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Do you have an interest in business and a keen desire to manage? With this business top-up degree you’ll have the opportunity to combine those passions and rise up to the career you want.
On this one year top-up course, you'll gain all the skills that are necessary to become an effective manager in a variety of business environments. Developing professional level business skills and an understanding of business structures, the course give you the skills needed to fulfil your career aspirations in whichever sector you choose.
The perfect choice for anyone who’s already completed a HND in business (or equivalent), this top-up degree covers all aspects of business functions and practices, leaving you to decide where you want to go in your future career path. All you need to get started is the desire to succeed and the drive to push yourself to the next professional level.
This business top-up degree will bring you up to speed with the issues that managers face, while developing and enhancing your strategic and management skills. You’ll explore internal and external business environments and gain an in-depth understanding of business functions in the modern world – giving you excellent grounding to thrive in your future career.
It’s a great way to study if you’re looking for flexibility. It was challenging to balance a full-time job with my degree but once I was in a routine, it was much easier to manage everything. Online learning has actually helped me become very good with time management and given me the ability to prioritise tasks.
The way we assess our students gives you regular opportunities to demonstrate your strengths and knowledge in a variety of ways. That’s why we choose a range of different methods to assess and track your progress. These methods include:
This course is available to study through Arden’s blended learning study mode (daytime classes) at our study centres in London Ealing, London Tower Hill, London Holborn, Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham.
If you prefer to attend your classes during the evening, this option is available at our London Tower Hill, London Holborn, Leeds and Birmingham study centres.
The course is also available to students via online learning. This gives you the convenience of being able to study from anywhere in the UK or worldwide, providing you with the same high standards of teaching but with lower tuition fees.
"I was already in the working world and running two businesses. Not to mention I also have a young family, so the freedom online learning offered, and the cost effectiveness of the course, was a big draw for me."
When you choose our blended learning study mode, you’ll have eight hours of timetabled classes spread over two days at the Arden study centre of your choice. This is combined with around 25 hours of independent study, which takes place through ilearn, our university campus in the cloud.
Blended learning is the best option for students who prefer the structure of regular face to face classes with their tutor and fellow classmates, and is particularly suited to students who live within commuting or driving distance of one of our UK study centres.
If you're a student from England who is enrolling on a blended learning course with Arden (based in one of our UK study centres) then you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan to help pay for your living expenses. You can find more information on our fees and funding page. If you're a student from Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland you can find information about obtaining a student loan to cover your costs from your student finance body.
This course is also available to study full-time at our campus in Berlin, Germany.
Learn more about blended learning
Studying your degree online with Arden means you can earn your anywhere in the world without the requirement to attend classes in a physical location. Our online students study their degree through iLearn, Arden’s university campus in the cloud.
Online learning students resident in the UK can apply for a Maintenance Loan if they cannot attend their course in person because of a disability. Please find more information on our fees and funding page. If you're a student from Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland you can find information on Living Cost Loans from your student finance body.
Learn more about online learning
Available for overseas students who want to study in the UK, full-time in attendance study with Arden gives you face-to-face teaching with timetabled classes for your chosen subject at our study centres at Tower Hill, London, or Lock 14 in Birmingham. You’ll also have full access to ilearn and our extensive online library throughout your studies.
You will study your course through a blend of face to-face seminars with your course lecturers at your study centre, combined with independent online learning activities which you can fulfil in your own time.
At Arden University we consider applications on a case by case basis. If you have significant work experience, have qualifications you have gained elsewhere, or a degree or qualification that isn't a clear pathway to this degree - we are more than happy to discuss your application.
To be eligible to study this BA (Hons) Business top-up degree, we need to see that you have:
We also offer an internal English test for applicants. More information on this can be found here.
We are happy to consider an application from you if you can show us you have the motivation to study this business top-up course.
We’ll ask you for a personal statement that demonstrates your ability to study the course. We may also want references and evidence of relevant experience.
Whilst you can read your study materials on your smart phone or tablet, to make the most of your learning experience, you will need access to a laptop or computer (we recommend one running the latest version of Windows), and a good stable internet connection.
Here at Arden University we strive to provide a fresh and unique approach to your business and management education. With ideas and experiences taken from employers and thought leaders across the world, we give you the opportunity to put proven business skills and techniques into practice during your studies. I look forward to welcoming you to the Arden University family.
It’s your graduate status that most employers will be interested in, along with the transferable skills you’ve gained. These include analytical and critical thinking, problem solving, strong interpersonal and communication skills and an appreciation of organisational behaviour and structures. These skills show strong potential for future development in multiple areas, leaving your career options wide open.
By developing a wide range of transferable skills throughout your studies, you’ll graduate with an exciting variety of employment opportunities. Once you’ve completed your degree, you’ll:
Your graduate status and the skills you gain throughout your degree are what employers will be interested in. These skills cover everything from analytical and critical thinking, problem solving, strong interpersonal and communication skills and an appreciation of organisational behaviour and structures. With it, you’ll have a variety of opportunities at your fingertips. Some of the job roles you might want to explore include:
The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) promotes excellence in UK management and leadership. The institute aims to boost career development across the management sector and connect you with likeminded professionals across diverse sectors.
As the CMI possesses a Royal Charter, they are the only organisation in the UK that can award Chartered Manager status to their members – the gold standard in management. They are also active in business policy making across the globe, and ensure that their more than 140,000 members are represented in policy decision making.
As an Arden student, you’ll have free CMI Membership throughout your studies, giving you access to a range of additional resources including a mentoring service and invitations to networking events both online and offline.
Upon completion of one of Arden University’s CMI accredited courses, you will be automatically awarded the CMI Foundation Chartered Manager (fCMgr) status. This professional status recognises that you have the foundation skills needed to be an effective manager, helping you to stand out from the competition and start your management career journey - with a clear pathway to achieving full Chartered Manager status.
Once you’ve enrolled with Arden, our careers centre is easily accessible directly from inside our online platform, ilearn. The careers centre is here to help you discover the areas of your academic and professional life that you find most meaningful and rewarding, and then apply this to your career pathway.
Just a few of the career tools you’ll find in the careers centre include:
The BGA is a membership and quality assurance body. As a member, Arden University have signed up to the BGA Charter, committing their institution to responsible management practices and lifelong learning, positively impacting their students, communities, and the economy. This shows our students that we are demonstrating responsible management ourselves, as well as it being a central theme that runs through our own courses.
As Arden University is a member of the Business Graduates Association (BGA), students will receive complementary BGA student and graduate membership. Through this membership, current students will have access to the BGA Career Development Centre, packed with interactive tools, e-learning content, partner discounts and the latest job opportunities. This is a lifetime access, which means students will continue to have access to these services even after they graduate.
