Business and Management and Economics

This economics and business management course gives you the opportunity to critically analyse the major challenges we face at local, national and global levels. You’ll examine the forces that shape decision making, including economics, politics, technology, alongside social, ethical and ecological issues.

You’ll gain a solid understanding of the main business and economics concepts, and optional modules will give you the opportunity to specialise.

Throughout your studies you’ll be encouraged to question and challenge both your own point of view and that of others.

Through individual and team research, debates and analyses, you’ll develop skills in communication, critical analysis, and problem-solving. As we’re an Adobe Creative Campus, you’ll have access to the Adobe Creative Suite, giving you access to industry-standard programmes as part of your studies.

You’ll apply what you’ve learned to practical projects, and you’ll have the opportunity to take part in work placements to gain real-world experience and further develop your practical skills.

Year one
In your first year you’ll gain an insight into the fundamental principles of economics and business. You’ll learn about how businesses are organised and managed, and the roles of different departments within an organisation. You’ll explore topics around professional behaviour and company culture, and discover the importance of data, and how it is managed, within a business.

You’ll also gain a broad understanding of economic concepts, before delving deeper into the theoretical principles that guide consumers, producers, governments and world markets.

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

This year you’ll explore economic perspectives and policies in more depth. You’ll take a global perspective on issues facing businesses, and you’ll be encouraged to take creative and innovative approaches to problem-solving.

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. Students have previously worked at companies such as BMW and Price Waterhouse Cooper, and at local councils.

You’ll be able to tailor your studies to your particular areas of interest, setting you on the path to achieving your career goals, with optional modules including entrepreneurship, law, marketing.

Year three

In your final year, you’ll focus more on real-world applications for your business and economics knowledge.

You’ll demonstrate skills that are valued by employers, such as teamwork, critical thinking and enterprise, through practical tasks, including working on live briefs with local businesses.

You’ll also explore an in-depth topic that’s of particular interest to you through a research project.

You'll be assessed in a wide range of ways that test your economics knowledge and business management skills. These could include:

• critical essays
• reports
• presentations
• work related projects
• group-work
• computer based simulations
• debates
• exams 
• research analyses.

We offer variety in the way we teach. Timetabled lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials are designed to help establish a foundation of knowledge, build your own opinions through research, and challenge these in debates and discussions with your teachers and fellow students. Ultimately, our aim is that you gain a holistic view of the world around us.

You’ll also learn from guest speakers and lecturers who are experts in the field.

Through our Virtual Learning Environment teachers will introduce you to a variety of resources, from academic papers and texts to movies, videos, news articles and datasets.

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

You’ll have fantastic opportunities to work closely with business and industry through placements, projects and internships.

A degree in business and economics will provide you with a range of transferable skills and experience that is highly valued by employers.

You could work in consulting, public administration and policy making, forecasting/data analysis, research and science, business development, enterprise, finance, insurance and marketing, to name a few examples.

Graduates from our Bath Business School have gone on to work at companies and organisations such as PWC, Deloitte, KPMG, FTI Consulting, Arup, Government Economics Service, Treasury, Home Office, ONS, Hargreaves Lansdown and Bath and North East Somerset Council.

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

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 be taught at our Newton Park campus, which is located on the edge of Bath and offers a blend of modern and eighteenth-century buildings, with good access to the city while being nestled in the countryside. From your lectures, you’ll be able to visit the library, the Students’ Union, and access our student information and support teams, as well as many of our cutting edge facilities.  

• Our Library offers a wealth of learning resources including books, journals, DVDs and an extensive range of electronic services. Our Subject Librarian provides subject-specific support, including help with research.
• The Writing and Learning Centre provides support for your academic work, including feedback on written drafts and other help with academic writing.
• Our Virtual Learning Environment provides online access to learning materials such as lecture slides, assessment information, discussion boards and other resources. 
• The Careers team run networking events and advisory workshops that explore your future options and the essentials of the job application process. They help you get experience by assisting with your search for work placements and paid part-time jobs while you're studying. When you're ready to progress into your chosen career, they can help you secure graduate-level employment, freelance opportunities, and funding for your own business ideas. Career support continues for years after you graduate with the dedicated Grad Support Unit.
• You’ll have free access to thousands of business, design and tech courses online via LinkedIn Learning.
• If English isn't your first language, our English Language Unit can help you improve your English, reach your full potential and boost your confidence.
• Our Student Wellbeing Services are available to support you through your learning.