The skills required to judiciously recruit and get the best from employees are as vital to a business as an understanding of how it operates. This course explores how to enthuse and empower staff, and how this then benefits business performance.
Business
The study of business provides a detailed understanding of the way organisations work, how they operate within their specific environment and the impact on individuals working within them.
This pathway develops a general knowledge of business to complement a more specialised area of study. Modules introduce key themes, specifically, business operations (how it works) and entrepreneurship (creating opportunity within a competitive environment).
You learn how to apply business theory, identify types of business opportunity and address a range of business issues in an imaginative way. Investigating the issues confronting individuals within a business, you will develop an awareness of the problems businesses can face in general, and be able to identify a number of possible responses.
Human Resource Management
The Human Resource Management pathway offers an in-depth study of the close integration between people management and the needs of the business.
It looks at how businesses can attract, retain, motivate and manage people and aims to offer you the opportunity to reach the high standards necessary to pursue a successful career in this field.
The programme provides the knowledge, skills and attitudes to effectively manage people within an organisation, as well as communicate well with customers.
You develop methods, practices and techniques for human resource management within a range of situations, and upon graduation, you will be able to demonstrate how to integrate human resources within the wider business strategy, and manage a variety of interpersonal issues that may arise within an organisation.
Find out more about Birmingham City Business School!
Key Facts
- Birmingham City Business School is one of the UK’s most established, respected and largest Business Schools.
- This course expresses the vital importance of attracting, retaining, motivating and managing personnel, and integrating people with the needs of the business.
- Joint Honours degrees allow you to study two main subject areas and potentially aim for employment in two distinctive areas.
- Studying a core first year, before moving to subject-specific modules, gives subject flexibility and increases your employability.
- A year-long work placement means you get inside the business world, pick up key transferable skills, and put theory into practice.
- 82% of Birmingham City Business School graduates are in employment or further study; with an average full-time salary of £23,677. (note: faculty-based only, 08/09 Destinations Data)
Why Choose Us?
- Birmingham City Business School enjoys close links with industry; your course reflects business challenges so it’s recognised and valued by employers.
- Learn how recruiting the right employees - and enthusing and empowering them - benefits business performance.
- The business element offers sharp focus on the way organisations operate in their market, how imaginative ideas can solve stubborn problems, and how you can think and act like an entrepreneur.
- Teaching includes case studies that look at the published results of real companies, and high profile guest speakers share experience and insight.
- From the start you’re taught and treated as a professional. You put together a first year business plan that you pitch Dragons’ Den-style to industry experts.
- You have the chance of a twelve-month exchange programme in the second year at one of our international partner institutes.
- Local companies respect and often recruit Birmingham City Business School’s graduates. As well as helping you find a suitable place for your work experience year, the Placement Office advertises around 1,000 jobs each year.
- Birmingham City Business School welcomes around 3,000 students from over 80 countries, so you have a whole world of experiences, business and social, on your doorstep.
An alternative degree:
If you are interested in obtaining a degree with a difference, take a look at our BA (Hons) Leadership & Management (work based) degree.
Download the Course Programme Specification
Entry Requirements
A minimum of five GCSEs at grade C or above, which must include English Language and Mathematics GCSEs. Equivalent level 2 qualifications will be considered, however Mathematics and English Language GCSEs at grade C or above are an essential requirement for entry. All Level 2 qualifications must be achieved prior to application.
- A minimum tariff score of 280 points made up of a minimum of two passes A2 Level, two 6 unit or one 12 unit AVCE. Remaining points can be made up from AS qualifications
- Applications are welcomed from those with international qualifications (equivalent to those above) such as International Baccalaureate 32 points, including internationally accredited Foundation courses. You must also have an English Language qualification such as IELTS (minimum score of 6.0) or TOEFL (minimum score 550). Find out more about country-specific entry requirements and qualifications.
