professional qualifications outside of the UK

From 1 January 2021 there is an update to the way professional qualifications are recognised by countries outside of the UK

Tuition fees and scholarships

Tuition fees for 2024 entry (per year)

Qualification: BA Honours
Home students full time 3 years	Tuition fees (per year) 9250
International students full time 3 years	Tuition fees (per year) 21000

Home Fee Students

The maximum fee that we are permitted to charge for home fee-paying students is set by the UK government.

As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.

Read more about fees and funding

International Fee Students

Depending on your residency history, if you’re a student from the EU, other EEA or a Swiss national, with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you’ll normally pay the ‘Home’ tuition fee rate and may be eligible for Student Finance England support.

EU students without settled or pre-settled status will normally be charged fees at the ‘International’ rate and will not be eligible for Student Finance England support.

If you are unsure of your fee status, check out the latest guidance here.

As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.

Read more about fees and funding

Scholarships

We support our EU and international students by providing a generous range of Vice-Chancellor's automatic and merit-based scholarships. See our undergraduate scholarship page for more information.

Year abroad and additional costs

For programmes where you can spend a year on a work placement or studying abroad, you will receive a significant fee reduction for that year. 

Some of our degrees involve additional costs which are not covered by your tuition fees.

Find out more about:

• different tuition fees
• additional costs

Scholarships

Find out more about:

• scholarships for UK, EU and international students
• Student Loans and Government financial support for UK and EU students

How to apply

Apply through UCAS

To apply for undergraduate study at Newcastle University, you must use the online application system managed by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). All UK schools and colleges, and a small number of EU and international establishments, are registered with UCAS. You will need:

• the UCAS name and institution codes for Newcastle University (NEWC/N21)
• the UCAS code for the course you want to apply for
• the UCAS 'buzzword' for your school or college

If you are applying independently, or are applying from a school or college which is not registered to manage applications, you will still use the Apply system. You will not need a buzzword.

Apply through UCAS

Apply through an agent

International students often apply to us through an agent. Have a look at our recommended agents and get in touch with them.

Visit our International pages