Business Management BSc(Hons) top-up degree

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Why choose this course?

• The University of Brighton is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) – an accreditation achieved by fewer than 6% of business schools globally.
• Upgrade your foundation degree or HND to a degree in just nine months.
• Wide range of option modules so you can tailor your degree.
• Close links with leading employers and industry specialists.

Course structure

Our Business Management BSc(Hons) will enable you to develop an understanding of the diverse areas of modern business management. It will help you to decide which area of business you would like to specialise in, while also preparing you to be your own boss.

Core subjects include marketing, finance, management, strategy and business operations. Learning is delivered through a stimulating mix of seminars, academic and industry lectures, group projects and workshops.

You will develop confidence and expertise in analysis, business communication, teamwork and transferable skills in preparing briefs, plans and reports, presenting, budgeting and evaluation.

Unlike other top-up courses, this is a nine-month course that runs from September to May.

Syllabus

This course has three compulsory modules and two or three options which give you the scope to tailor the course to your interests and career aspirations. Possible themes include finance and international trade; economics, marketing and events; organisational behaviour; retail management; entrepreneurship; and social marketing.

Modules

Core modules

• Strategy

  On this module you’ll focus on the strategic business management of organisations in industry. You will explore and apply techniques for the analysis, development and implementation of strategies in order to achieve business goals, spanning domestic, international, global levels and in the context of the UN’s sustainable development goals.

• Managing, Teams and Developing People

  Using a hands-on approach, you’ll reinforce and build upon your understanding of theories and models, and apply these concepts by working in team activities involving management of yourself and others. You’ll explore common issues that are faced when working in groups and teams, equipping you with the skills to become an effective team worker and leader.

• Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM)

  Supply chain management (SCM) is the handling of the entire production flow of goods or services – from raw materials to delivering the final product to the consumer. On this module you will develop a strategic understanding of SCM in a wider business context and explore how SCM objectives have expanded to include societal and environmental implications because of, for example, depleted natural resources. You’ll learn how sustainability can be a competitive advantage and explore the role of supply chains in a circular economy.

Options*

• Environmental Economics

  Issues surrounding the environment and natural resources are becoming increasingly mainstream in economics. This module follows the year 2 module of the same name and further explores how economic concepts, tools and policy instruments are relevant and are used to understand and manage environmental issues at business and government level.

• Financial and Capital Markets

  This module will develop your understanding of the financial system and enable you to get some experience of financial markets. You’ll have an opportunity to manage a portfolio of assets and analyse the performance of that portfolio as well as explore the investment environment.

• Corporate Financial Management

  This module is a specialised finance option for final year students. It has two parts: the first builds upon applied topics in corporate finance and the second explores treasury and risk management tools and techniques. You will focus on financial management mainly in terms of issues affecting corporate financial managers.

• Understanding Employee Relations

  This module provides you with a general introduction to employee relations in the UK and compares these with examples from other countries. You will develop knowledge and understanding of the practical and procedural aspects of employee relations, including union recognition, grievance and discipline, employment tribunals, collective bargaining, conflict resolution and consultation.

• Organisational Change

  In this module you will develop a critical understanding of approaches that maximise the outcomes of organisational change for individuals and organisations and gain insight into change management. You’ll also look at the importance of the roles and skills in the change process for individuals, human resource management, senior and line management and leadership. 

• International Human Resource Management

  This module helps you develop an understanding of how international organisations manage their human resources across different countries. You will research the meaning and implications of international and comparative human resource management, linking your understanding of established theory with your research finding, and present your work in a report.

• Theorising the International Events Industry

  On this module you’ll take a social-scientific approach to examining international events, festivals and spectacles, focusing on recent developments and socio-economic, cultural and political factors that have caused far-reaching changes. You will explore how international events are a resource in maintaining social relations against the context of changing socio-economic environments, and how hosting events, for example global sport events, can be used by nations to position themselves within global society.

• Ecommerce and Online Behaviour

  Many business disciplines need to design strategies that take into account online behaviour. In this module you’ll analyse and evaluate ecommerce systems and explore the role and impact of ecommerce technologies. You will look at some of the concepts used to understand online behaviour in the marketplace and examine how people behave as consumers in online settings.

• Global Issues in Travel and Tourism

  On this module you’ll explore contemporary global issues and their relationship with travel and tourism, examining the policies, actions and solutions that have been generated to deal with these issues. Areas covered include inequality and diversity; health, safety and security; climate change mitigation and adaptation including risk and disaster management; sustainability; and political and social instability.

