BSc (Hons) Business Management (2 Year Fast Track)

If you haven’t applied to the University of Plymouth for September 2019 entry, prior to the UCAS deadline, there may still be vacancies on your chosen course.

It’s not too late to apply

Graduates follow careers in investment, finance, technology, health, utilities, manufacturing, media, and in a variety of management roles including: human resources, operations, marketing, and project management.

• Demonstrate your commitment and ability to work hard, consistently and manage your time to meet deadlines by choosing to take the fast-track route to an honours degree.
• Choose to specialise in your preferred area of interest during your final year and graduate with a named degree in Business Management with: Marketing, Leadership and Human Resource Management, Leadership Practice, International Management, Entrepreneurship or Project Management.
• Benefit from reduced costs – you have a year less in terms of fees and outlay for accommodation and living expenses.
  
• Gain a full honours, Chartered Management Institute accredited degree in just two years. You’ll also be eligible for a CMI Diploma in Leadership and Management upon graduation.  
  
• Benefit from learning within a supportive environment where you’ll be mentored by a community of experienced academics.

• Year 1
• Gain a solid understanding of management in a business and enterprise context, focusing on areas such as organisational behaviour, economics, accounting, entrepreneurship and marketing. Look into the ethical and sustainability issues of business and complete a consultancy project. In the summer (from early June to the middle of July), you begin to learn and acquire the knowledge and skills required of a practising manager, thereby enhancing your future employability.
  
  
  Year 1 will run from September to June. Information on the University's standard and non standard semester dates. 

  Core modules

  • ACF103 Business Accounting

    Business Accounting introduces accounting as the measurement, recording and communication of financial information for the purpose of business decision making in the context of risk, sustainability and liquidity. Business Accounting exposes the practical application of a range of relevant accounting techniques which enable effective decision making process. On successful completion of the module students should be able to prepare, report and analyse the key financial statements for decision making purposes.

  • ECN1013 Introduction to Business Economics

    This module provides an introduction to economics in a business context. It explores some basic concepts and techniques involved in economic analysis at an introductory level, and considers the relevance of economics and the economic environment, to business decision-making.

  • ENT101 Entrepreneurial Thought and Action

    The module will provide participants with an introduction to the theme of Entrepreneurial Thought and Action, allowing students to explore theory associated with Entrepreneurship before putting it into action through a practical exercise. It will develop a range of academic and professional skills around this theme including: consulting, research; feedback and reflection; professional presentation skills; team working, leadership and project management.

  • HRL100 Organisational Behaviour

    This module introduces you to the study of individuals and groups within the organisational context.

  • MKT110 Essentials of Marketing

    Aimed at Business students this module examines the philosophy and functional activities that comprise the business area known as Marketing. It considers the application of this concept across a range of organisations and markets, focusing on achieving competitive advantage through the development of a marketing mix based around customer centrality.

  • PBSCDP100 Career Development Programme 1

    The module will make use of practical evaluation tools, exposure to role models and information sources, and will focus on self awareness, esteem and aspiration, opportunity awareness, and career adaptability. The concepts of the resilient and thriving individual and competent and confident professional will be introduced and provide context to career development and facilitating improved student competitiveness in the labour market.

  • STO100 World of Enterprise

    This module will introduce students to the key concept of enterprise. There will be a consideration enterprise in the form of organisations, entrepreneurial activity, initiative and resourcefulness and projects. The module will provide the foundation knowledge of how organisations work with a focus on people, process and outputs. The changing global context and digital nature of information will be covered as will emerging models of business. There will be an emphasis on people in organisations and sustainability.

• Placement year (optional)

• Gain valuable on-the-job experience through an optional placement year. Supported by a dedicated team, you can undertake a paid position within a public or private sector organisation relevant to your interests. While following a training programme agreed with your employer, you’ll also be supervised by academic staff throughout the year. You may even decide to set up your own business. 

  If you choose to undertake a placement, you can do so after either your first or final year.
  

  Core modules

  • BUSM200 People Management

  • BUSM201 Project Management

    The module introduces students to projects and project management in contemporary organisations. It show cases and allows students to practice a selection of recognised best practice tools and techniques, both hard and soft. Students will be required to participate in a real-live project and produce an output. They will evaluate both deliverable(s) and process and communicate their findings.

  • BUSM202 Introduction to Operations Management

    Operations, the activity of producing, delivering and supporting goods and services, lies at the heart of businesses. This module introduces the major themes of how this can be done in practice, describing the challenges faced across the goods-services range of industries. It further develops an appreciation of organisational responses to operational issues and the decisions, techniques and technologies which are used to meet them.