- Satisfactory completion of a full-time foundation course of an appropriate type
- The programme welcomes applications from students who have significant relevant work or life experience but who may not necessarily meet all of the published academic requirements for their chosen course. The University must be satisfied that your work or life experience is equivalent to the qualifications that other applicants will be studying. We want all of our students to succeed and will only offer a place where we believe that an applicant is capable of completing their chosen course with a strong final degree classification.
Application Details
The code for this course is NN16.
Search for this course on UCAS
UCAS Information
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) is a UK organisation responsible for managing applications to university and college.
UK, EU and international students applying for most undergraduate degree courses in the UK will need to apply through UCAS.
You submit an application via the UCAS website with a list of up to five courses. All choices are confidential during the application process so universities and colleges considering an application cannot see your other choices. Applications must be completed by mid-January of the year that you wish to start university.
You can monitor the progress of your application using the UCAS Apply system.
Fees and Finance
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Fees for students from the UK or EU countries?
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|---|
| Start | Mode | Duration | Award | Fees |
|---|
| Sep 2013 | FT | 3 years | BA (Hons) | £7,500 per year |
| Sep 2013 | SW | 4 years | BA (Hons) | See below |
|
Fees for students from non-EU countries?
|
|---|
| Start | Mode | Duration | Award | Fees |
|---|
| Sep 2013 | FT | 3 years | BA (Hons) | £10,100 per year |
The University reserves the right to increase fees broadly in line with increases in inflation, or to reflect changes in government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament.
Where a full-time undergraduate student opts to extend the normal length
of a Bachelor’s degree by an additional year in order to take a full-year work
placement there will be no fee for the additional placement year.
Additional costs
There are no additional compulsory costs for this course however you may wish to purchase text books or additional materials relating to the subject area.
Financial Options and Advice
We have deliberately tried to set fees that reflect the cost of course delivery in order to help our students avoid debt.
Full-time students won't have to pay for tuition fees until after their studies - there are government tuition fee loans available. If you are a full-time student, after leaving university you will start to pay back your loan once you are earning over £21,000 a year, at a rate of nine per cent on any income above £21,000. So if you were earning £25,000, you would pay back nine per cent of £4,000, or £30 per month.
Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis offers key facts on fees, loans and grants:
Financial Support
We offer further information on possible financial support. This includes the type of loans, grants and scholarships available both from the government and from Birmingham City University.
University Approach to Employability
Expertly woven into our curriculum and work experience opportunities, and underpinned by a diligent approach to career preparation and the close involvement of professional bodies, the University views employment as one of the principal rewards for a student's ambition, application and academic achievement. It's why the University is one of the country's top 30 universities* for placing students in graduate-level employment.
Our close links with business and the professions mean that our courses are always relevant, up-to-date and meet the exact needs of the current marketplace. Wherever possible, we involve employers in planning the curriculum, while many of our lecturers come from and maintain their links with industry, ensuring they are up to speed with the latest developments.
Employability will be an integral outcome of your studies.
* Sunday Times University Guide 2012
Employment Opportunities
If you take the Business pathway, you will be well placed for graduate fast-track training and entry-level management posts in a number of industries, including commerce, government, community organisations and charities. You may also use your knowledge to set up your own entrepreneurial venture.
Completing a pathway in HRM provides you with excellent career opportunities, including roles in employee relations, employee development and recruitment. Organisations recognise that a strong HRM team is an essential part of a business, and the HRM pathway will allow you to perform effectively in roles in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.
Placements
You will benefit from the opportunity to spend a year working in industry between your second and third study year, allowing you to acquire invaluable, hands-on experience ahead of your career in business.
It is an excellent opportunity for you and your placement company. Your work experience allows you to develop a greater understanding of the business world, pick up key transferable skills, and put theory into practice, whilst your placement company can gain from your fresh ideas and enthusiasm.
A note for all full-time students starting a Bachelor’s degree in 2012/13:
If you commence your studies in September 2012 under the new fees regime, and decide to undertake a placement year (making your degree a 4 year sandwich course), please note that you will not be charged a tuition fee for that particular year.