• Destination Marketing

  Destination marketing is vital for destinations to differentiate themselves from competitors, to develop their own distinct identity and to promote themselves as desirable and attractive places to visit. On this module you will examine traditional methods of marketing, and explore issues such as cultural representation, the branding of national and regional identities and the role of media and film in the development of perception and expectation.

• Small Business and Entrepreneurship

  You will develop a business idea and plan using knowledge and skills developed throughout your course during this module. Students from a range of subjects take this module, creating a multidisciplinary approach to identifying and researching a business idea and developing a realistic business plan. Part of the assessment is a Dragons’ Den style presentation of your idea to a panel of local business people.

• Marketing Planning and Strategy

  In this module you will use your knowledge of marketing principles to develop a strategic marketing plan. You’ll examine the stages of developing a strategic marketing plan and consider a range of operational, tactical and strategic approaches to marketing. The module follows a similar approach to that taught by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and should be taken by any student wishing to gain CIM exemptions after graduating.

• Customer Relationship Management and Services Marketing

  This module enables you to acquire a detailed understanding of approaches to services marketing including the integration of customer relationship management (CRM).  You will examine how the core principles of marketing are configured in a services context and how developing CRM as a core strategy enables organisations to focus on long-term customer relationships and loyalty.

• Consumer Psychology

  You will focus on the main concepts used in understanding consumer psychology and consumer behaviour in the marketplace during this module. You’ll look at how these are used in marketing to both understand consumers and create strategies to ethically influence their behaviour.

• Marketing Across Cultures

  This module examines two key challenges facing businesses today: how to identify and develop international marketing and business opportunities; and understanding the importance of cultural differences across the globe to adapt marketing strategies and tactics for business success. You will learn about new cultures in the developed and emerging world and how to develop an international marketing plan, putting your entrepreneurial, research, creative and report-writing skills in to practice.

• Responsible Enterprise

  This module sees students from subjects across the university have the opportunity to work together on responsible enterprise solutions to live client challenges. Practical projects mean that you will learn from other students and disciplines as you share problem-solving approaches, knowledge and experience.

• Game Theory in Economics, Finance and Business

  Game theory is one of the most exciting, stimulating and promising subjects in modern microeconomics and is now also broadly applied in philosophy, sociology and political science among other fields. The module gives you the chance to apply game theory to financial and business analysis topics to deepen and widen your knowledge of economics, finance and business as an ongoing strategic game.

• International Finance

  International Finance takes the areas of finance and financial management you’ve studied in a domestic setting and explores how the domestic theory alters in an international setting due to factors such as exchange rates and country risk. You will also be introduced to the international financial management complexities associated with the foreign direct investment decisions of multinational companies.

• Employee Selection and Development

  You will explore and consider how recruitment, selection, training and development contribute to the function and performance of an organisation during this module, giving specific focus to contemporary labour market issues. You will also look at the theoretical perspectives that have shaped discussion around these topics and use case studies to see how these ideas work in practice.

• Happiness: Work and Society

  During this module you will analyse the concept of happiness in work and society. You’ll consider happiness at an individual, organisational and socio-economic level, exploring topics such as positive psychology, happiness and wellbeing, nurturing happiness in the organisation, the issues and challenges of measuring happiness and wellbeing, and what makes a nation happy. 

• International Law and Socio-economic Development

  In this module you will look at the relationship between international law and development. You will get an insight into the relevant legal and socio-economic issues arising from debates on international law and development and an understanding of the role that theory, policy and practice have in international law and socio-economic development.

• Commercial Law

  You will look at domestic commercial law and key aspects of commercial law as it operates internationally during this module. You’ll explore issues including the rights and duties that arise from the supply of goods in the UK and the legal problems that can occur in an international contract for the sale of goods.

• Employment Law

  During this module you will examine areas of employment legislation and the employment law system  to understand and evaluate the employment relationship. You’ll gain an overview of the influence of EU law as well as the nature of English contracts and become familiar with the major sources of employment law.

• Intellectual Property Law

  This module introduces you to intellectual property. You’ll develop an understanding of the nature of property and ownership and the law related to patents, design rights, trade marks, copyright and other forms of intellectual property, as well as gaining a practical understanding of how intellectual property relates to objects. You will also talk with non-law students whose studies need them to be aware of their intellectual property rights.

