Course overview

All business degrees at the University of Portsmouth have a strong contemporary feel and relate the theoretical explanation of business to the practical issues facing managers in the twenty-first century. They also include the development of essential employment skills such as communication, teamwork, career planning and time management. These skills will be enhanced during your work placement year, which is the most involving type of work experience you can undertake during your studies.

You do not need to have studied business in the past to join this course, although previous business study options will demonstrate your interest. More importantly, you will need to have an interest in the world of business and management and an ability to work with numbers and people. If you have studied business before, you’ll appreciate our fresh approach, but your academic potential and willingness to make a positive contribution are more important to us than your previous choice of study area.

We understand that students can find it difficult to choose which particular degree to study and so we have designed a common first year programme that is shared across a number of different courses. This gives you a broad-based understanding of a range of business subjects. It also allows you to transfer on to one of the other courses with the shared common first year should you find you develop an interest and career ambition in a particular subject area (see Course content Year one for further details).

Accreditation and international recognition

The Business School has won international recognition by one of the world's leading accreditation bodies (European Foundation for Management Development) for the high quality of its business studies courses.

This course has EPAS accreditation. EPAS is a programme accreditation scheme operated by EFMD, a European network that promotes and enhances excellence in management development internationally. Successful accreditation depends on demonstrating high standards in the quality management of programmes and student experiences of internationalisation and corporate engagement.

 

Course content

Year one

This common first year provides you with a broad understanding of how business operates. At the end of Year one you can, should you wish (and in consultation with the Head of Undergraduate Programmes), transfer on to any of the other courses which share the same common first year (although transfer to BA (Hons) European Business is subject to the language competence you will need for the overseas study elements).

The common first year is made up of the following subject areas:

• Business Accounting
• Business Environment
• Quantitative Methods and Data Analysis
• Marketing Principles and Practice
• Managing People in Organisations
• Operations and Systems

Courses sharing the common first year:

• BA (Hons) Business and Human Resource Management
• BA (Hons) Business Enterprise Development
• BA (Hons) Economics and Management
• BA (Hons) European Business
• BA (Hons) Finance and Management
• BA (Hons) International Business
• BA (Hons) Marketing

Year two

The second year is designed to develop your understanding of business and builds on the learning from year one. You will study core units in:

• Management Theory and Practice
• Business and Employment Law
• Enterprise, Business Simulation and Research Methods

You will have an opportunity to study units that focus on a single aspect such as Accounting, Law or International Business, and you will study up to three optional units which will give you the opportunity to study a foreign language (e.g. French, German, Italian, Spanish or Mandarin), develop your management skills or undertake something completely different.

Placement year

This degree includes the opportunity to undertake a one-year placement working in a paid full-time role which offers progression and a suitable level of responsibility. You will return to your studies with contemporary business experience which will improve your ability to engage in debate and develop your strategic thinking. Our experience has shown that not only does relevant experience help you to obtain graduate employment (often within your placement company), it also improves academic achievement.

With employers now requiring graduates to have the key business competencies and experience alongside a good degree, work experience is more vital than ever. Due to its very nature a placement year is the best and most involving type of work experience you can do during your time at university. As such, a placement will help ensure you are as employable as possible upon graduation.

The Placements Office will support you during your placement search, the subsequent recruitment processes and when you have secured your placement and are working away from the University. If you’d like to know more about where our placement students are working, please click through to what our students say.

Final year

In the final year, you will be required to undertake a piece of independent research in the form of a dissertation or a business research project. You will also study strategic management, further units in your focussed area, and up to four optional units.  .

With your option choices you may extend your coverage of a particular area of study such as Accounting or Law, add an international dimension with units such as International Marketing or look at more specific aspects of a number of subjects such as supply chain management, business improvement and creativity, or people resourcing.

Teaching and assessment

Here at Portsmouth we place a lot of emphasis on student support. At the start of each academic year you will be assigned a personal tutor, who will be available for regular meetings to discuss your progress, as well as help resolve any problems or questions that you may encounter along the way.

Teaching and learning are usually undertaken in lectures supported by smaller group seminars, workshops and tutorials. Extensive use is made of information technology and other teaching innovations. Staff research and consultancy expertise also actively contribute to the relevance of our programmes.

You will encounter a range of assessment methods in this course. There are examinations in most subjects, while some count only coursework for your assessed mark. The majority of subjects contain both examinations and course-assessed work.

The assessed work you complete from the start of your second year onwards can count towards the class of degree you will be awarded. Our assessment regulations give some opportunity to retake assessments and subjects, should this be necessary.

Career prospects

Our excellent reputation and the quality of our graduates provide a springboard for a rewarding and challenging career. We have a demonstrable record of achievement in terms of graduate employment, which enables our graduates to go onto a wide range of occupations in a variety of sectors. Many of our graduates now hold senior management positions.

Are you looking for a degree that allows you to study whilst gaining valuable work experience? Portsmouth Business School students leave ready for the world of global business. You may find careers as management graduate trainees, financial analysts; commercial managers, trainee traders and technical business consultants, or you may want to start your own business. Our past graduates have gone on to jobs such as:

• Market Researcher
• Business Development Officer
• Recruitment Consultant
• Sales and Marketing Coordinator
• Account Manager

Facilities and features

You will attend lectures in the purpose-built Richmond Building, where the Business School is located. It offers a computer drop-in and resource centre containing a wireless network access area, as well as printing and photocopying facilities.

The University Library is at the centre of academic life and is only a short walk away. Open from 8am until midnight every day during term-time, it provides a variety of information to help with study and research.

The Library has also invested heavily in the purchase of electronic resources. There are thousands of electronic journals and thousands of ebooks that can be accessed across campus, from home or wherever there is an internet connection.

For international students we have a dedicated team of advisors to support you as you settle into life in Portsmouth and at the University. One of the team almost certainly has direct experience of your culture and may even speak your language.

Entry requirements

View all the entry requirements for BA (Hons) Business and Management for the academic year 2013/14 (opens in new window).