Further Studies
You may progress to the University’s MA and MSc programmes or complete professional examinations in management, human resources, and marketing.
Full Time
Full Time (Sandwich)
About KIS data
From September 2012, all universities and colleges are publishing standardised information for all undergraduate courses in the form of a Key Information Set (KIS). The KIS data is designed to meet the needs of prospective students and allow for informed decision-making when choosing a university course.
Putting our students first
We pride ourselves on our student satisfaction levels which have risen from 73 per cent to 83 per cent between 2010 and 2012. Our dedication to improving the student experience is illustrated by our award-winning student engagement, our close links with business and industry and our £180 million investment in new facilities.
Employability facts
75.5% of business and marketing graduates from Birmingham City Business School who responded to our survey entered employment (and/or further study), earning an average full-time salary of £18,600. 81% of management and human resource graduates from the School also went into either employment and/or further study. Employers hiring these graduates include Stockdale Martin, Morrison's, Hydrapower Dynamics and Jaguar Land Rover, offering positions such as Account Executive, Commercial Analyst and Business Manager.
Working with your Students’ Union
Improving student satisfaction is a priority commitment shared by both Birmingham City University and its Students’ Union. In its strategic planning, the Union has pledged to be more accessible, more relevant and provide more opportunity to engage with a diverse student community.
The Students’ Union is already a key stakeholder in supporting an excellent teaching experience at Birmingham City University, through joint projects such as the Extra Mile Teaching Awards and the Student Rep scheme, which allows students to share their ideas on how they are taught.
As Birmingham City University moves towards a two campus strategy where it can better support enhanced learning and student support facilities across a two-mile radius, the Students’ Union will also be better able to implement its commitment to improve communication and engage with its valued student membership.
Course Structure
As a Joint Honours degree student at Birmingham City Business School, you will study a core first year before continuing onto subject-specific modules in the remaining years of your course.
This exciting development is designed to offer you flexibility of subject choice and increase your employability.
Course Modules
| First Year |
| Autumn |
Spring |
Credits |
| Accounting and Finance |
30 |
| Economic Environment |
New Venture Creation |
15 each |
| Marketing in Business |
30 |
| Managing Organisations People and Self |
30 |
| Second Year |
| Autumn |
Spring |
Credits |
| Creative Problem Solving |
The Business Entrepreneur |
15 each |
| Business Operations and Logistics |
Contemporary Business Issues |
15 each |
| Legal Aspects of HR |
Contemporary Issues in HRM |
15 each |
| HRM Resourcing and Development |
30 |
| Final Year |
| Autumn |
Spring |
Credits |
| In the final year you undertake a choice of modules totalling 60 credits from the list below. (The modules stated as 'core' are compulsary). |
| International Business Strategy (core) |
30 |
| HRM Relations and Reward (core) |
30 |
| Making sense of organisations or Project/Dissertation |
Business operations and systems or Project/Dissertation |
15 each |
| Managing the HRM Function or Project/Dissertation |
International HRM or Project/Dissertation |
15 each |
| Modules that run across both terms: Only one can be chosen |
| Business Start Up Project or |
30 |
| Management Consultancy Project or |
30 |
| Dissertation |
30 |
| Placement project |
30 |
Assessment Methods
You encounter a wide range of innovative assessment styles, including business reports, academic papers, case studies, individual and group presentations, portfolios and projects, as well as conventional examinations.
Enquiries
Prospective students from the UK or EU
- Take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions for answers to a range of questions about our courses and studying here.
- If you need further help, you can contact the Course Enquiries Team online by using the Course Enquiry Form.
- Alternatively, call us on +44 (0)121 331 5595.
Prospective students from non-EU countries
- International enquirers from non-EU countries may enquire via the International Enquiry Form.
- Alternatively, call us +44 (0)121 331 6714.
Prospectus
For an overview of our undergraduate courses and range of other information order a printed Prospectus or download a PDF of our 2014/15 Prospectus (16MB).