Course overview

In the modern business world, employers value an understanding of a variety of cultures and languages, as well as a rich variety of experience. This four-year degree has been designed with this in mind and to help you to get ahead in the competitive graduate job market. Whilst exploring business within a wider European context, you will spend half of your time studying at the University of Portsmouth and the remainder in one of our three partner institutions in either France at the Ecole de Management de Normandie in Caen, in Spain at the Universidad Antonio de Nebrija in Madrid or Germany at Fachhochschule Münster.

Key features of the BA (Hons) European Business are:

• Dual qualification programme –you will receive double the reward in the form of two qualifications, one from Portsmouth and an award from our partner institution at the end of the four year degree programme.
• Reduced tuition fees when studying the full year abroad and a Socrates/Erasmus grant is usually available to all students.
• Two years of study in Portsmouth, one year of study abroad in Spain or France (or with the German link, 18 months of study in both Portsmouth and Germany) and 12 months of work placement based anywhere in the world.
• Teaching in the local language when abroad, enabling you to become completely fluent on completion of the course.
• Teaching in multi-national groups to facilitate an awareness of other cultures.

On this course, you will study a range of business subjects as well as French, German or Spanish.

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).

Your skills will be enhanced during your placement year, which is the most involving type of work experience you can undertake during your studies.

Fees

A small tuition fee will be payable for the full year of academic study that you undertake outside of the UK. Up-to-date information is available on request.

This means that a typical student studying European Business will pay substantially lower tuition fees compared with a student who studies a four-year course based entirely in the UK.

There is also the possibility that you will be eligible for funding from the EU to assist with studies abroad, which could also be used to mitigate a significant portion of the remaining tuition fees. As a result, a European Business degree not only makes great sense from the perspective of employability, but from a financial standpoint as well.

Course content

Teaching on the course provides a broad business education and is split between studying in the UK and at a European partner institution. When you visit the partner institution, you will be studying alongside UK students who also began the course at the same time in Portsmouth – you can therefore be sure of a few friendly faces to help you settle into the new environment.

Students at all our partner universities take broadly similar courses, with some modification to the syllabus to meet national circumstances. This greatly eases the transition process when you move between institutions and provides an additional guarantee of the quality of the course.

All of the units you need to study while abroad are pre-arranged on your behalf – all that remains is for you to organise your accommodation. The partner institutions themselves, along with current students, can help with this process.

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

Year two

Your second year is spent at your chosen partner institution. What you study in this year will depend on the syllabus offered by that particular university. However, you can expect to study topics such as:

• Marketing
• Human Resource Management
• Finance
• Computing
• Business Law
• Foreign Language

Subjects are taught entirely in the language of the host country and so the second year provides an opportunity to become fully immersed in a foreign environment.

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.

You can choose to spend this year as two separate block placements or one year-long placement, both of which can be arranged with companies in the UK, Europe or anywhere in the world.

Year four

Your final year will be spent in the UK. Subjects you will study include:

• Strategic and International Management
• Corporate Finance
• International Marketing
• The Economics of Europe
• Operations Strategy
• Cross Cultural Awareness
• Dissertation

You will also have the choice to study one or more units from our range of options, allowing you to specialise in a particular area of your studies and tailor the programme to meet your needs.

Teaching and assessment

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

You will also encounter a range of assessment methods. Many units use a combination of formal examinations and coursework assessment. Examples of coursework might be the analysis of topical case studies, written reports and essays, presentations and the development of practical artefacts such as small websites or systems.

The assessed work you complete from the start of the 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.

The University goes to great lengths to ensure all students have an excellent learning experience. Courses are managed by teams of academic and administrative staff who work together to provide a high level of support. Each course has a course leader who will maintain a close relationship with you throughout your studies. They are also supported by a number of tutors and the University has a range of additional support facilities such as the Academic Skills Unit, careers unit and counselling that you can access if you need to.

In addition, you will be assigned a personal tutor who will give you general support and act as the first point of contact for any problems.

Career prospects

The EU now represents one of the largest and most influential markets in the world and graduates from this course possess the right mix of skills required to succeed in this exciting and challenging business environment. Since you will leave with two qualifications, speak two languages and have assimilated two cultures, you will have a clear advantage in the graduate marketplace.

Former students are now working for prominent companies throughout Europe and beyond. Many work for large multinational companies in banking and finance, marketing and human resources management, such as Bosch, IBM and Deutsche Bank. More than 40 per cent of graduates return to work for their placement companies and some have even started their own businesses.

As the degree programme has been running for over twenty years, many alumni are now looking to employ European Business graduates and being part of this network of former students that remain in close contact is one of the major advantages of having studied on this course.

Some students have also gone on to complete taught or research-based courses at postgraduate level. We are an Accredited Centre for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and the Business School hosts an internationally acclaimed research centre in marine and aquatic economics. There are plenty of research opportunities at Portsmouth which you can explore when you join us.

Facilities and features

The University has recently invested substantially in modern facilities. You will attend lectures in the purpose-built Richmond Building, where the Business School is located. Our lecture theatres are equipped with the latest multimedia audiovisual equipment and we have a computer drop-in centre equipped with state-of-the-art computers and software.

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 and ebooks which 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) European Business for the academic year 2013/14 (opens in new window).