• Final year
• Enhance your employability and understanding of professional development and career planning, and hone your decision-making, project planning and research skills. The final year provides a lot of choice and the opportunity to study topics you are really interested in and/or perhaps want to specialise in. By choosing from a wide range of modules, you can tailor your degree and graduate with a specialist qualification. During the second summer, you increase your understanding of strategic management and complete a research or consultancy project in an area of your choice.
  
  
  Your final year will run from June to August the following year. Information on the University's standard and non standard term dates 
  

  Core modules

  • BUSM301 Project (Management Report)

    The module builds upon skills developed in the Project Management and Professional Development Planning modules and knowledge gained throughout the programme. Students are required to undertake independent research into a management issue. Use should be made of appropriate research methodologies techniques.

  • BUSM302 Strategic Management: Theory and Practice

    The module provides context for students to understand contemporary issues in the field of entrepreneurship. It explores current trends and issues through the lens of ongoing research being undertaken within the field and requires students to actively participate within a developing research project.

  • EPIE200 Placement Preparation

    This module is aimed at students who will be undertaking an industrial placement in the third year of their degree. It is designed to build on skills learned in Stage 1 and helps students in their search for a placement, and in their preparation for the placement itself.

  • EPIE300 Placement Year

    The placement year consists of an extended period of appropriate professional experience in a business or organisation. It allows the student to gain relevant experience to consolidate their studies and prepare for final stage study and employment after graduation.

  • EPIE301 The Placement Project

    This module requires students to produce a project relating to their placement experience.

  • HRL201 Professional Development Planning

    This module attempts to develop students¿ employment related and research skills, in order to prepare them to undertake a final year research project and to manage their future careers.

  • STO202 Management Decision Making

    Evidence has clearly shown that excellent business performance can only be achieved based on the right decisions. Bad decisions often cost the firms dearly and cannot provide enterprise sustainability. The ability to make good decisions is the mark of successful and promotable managers. This module introduces the major themes of management decision making (processes, models, analytical analysis and information support), describing the challenges of decision making with uncertainty, risk and complexity. It further develops an appreciation of Management Science responses to decision making which needs to meet multiple criteria, and the techniques and technologies which can be used to support the multi-criteria decision analysis.

  • STO306 Current Issues in Management

    This module exposes students to current debates within the field of business and management. The content will be fluid as it will draw on contemporary case studies, technological innovation, government legislation and philosophical, ethical or environmental debates.

  Optional modules

  • ECN3013A International Trade and International Finance

    This module explores the economic implications of globalisation by investigating current trends in international trade and international financial markets.

  • ECN3023 Markets and Industries

    This module analyses the structural characteristics of markets and industries and discusses the conduct-related strategies of the firms within them. The previously taught concepts will be linked to real world practices followed in various markets and industries such as advertising, financial services, utilities, tourism, maritime, and health.

  • ENT200 Enterprise and Innovation

    The purpose of this module is to develop the students’ knowledge of enterprise and the key role of innovation. The module explores key issues impacting a growing business, highlighting the importance of innovation to sustainability and competitive advantage.

  • ENT300 Enterprise Creation

    The module offers the opportunity to develop the skills and understanding necessary to write a professional business plan and bid for venture capital funding.

  • ENT301 Enterprise Portfolio

    The `Enterprise Portfolio¿ is an individual project- based assignment which aims to integrate a critical evaluation of the enterprise concept with active learning centred on an enterprising activity or initiative and a forward looking personal evaluation.

  • HRL300 Organisational Leadership

    This module examines the role of leadership in relation to structural, social, political, cultural and psychological processes at individual, team, organisational and national levels, adopting multiple perspectives. The ethical and moral responsibilities of corporate leaders are critiqued as is the inter-relationship between leadership, governance, decision-making and change.

  • HRL301 Managing Change

    The module provides a broad understanding of equality and diversity in the workplace. The module considers the paradigms underpinning regulation and voluntarism, organisational equality and diversity at the levels of strategy and operational practice, and how group and individual identities are constructed in the workplace.

  • HRL305 Human Resource Management

    Consideration of HR strategy and current developments in the management of human resources in modern organisations operating within complex environments

  • HRL306 Leadership Practice

    Through study, reflection and exercises, this module seeks to develop knowledge and embed the practice of doing leadership. You will explore four different ‘practice’ realms essential to leading: 1) self practices (understanding one’s self as a leader), 2) presentational practices, 3) relational practices and 4) strategic practices. Although theoretical perspectives will provide the substance of lectures, seminars will use arts-based methods to create spaces in which students can experiment with the significance of these ideas for their own enactment of leadership.

