International Business Management BSc(Hons)

Course structure 

In your first year you take core modules which will help you gain a broad understanding of business and management principles.

In your second year you will broaden your interests and choose from a range of modules so you can personalise your studies.

During your third year, you have the opportunity to study or work abroad in Europe, North America, Australia or Japan. In your final year you will continue your business management studies with a strong strategic and international focus.

Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up to date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. If you apply to us, you’ll be told about any new developments through our applicant portal.

Year 1 

In your first year, you will develop a comprehensive understanding of course business and management subjects.

Modules

• Business Economics

  In this module you will develop your understanding of key economic concepts by applying them to contemporary issues within the world of business and through the application of quantitative techniques. You will also gain an understanding of how political, economic and environmental factors influence the world of business.

• Financial Knowledge and Skills for Business

  This module provides you with an introduction to fundamental concepts in the fields of financial accounting, management accounting, and finance. You will develop a basic understanding of an organisation’s financial position and performance through the application of appropriate analytical tools and procedures.

• Principles of Marketing

  This module introduces you to the key underpinning principles of marketing including marketing research, marketing planning and the elements of the marketing mix.

  You'll develop knowledge of marketing theory alongside introducing applied skills in market research and the application of key marketing concepts via a series of applied case studies and marketing scenarios.

• Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management

  This module will introduce you to a range of concepts, principles and theories that have been adopted within the study of organisational behaviour and human resource management.

  This module will provide you with a grounding for understanding how people are managed and organised in the workplace.

• International Business Project

  In this module you will create an international communications/promotional plan incorporating a digital presence in an international context.

  Using project software and information technology, you will integrate key skills and formative learning outcomes from other first year modules and project management skills.

  Your understanding of culture, market dynamics, financial structures, human resources and how to reach potential international customers will develop through application to your own business ideas.

• Academic and Professional Skills

  This module will provide you with the underpinning skills and strategies required to study successfully at undergraduate level as well as developing attributes that contribute to employability. You will also develop skills to prepare you for the employability (and work placement) process.

Year 2

From your second year, core modules will develop your international perspective, while option modules allow you to tailor the course to your interests or career aspirations. 

Modules

• Working Across Cultures
• Business Operations and Systems
• Cross-cultural Research and Professional Skills
• International Business Analysis

Options*

• Creativity in Enterprise
• Working in the Voluntary Sector
• Personal Financial Planning
• Managing Systems
• Digital Marketing
• Marketing Ethics
• Design and Innovation
• Gamification
• Environmental Sustainability
• Purchasing and Supply

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

Year abroad

The option of a year abroad offers an excellent opportunity to gain international contacts and an advantage in the job market. You can choose to study with the partner institutions in the following countries:

USA

• Clarkson University  – New York State, USA
• Grand Valley State University – Michigan, USA

Australia

• Flinders University – Adelaide, Australia

Canada

• University of Ottawa – Ottawa, Canada

Japan

• Waseda University – Tokyo, Japan

France

• EDHEC Business School – Lille and Nice, France
• ESCE International Business School – Paris, France
• EM Business School at University of Strasbourg – Strasbourg, France

Germany

• Universität Hamburg  – Hamburg, Germany*
• Hochschule Mainz – Mainz, Germany

Spain

• Universidad San Pablo CEU – Madrid, Spain*
• Universidad de Salamanca  – Salamanca, Spain*

Italy

• Universita degli Studi di Siena – Siena, Italy
• Universita degli Studi di Torino (SAA) – Turin, Italy

More European countries

• Karel De Grote University College – Antwerp, Belgium
• University of National and World Economy – Sofia, Bulgaria
• Copenhagen Business Academy – Copenhagen, Denmark
• University of Orebro  – Orebro, Sweden
• Hogeschool van Amsterdam (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences) – Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Koç University– Istanbul, Turkey

While studying abroad, you may have the opportunity to undertake a work placement for part of the year.

Alternatively, you can secure your own international work placement for the duration of the third year abroad. Our students have worked for companies worldwide, from Europe to South America.

This experience of working in a different country looks great on your CV and provides excellent networking opportunities.

Check out International Business student Matt Boucher's blog about his year in Italy.

* You must study in the local language at these universities. At all other universities, you have the option to study in English.

Final year

During your final year, you will return to continue your business management studies with a strong strategic and international focus.

You will also have the chance to further tailor your course by researching an international issue of your choice and choosing option modules that interest you most and that fit your career aspirations.

Modules

• Cultural Insights for International Business
• Strategy for International Business
• Year Abroad Report or International Placement Project

Options*

• Small Business and Entrepreneurship
• Social Enterprise: New Business Planning
• Game Theory in Economics, Finance and Business
• Financial and Capital Markets
• Globalisation and International Markets
• Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
• Contemporary Economic Issues
• Current Issues in Finance
• Understanding Employee Relations
• Employee Selection and Development
• Researching Contemporary Issues in HRM
• International Human Resource Management
• Human Resource Management and Organisational Change
• Digital Marketing
• Innovations in E-Business and Mobile Commerce
• E-Commerce and Online Behaviour
• Commercial Law
• Negotiation, Mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution for Law and Business
• Human Rights and Business
• Employment Law
• Intellectual Property Law
• Family Law
• Retail Marketing and Distribution
• Marketing Communications
• Marketing Planning and Strategy
• Consumer Psychology
• Social Marketing
• Marketing Across Cultures
• Contemporary Issues in Marketing
• Project and Event Management
• Big Data and Business Intelligence
• Search Engine Optimisation and Content Marketing Management
• Current Issues in Strategic Management

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

Staff profile

Rachael Carden, course leader

In her role as senior lecturer, Rachael is the course leader for the International Business Management programme as well as teaching on other business management programmes. After achieving her first degree in Business Studies, Rachael qualified as an English teacher and taught English (and business English) in the UK and abroad for four years.

She says, “Working abroad enabled me to learn Spanish and understand the challenges of living and working in a country that is not your own. When I came back to the UK, I undertook management roles in English language schools for several years and then moved into a further education college where I taught both English and business subjects.”

International requirements and visas

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visas and immigration advice

Course fees

If you choose to take the professional placement (sandwich) year offered on this course you will pay a reduced fee during this year. Our fee for the professional placement year is £1,290 for home students and £2,076 for international students. This fee may be subject to small increases, in line with inflation.

What's included

You may have to pay additional costs during your studies. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. A summary of the costs that you may be expected to pay, and what is included, while studying a course in Brighton Business School are listed here.

• Students who choose to take an optional placement will have travel and living expenses. The cost of this depends on where and how long your placement is.
• Some courses include optional field trips for which the school pays – you may incur minimal costs such as for food and drink and should budget up to £15.
• You will be required to buy textbooks and should budget up to £150.

You can chat with our enquiries team through the Stay in touch panel at the end of this page if you require further information. Or check our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as more information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2020–21.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK/EU students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

Local area

Campus where this course is taught

Accommodation

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