People with business acumen and the ability to lead are always in high demand. Studying business, management or marketing can help you excel in the world of business and commerce.
With a business-related degree, you'll be ready to climb the corporate ladder, start a business of your own, or bring new products and services to market. We'll help nurture your entrepreneurial spirit, good people management abilities and great problem-solving skills, and show you how to use these skills in the business world.
You can study disciplines like marketing, project management and international business, and gain knowledge to make you invaluable to organisations worldwide.
Business and management studies at the University of Portsmouth is ranked 2nd of the modern universities by research power
Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021
Degree course overview
Stand out in the job market with an undergraduate degree is Business and Management that focuses on enterprise, ethical management, sustainability and global business.
This course will an entrepreneurial approach to big business ideas. You'll learn by engaging with local small businesses and creating and testing ideas and theories in group work. If you take a placement year you can then apply these skills in the sector you're most interested in, whether that's a start-up, or a large, global business such as Rolls Royce or IBM.
Don't worry if you're not sure which industry you'd like to work in. This degree keeps your options open. You'll get a strong foundation in all the key business areas of management, marketing, accounting, operations and leadership. If you want, you'll have the chance to specialise as you progress through the course.
Focusing on your interests
With over 50 optional modules to choose from, you can tailor this degree to your interests. Module options cover a wide range of subjects, from new product development, to event planning, to public sector economics.
"I look to start my own company in the future..."
Find out more about James' experience at University of Portsmouth, and where he hopes his BA (Hons) Business and Management will take him.
Take a look at one of the modules you can take on this course, exploring how AI and robotics are changing the world of business.
Social robotics is everything that we've been expecting from science fiction. Address such things as loneliness in old age.
More robotic and AI assistance is going into business, people who are entering the business and marketing world today have an understanding of and can see how it can be utilised for the benefit of the business.
One thing I have liked about studying at the Faculty of Business and Law is the great amount of support I have received, from study support to placement search. I feel strongly supported at every stage of my degree.
Dione Vengai, final year student, BA Business and Management
Course highlights
- Explore lots of different areas of business and management to find the specialisms that interest you
- Work in creative, small teams that replicate the working world
- Get hands-on experience as part of our Business Consultancy Project, offering advice to local small businesses
- Take an optional placement year or summer internship with a business such as L'Oreal or BAE Systems
- Get support for setting up your own business from our Entrepreneurs in Residence
- Gain an understanding of ethical and sustainable business practices
- Finish the course with skills that are in demand in the modern workplace, such as creative thinking, business innovation and decision making
Ideal skills and qualities for this course
In addition to meeting the course's entry requirements, we’re looking for good written, IT and analytical skills.
During this course your assessment will include problem-solving, good presentation techniques and the ability to work well in a team. But don’t worry, we’ll help you develop these abilities throughout the course.
We’re looking for an interest in business and management, so we’d encourage you to read the business sections of a quality newspaper and get some work experience (of any kind).
I have had some superb tutors and because they’ve been so committed to the subject, they’ve given additional support beyond what I’d ever expect and I’m really grateful for that.
Amanda Nye, BA Hons Business and Management
Careers and opportunities
This degree will open doors to a wide variety of careers in the business world.
Previous graduates of this course have secured jobs as:
- HR manager
- business transformation consultant
- marketing manager
- project manager
- army officer - squadron operations
- business development executive
- product marketing executive
- account manager
- personal banker
- compliance analyst
- supply chain manager
Graduates of this course have gone on to work for companies such as:
- Tesco
- British Telecom
- Deloitte
- HM Government
- IBM
- Disney
- BAE Systems
- NHS
- John Lewis Partnership
- Estée Lauder
- Volkswagen Group UK
- Microsoft
(Data taken from HESA Graduate Outcome surveys)
This degree also offers options to improve your business research skills. You could go on to do a postgraduate qualification in a business-related area such as project management, digital marketing or human resource management.
You could also choose to set up your own business with the help and support of the University.