  • HRL311 Sustainable Business through Project Management

    This module builds on Level 5 Introduction to Operations Management, an introduction to project management and the experience of a real-live project. Here the focus is project management in contemporary and sustainable organisations. Out facing concepts such as governance and procurement (i.e. project contract awards, project partnering, subcontracting) will be introduced alongside `advanced¿, recognised best-practice tools and techniques. Students will learn and practice problem identification and solving skills and will be aware of current topical debates in the project management profession.

  • HRL314 International Human Resource Management

    Students are introduced to: the implications of globalisation for HRM and labour, the particular human resource management problems confronted by Multinational organisations and human resource management systems in a range of different national contexts.

  • HRL315 Digital Rights in the Workplace

    This module explores the role technology plays in our working lives and also how this relates to the social world and human rights. It will explore contemporary issues such as digital harassment and data abuse, as well as future themes, such as automation and artificial intelligence.

  • MAR325 International Supply Chain Management

    This module provides a comprehensive understanding of the principles and practices of international supply chain management and the complexities involved in managing, planning and coordinating international supply chains.

  • MAR330 Procurement Management Processes

    This module explores the concept of strategy from theories of strategy to models of the strategic process, relating these models to strategy in the procurement function through the use of SCM relevant strategy analysis tools such as PESTLE, SWOT, Portfolio Analysis. As procurement is an important element of an institutions corporate strategy plans the relevance will be examined.

  • MKT215 Marketing Fundamentals

    Aimed at Business students this module examines the philosophy and functional activities that comprise the business area known as Marketing. It considers the application of this concept across a range of organisations and markets, focusing on achieving competitive advantage through the development of a marketing mix based around customer centrality.

  • MKT310 International Marketing

    The module introduces students to the key concepts of international marketing. It provides students with an understanding of the environmental factors, international marketing strategies and the international marketing planning process.

  • MKT315 Marketing Management

    The module is designed to provide business students with an understanding of the essential elements of the marketing management process. It explores the way in which marketing strategies can be developed and implemented in business organisations, and the relationship between marketing and other functional areas of management.

  • STO204 Business Ethics

    An introduction to ethical issues relating to corporate strategy, social responsibility, organisational structure, finance and human resource management, capitalism, markets, international business, the environment, advertising, and trends such as ethical consuming, ethical investments

  • STO205 An Introduction to International Business

    This module explores the changes in the world economy because of globalization and the strategic choices that a multinational corporation must make in such a globalized world. It examines the role of international trade and foreign direct investment in creating a more integrated world economy. Further it addresses the risks associated with foreign exchange transactions as also the advantages of regional economic integration such as European Union. Finally it deals with the firm level issues such as supply chain management, human resource management and financial management in the global context.

  • STO206 Shaping the Future: creating sustainable organisations

    This interdisciplinary module develops students' ability to assess how organisations can adapt, innovate and thrive in response to the macro social, economic and environmental forces impacting society and organisations. The module develops an awareness of the key physical, structural, social and moral challenges faced and encourages students to develop innovative systems thinking approaches to how organisations can adapt to, mitigate against and capitalise on this unprecedented period of intense and unpredictable change.

  • STO300 Global Enterprise

    A module providing advanced study of contemporary international business and theory.

Every undergraduate taught course has a detailed programme specification document describing the course aims, the course structure, the teaching and learning methods, the learning outcomes and the rules of assessment.

The following programme specification represents the latest course structure and may be subject to change:

BSc Business Management programme specification 3756

UCAS tariff

88 - 96

• Including a minimum of two A levels plus interview.
• 18 Unit BTEC Extended Diploma: MMM in any subject.
  
• Pass a named Access to HE Diploma in any subject with at least 33 credits at merit/distinction.
• IB: 24-26 overall to include 4 at in any subject at Higher Level.
  
• All applicants must have GCSE (or equivalent) mathematics and English at grade C or above. 
• 14-19 Diplomas are accepted. 

Other combinations and non-A level qualifications considered.

BTEC National Diploma modules
If you hold a BTEC qualification it is vital that you provide our Admissions team with details of the exact modules you have studied as part of the BTEC. Without this information we may be unable to process your application quickly and you could experience significant delays in the progress of your application to study with us. Please explicitly state the full list of modules within your qualification at the time of application.

Applicants are required to attend an informal interview at an applicant day or open day with the Programme Leader. Further details will be communicated once an application has been received.

Short of the entry requirements for this course? Don’t worry you may be eligible for a foundation year to prepare you for possible entry onto this course for the following year.

For a full list of all acceptable qualifications please refer to our tariff glossary.

English language requirements