• Big Data and Business Intelligence

  Big data refers to data sets so complex they are difficult to process using conventional databases. They result from the increasing use of real-time computing in process and organisations such as web analytics, government, social media, security and healthcare. In this module you will explore how the growth of big data impacts on business opportunities and risks, and how business intelligence contributes to improved performance and forecasting

• Retail Marketing and Distribution

  In this module you will learn about retail marketing and distribution through practical workshops with emphasis on real-life retail situations. You’ll study topics from historical development, current industry structure, trends and projected developments. You will combine theory and practice to produce a viable strategic report about the marketplace.

• Marketing Communications

  The module is an overview of key marketing communications tools, including branding, advertising, sales promotion and public relations. You will consider the main theories of marketing communications, exploring how advertising has its effect on consumers. You’ll also look at models of consumer psychology and behaviour to further understand the role of marketing communications in society.

• Public Relations: Principles and Practice

  You will get the opportunity to work as a team on a public relations (PR) project during this module. You’ll develop account management and PR skills, focusing on the function of PR and its role in marketing and corporate communications. You’ll analyse and evaluate specialist PR functions and examine how a well-integrated PR strategy ensures that organisations can develop and maintain relationships with their stakeholders and audiences. 

• Developing Professional Practice in Business

  For students who aren’t undertaking a work placement year, this module is an opportunity to complete a 30-hour business or consultancy project to develop skills in problem-solving, creative thinking, analysis and project management. The project can be based in a range of settings including those offered by the Community University Partnership Programme, volunteer work or part-time employment. 

• Researching Contemporary Issues in Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour

  This module is an opportunity to research a contemporary human resource management or organisation behaviour issue of your choice. Through your research, you will develop and deepen your knowledge and understanding of these topics and present your findings in a final report.

• Researching Contemporary Issues for the Intelligent Enterprise

  Intelligent Enterprise is a management approach that applies technology and new service models to the challenge of improving business performance. On this module you will conduct in-depth research into issues and emerging technologies that promote the concept of an intelligent enterprise. You can either choose an existing topic to research or identify a new one. Potential topics include blockchain; cryptocurrencies; mobile gaming; digital transformation; knowledge management; marketing information systems; and e-business systems.

• Researching Contemporary Issues in Marketing

  Choosing a contemporary marketing issue of interest – for example strategic marketing theory, marketing communications, cross-cultural marketing, social media marketing or consumer behaviour – you will undertake a piece of in-depth research. This will develop your analytical and critical skills and you will use the expertise and knowledge gained during your degree to produce a report. The module is based on independent study supported by a tutor.

• Researching Contemporary Issues in Supply Chain Management

  This module is an opportunity to choose and research a contemporary supply chain, supply chain management or inventory management topic that really interests you. Current trends and issues include outsourcing, use of technologies (data analysis, IoT, cloud computing), supply chain visibility among organisations and sustainable supply chains. In producing your report, you will further develop your analysis and evaluation skills and make recommendations for improvements in business decision-making.

   

• Researching Contemporary Issues in Strategic Management

  In this module, you will choose a strategic management issue to study in-depth. You’ll review published data and present your research as a clear and concise report summarising good practice and making recommendations of a possible solution to the issue. Topics you can choose are wide-ranging, and could include the mitigation and/or adaptation of businesses or public institutions to climate change; UN sustainable development goals in businesses and public institutions; strategic management in the responsible enterprise; and strategic management and technology in a specified industry (eg, pharmaceutical, road transport, film).

• Researching Contemporary Issues in Economics

  In this module you will apply economic principles and methods to a contemporary issue that has implications for countries, businesses or individuals now and in the future. You’ll identify a specific topic to research and, using the principles and methods you’ve learned on your course, formulate research questions and hypotheses, devise a methodology and identify relevant data sources.

• Researching Contemporary Issues in Finance

  You will select a specific current issue in finance to study in depth during this module. You’ll review and analyse a wide range of published data with the aim of summarising good practice and recommending a possible solution to the problem in your final report. Issues might include finance for SMEs, bank lending, working capital management, financial risk management techniques, dividend policy and effect on the value of a company and bond markets and instruments.

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Course fees

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2025–26.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

• Brighton Boost – cost of living help for our new undergrad students. Find out about how we can help with your study, accommodation or travel costs and more...
• Fees, bursaries, scholarships and government funding info for UK and international undergraduate students
• Student finance and budgeting while studying
• Read our student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf) for more on University of Brighton tuition fees.

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