BA (Hons) Business and Management is our most popular undergraduate business degree, and will give you a broad foundation in management, marketing, finance, operations and marketing in a digital world. When you graduate from this course you will have excellent skills and knowledge in all areas of business and management.

Why us?

• 93.4% of our graduates are in employment, further study or training within six months of graduating, according to DLHE 2016/17 (based on full-time, first degree, home leavers)
• Our Business courses were ranked 4th in the UK for Assessment and, 2nd in the UK for Retention and Progression, and 3rd in the UK for Employability in the 2018 UK Engagement Survey
• The Sunderland Business School is a member of ‘The Association of Business Schools’
• Our Business courses were ranked 3rd overall in the UK in the 2018 UK Engagement Survey
• ‚World-leading’ research in Business, according to the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF)

Course structure

The focus throughout this course is on innovative teaching and learning by doing and reflecting. One technique is problem-based learning, where you’ll work within a small team to explore issues or decide how to manage a situation. This helps you to dissect, challenge and debate issues.

Other learning techniques include company visits, guest speakers and cutting-edge e-learning technologies. These are in addition to a combination of lectures, seminars, debates, tutorials and workshops.

Your progress will be assessed by coursework, assessed case studies and business simulations, presentations, reports, essays, tests and time-constrained assessments.

Facilities

You’ll be based at The Reg Vardy Centre, at The Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter’s. This is home to the Sunderland Business School and the St Peter’s Library with thousands of books related to business, economics, management, human resources, marketing and strategy.

Employment

When you graduate from this course you will have excellent skills and knowledge in all areas of business and management. You’ll understand how businesses create success, how to manage business operations, how to make informed decisions, and how to lead change in organisations.

You will be ready to step into a leadership or management role in a wide variety of industries across the world. Some of the companies which employ our Business graduates include: IBM, Procter & Gamble, BT, Nissan, Marriott Hotels, PricewaterCoopers and Adidas.

Paid placements

We encourage you to undertake a 48-week paid placement to further enhance your employability between your second and final year. It effectively becomes a third year of a four-year course, and you’ll earn an average salary of £14,000-£18,000 a year depending on your location.

Placements are an excellent opportunity to put your learning into practice and understand the context for your new knowledge. The contacts made during placements can also be valuable for future job offers.

Recent placement employers include IBM, Procter & Gamble, BT, Nissan, Marriott Hotels, PricewaterCoopers and Adidas.

Guest speakers

Our invitations to guest speakers allow you to listen to people who are already in the type of management position that you may one day hold. Recent speakers include Maurice Duffy, CEO of Global Blackswan, Mike Johnson, CEO of Castrol and Executive Vice President of BP, Uday K. Dholakia, Senior Partner of Global Consulting, Neil Stephenson, CEO of ONYX, James Ramsbotham, CEO of the North East Chamber of Commerce, as well as other representatives from a number of our region’s largest employers.

Visiting speakers help you relate academic learning to the real experience of people who have already progressed in their careers. It’s all part of broadening your learning so that you’re prepared not just for exams but for life.

Student Business Society

The University supports student-led initiatives that help you gain practical experience of management. The Business Student Society organises events and guest speakers, as well as attending tours of various companies. With its professional approach, it’s a great way to put into practice the lessons about how to make organisations function effectively. There is something for every student who is studying a subject related to business.

Top-up route

A top-up entry option is available to those who have already successfully completed a Higher National Diploma (HND) or Foundation Degree and wish to progress onto the final year of the honours degree course. Topping up your existing HND or Foundation Degree will take one year of full-time study and may open up future career options to you depending on your chosen career path.

Contact us to find out how you can get credit for your previous learning and top-up your qualification to a range of degrees.