BA (Hons) Business

One of the most attractive aspects of the BA (Hons) Business Studies degree is the opportunity to gain practical work experience in a credit bearing work placement over a forty-eight week period. Students commence work in the third year of the programme and can specialise in an area that reflects their course preferences and career ambitions. Students are paid by the company for the duration of their placement and are treated as full-time members of staff. Our dedicated Employer Liaison Officer is in regular contact with employers, developing placement opportunities in industry, commerce and professional offices. Since our first placement year in 1991 there has been a 100% success rate in placing students from this programme. Students are employed in areas including marketing, finance, sales, personnel, production, computing, customer service and general business administration. Students are paid a trainee salary by the company.

The BA (Hons) in Business programme is designed to give a clearly structured business education that provides a solid foundation for success in a business career. The course provides a strong grounding in fundamental business concepts, ideas, practices and methodologies.

The placement enables students to apply theoretical knowledge in a challenging work environment. Students are assigned a tutor who visits during the placement to discuss progress. Whilst on placement, students are required to complete a project, which forms a key part of the overall assessment of the final year. The opportunity for a full-time position upon graduation may arise.

Students study common subjects in their first year. This honours degree course offers students considerable flexibility in their choice of second and third year subjects. This allows students to orientate their studies towards preferred subjects or to choose disciplines in which they have demonstrated strength in years one and two.

As the course progresses, the emphasis shifts from foundation knowledge to in-depth study of particular areas of the major disciplines with a greater emphasis on independent work and on the development of a critical and analytical approach to the subject matter which gives students the confidence to critically evaluate information, ideas and opinions.

Students opting to select the Work Placement stream will have the opportunity to gain valuable exposure to Industry and will spend year three completing a 48 week work placement before return to college to complete final year.