Business and Management

Our Business Management course introduces you to many areas of business so that you understand the world of business broadly while benefiting from a range of opportunities to specialise and gain additional further accreditation.

You’ll have flexibility to choose modules that are of particular interest to you, on topics such as successful freelancing, current trends in management, leadership, and design thinking. You can also bring in modules from areas outside your course if you want to explore issues around a particular theme, or work with students from across the University in areas as diverse as music, fashion, and festival and event production.

You’ll gain valuable skills and knowledge that you can apply in a wide range of situations in any sector. As a graduate of Business and Management at Bath Spa you’ll be able to take your skills into a range of businesses including large and small organisations in the private or public sectors and/or your own business.

Year one
Gain a broad understanding of today’s business environment – from the context that organisations operate in through to trends in economic thinking and the importance of data in business. You’ll learn to think differently about business challenges, which lays the foundations for you to innovate in your second and final years.

The focus on your employability begins now and extends through all three years of your studies; you’ll be encouraged to reflect on your own strengths, performance, and areas for growth and development.

Year two
Focus on the inner workings of businesses and choose from a range of modules in areas such as festivals and events, marketing, entrepreneurship, human resource management, law and accounting. Use business techniques to solve problems and start developing the skills that employers look for such as: strong presentational skills, effective group working, self-reflection and strategies for improvement.

At the end of the year, you can choose to embark on a ten-week summer placement, and/or a ten-month business placement – applying what you’ve learned so far in the real world.

Year three
Develop and explore your business learning and focus on the role of a manager. Undertake an in-depth business research project in your specialist area. You’ll also have a chance to pitch business ideas to a panel either on your own or with fellow students. Other topics to explore include managing sustainability, new trends in management, and organisational strategy.

In your final year, you’ll focus more and more on practical applications for your business skills looking ahead to your life after graduation. Depending on your module choices, you may choose to work directly with an employer on a business challenge, create and launch a project such as a festival or event, or develop and pitch a business plan. At this stage, you’ll be able to confidently demonstrate the abilities you’ve gained during all three years of the course.

You'll be assessed in a wide range of ways that test your business knowledge and management skills. These could include presentations, work related projects, group-work, computer based simulations, podcasts, exams, essays, videos and business reports.

We offer variety in the way we teach: sometimes we’ll set problems so that you can find the answers for yourself; at other times we'll provide lectures on key topics such as the political, social and technical environments of business Most modules use a mix of lectures and small group seminars and there's a good blend of online activities using our Virtual Learning Environment. We also invite business leaders to talk about their experiences and we arrange visits to local businesses to give you a practical, real-world grounding.

All of our teaching methods on the Business degree facilitate your development as a self-directed learner. You’ll also be given personalised support in your studies – we're a dedicated and approachable team of academics, committed to helping you achieve your goals.

To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our Learning and Teaching Delivery Statement.

As part of your degree, you could study abroad on a placement at one of Bath Spa’s partner universities.

You'll take a practical approach to your course. Our Business and Management students have the opportunity to take part in a number of work experience opportunities, working on live projects, supported by our dedicated course leaders. You'll work directly with brands to pitch ideas, find solutions and develop your skills.

Some previous examples include:

• Working on live festival and events projects with Bath Festivals, Komedia and The Forum (both in Bath)
• HR positions at Butlins, Oracle and Dorothy House
• Fashion marketing project at Owen Barry, Tallulah and Hope, Savannah Miller and Finisterre
• Fundraising for Julian House.

Depending on your pathway and the modules you study, you can gain accreditation by professional bodies and get exemption from professional exams.

The world is changing and we want to ensure that you have a successful career in business. To do this we focus on building your toolkit in the skills you need to undertake roles in companies such as:

• Hargreaves Lansdown
• Oracle
• Amazon
• New Look
• Rolls Royce
• Veritas
• North Face
• Cloud Direct
• Bath and North East Somerset Council (BANES Council)
• Sky
• American Express
• Primark
• Beauty Pie.

Many of our graduates have used the skills gained in their Business and Management degree to set up their own start-ups, microbusinesses and enterprises, including:

• Novel Wines
• Fun Science
• Euphoric Solutions
• Empower Training.

If you’re a full-time undergraduate student starting your first year at Bath Spa University, you can apply for the Certificate in Global Citizenship, which you’ll study alongside your degree.

You’ll gain global awareness and add an international dimension to your student experience, and funding is available. On successful completion of the programme, you’ll be awarded a Certificate in Global Citizenship. This is in addition to your degree; it doesn’t change your degree title or results.

The Professional Placement Year (PPY) provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for, and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.

By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.

Before your PPY, you'll work to identify roles of interest and secure a placement. The Placements Team will support through timetabled sessions and 1:1 appointments.

As well as completing a minimum of 900 placement hours, you will complete two assessments demonstrating your skill development, growth in professional behaviours and how the PPY has impacted your future career aspirations.

You'll have access to excellent facilities at our Newton Park campus and city centre studios as well as online resources. These include:

• Commons building
• Newton Park library
• Academic Skills support (ASk)
• Specialist resources and subject librarian
• Our Virtual Learning Environment
• Free access to courses via LinkedIn Learning
• Support from the English Language Unit if English isn't your first language
• The Studio in Bath

Our libraries offer a wide range of business resources, including a wealth of online material that can be accessed on- and off-campus, enabling you to work at times that suit you.