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Business
BA (Hons) & Foundation Year
Course Overview
Are you interested in pursuing a professional career in business and management, but you’re unsure if you qualify for university study? Arden’s BA (Hons) Business with Foundation Year degree is designed to prepare you with the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in any career you want.
Our business foundation year course will enable you to explore a range of business environments, covering key elements of business management, the principles of marketing, and the ability to make crucial business changes. These areas of expertise are designed to bring out your best qualities, and are highly sought after in the modern business world - leaving your career options wide open after graduating.
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Find out more about this degree programme and the modules covered by downloading our degree brochure.
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Fast track your career with Arden
Arden courses are designed so that you can study additional programmes alongside them. Find out more about how you can study an additional industry certified course alongside your studies.
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Your CMI membership
This course is accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), so you’ll leave with a CMI qualification in leadership and management alongside your degree. The cost of CMI membership is included while you are actively studying with us, which gives you access to a range resources and events.
Course details and modules
By providing you with the fundamentals of business, you’ll develop the management skills needed for success in the workplace, while applying what you learn to real-life scenarios. After completing your business degree with foundation year, you’ll feel confident enough to take on all manner of challenges as a well-rounded professional.
Modules
You have 4-12 years to complete this course, meaning that you can take up to 3 years to complete each level. However, many of our students complete the course in 4-8 years.
Foundation Year Modules
- Numeracy, IT and Data
- Research Skills and Using Information
- Values, Ethics and Working Collaboratively
- Developing Academic Skills
- Structure of Business
Year 2
- Developing Personal and Management Skills
- Understanding the Business Environment
- Principles of Marketing
- Introduction to Finance
- People in Organisations
- Management Information Systems
Year 3
- Managing Across Cultures
- Business Processes
- Enterprise and Entrepreneurship
- Business Analysis
- Managing Knowledge
- Managing Change in Organisations
Year 4
- Contemporary Management Issues
- Strategic Management
- Managing Self and Others
- International Management
- Research Methods and Dissertation
How do we assess you?
The way we assess our students provides you with the opportunity to demonstrate your strengths in a variety of ways. That’s why we choose a range of different methods to keep track of your progress. These include:
- Assignments
- Case studies
- Reports
- Business plans
- Business idea pitches
- Group presentations
- Dissertations
Entry requirements
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.
Find out more
Eligibility
Candidates for our BA (Hons) Business with Foundation Year course are required to submit a personal statement (of between 350-550 words) or interview demonstrating an ability to study for the programme. This statement should include:
- Your motivation for undertaking the programme
- Relevant work experience
- Prior qualifications
- References
English Proficiency
- IELTS 6.0 (no less than 5.5 in any element); or TOEFL iBT 80; or equivalent
- Alternatively, a letter to show that the Medium of Instruction was in English is accepted
We also offer an internal English test for applicants who are unable to provide an English Proficiency letter. More information on this can be found here.
Course fees and funding
Meet the team
Before getting started with any degree, it’s nice to know exactly who you’ll be learning from. The School of Business is led by a team of experienced, qualified and enthusiastic tutors. Heading up our foundation year programme is Towella Ngambi, who has a wealth of experience in up-skilling individuals to help accelerate their careers and personal growth.
Career prospects
We don’t expect students at an undergraduate level to have a career path in mind when they enrol onto a BA (Hons) Business with Foundation Year degree. Some do, some don’t – and that’s okay. So don’t worry if you’re still unsure about what the future holds. We focus on preparing you with a range of transferable skills that will allow you to understand an organisation at all levels, so that you can eventually decide where in the business ecosystem you fit best.
What can a business foundation degree do for me?
So, what can a business degree with foundation year do for you? In short, everything! By covering a breadth of topics, you’ll have your pick as to which career path to choose upon graduating. Whilst studying you’ll:
- Gain an in-depth understanding of all business functions
- Develop an analytical eye for important detail and sharp critical thinking abilities
- Become an expert problem solver and a confident communicator in business scenarios
- Understand all levels of organisational structure and how to evaluate the positives and negatives of these with real-life case studies
- Begin to form a clearer idea of which aspects of business you enjoy learning about the most, and develop ideas about where your career path might lie
What can I do after Arden University?
As mentioned above, you can do almost anything! Business foundation degrees open up a world of opportunities across all aspects of the business sector. Here are some of the professions our previous graduates have gone on to explore:
- Business Manager
- Human Resources Manager
- Marketing Executive
- Operations Manager
- Retail Manager
- Business Analyst
Industry skills
Studying with Arden is all about getting career-ready. Alongside your business foundation degree, you’ll also have access to several extra opportunities for professional development. You can use these to explore a specialist area of interest and to enhance your CV even further.
The foundation year of this course gives students a pathway to an education they deserve. Having the foundation year under your belt will give you a valuable head start on your degree programme, giving you everything you need to progress in your dream career.
Throughout your studies, you’ll have access to student support advisors who are here to help you to enhance your academic skills, guide you with your orientation and offer tailored career support. This means you’ll have guidance at every stage of your degree from our extensive community of students and fellow alumni, who can offer 1-2-1 advice for your future beyond Arden University.
Outside of this, you’ll also have unlimited access to our online platform, iLearn – providing you with all the learning resources and tools needed to excel in your studies.
Study options
Which study mode is right for you? You’ll have the choice to complete your foundation degree via online learning or blended learning. Here’s a quick summary of both options, so you can choose the flexible learning model that works best for you.
"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."
Adrian Williams
BA Business (Human Resource Management)
Blended Learning
How does it work?
Blended learning involves face to face, on campus, teaching, including eight hours of time-tabled classes spread over two mornings, afternoons, or evenings, at one of our study centres. This study mode provides an element of structure to your day, where you’ll join your fellow classmates at specific times to learn.
Students are then required to complete the rest of their studies online at a time and place that suits them.
Find out more about Blended Learning.
Online Learning
How does it work?
With online learning, you decide when and where you work through your self-guided learning materials, without being held to a set lecture timetable. If you’re interrupted during a lesson, simply pause the materials and continue later. You can also communicate and collaborate with your tutor and classmates through live online forums and email.
Find out more about how Online Learning works.