Work placement year
You can boost your employability by taking an optional paid placement year between years 2 and 3 of your degree. Previous students have had placements in organisations such as:
- IBM
- SAP
- Hewlett Packard
- Lockheed Martin International
- Oracle
- Goldman Sachs
Many of our students are offered a graduate job by their placement employer.
"I worked within a small team to review and contact clients. I felt really proud to have so much responsibility within this team, it gave me a massive boost of confidence in my abilities."
Daniela Faulkner, BA Business and Management
The average salary for a 12-month paid placement is £16,500. It could be more or less than this amount depending on your placement. You'll only pay a very small percentage of your tuition fee for this year.
You could also set up your own business, or take a voluntary placement.
If you don't want to take a whole placement year we offer plenty of other ways to get great work experience whilst you study, from summer internships to entrepreneurial support
Ways to enrich your study
Study abroad year
Between your second and third year you can choose to study abroad at one of our partner universities in Europe, Asia, Australia or North America. All classes are delivered in English and you'll still be able to get both your tuition fee and maintenance loans. You may also qualify for a government travel grant.
"Students that go abroad are more likely to obtain first-class honours [and] more likely to be in graduate employment than their non-mobile peers."
Universities UK International: 'Gone International, Rising Aspirations', 2019
What you'll study on this Business and Management degree
Each module on this course is worth a certain number of credits.
In each year, you need to study modules worth a total of 120 credits. For example, 4 modules worth 20 credits and 1 module worth 40 credits.
Core modules
Year 1
- Business Accounting
- Business Operations and Systems Management
- Economics for Business
- Managing People in Organisations
- Marketing Principles And Practice
- Business Innovation Development Project
Year 2
- Business Analysis And Decision Making
- Leadership, Ethics, Governance and Sustainability
- Employability, Research And Professional Development
- International Business
Optional work placement year
- You'll do an approved work placement, ending in the submission of work for assessment and the option to receive a Certificate of Professional Practice from the faculty of Business and Law.
Final year
- Strategic Management – 20 credits
Optional modules
Year 2
- Business Venturing
- Human Resource Development
- Innovation Management
- Legal Issues in Procurement and Supply
- Managerial And Decision Economics
- Modern Foreign Language (IWLP)
- Contemporary Issues in Entrepreneurship
- Human Resources For The Professional
- Customer Relationship Management
- Risk Management And Supply Chain Vulnerability
- Intermediate Economics
- Services Marketing
- Financial Reporting For Business
- Professional Selling
- Electronic And Mobile Commerce
- Managing Product Portfolios
- Procurement And Supply
- People Resourcing and Talent Management
- Public Relations
- Corporate Financial Management
- Social Computing for Business
- Event Planning and Marketing
- Business Analytics And Decision Modelling
- Financial Decision Making And Control
- Business Logistics Management
- Business And Employment Law
Final year
- Business Forecasting and Data Analysis
- Critical Leadership: Theory And Practice
- Public Sector Economics
- Trends in Technology
- Labour Economics
- Cross Cultural Awareness for Business
- Discrimination And Conflict In Employment Law
- Financial Statement and Data Analysis
- Management and Information Systems
- Contemporary Issues in Product and Service Development
- Operations Strategy And The Supply Chain
- Business Consultancy Project
- Social Marketing
- Financial Markets and Institutions (Level 6)
- The Tourism Experience
- International Financial Management
- Business Improvement and Creativity
- Managing Equality and Diversity at Work
- Sales Management
- Responsible And Sustainable Business
- Destination Marketing
- Taxation
- Dissertation (Accounting and Financial Management)
- Dissertation (Economics and Finance)
- Dissertation (Marketing)
- Dissertation (Organisation Studies and Human Resource Management)
- Dissertation (Operations and Systems Management)
- Dissertation (Strategy, Enterprise and Innovation)
- Project Management For Enterprise
We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.
Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.
Got a question? Want to find out more?
Get in touch with one of our staff using whichever route works best for you.
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