Undergraduate BA (Hons)
Business (top-up)
Are you looking to further your business knowledge and turn your existing qualification into a degree?
Are you looking to further your business knowledge and turn your existing qualification into a degree?
Our Business (top-up) course will strengthen your understanding of the world of business through an extra year of study that converts your HND or equivalent into a full degree.
You’ll gain important leadership skills across a wide variety of business areas, studying topics like strategy, entrepreneurship, and human resource management. You’ll develop your critical thinking, team-working, and problem-solving skills in order to solve real-world problems. As a graduate made at Kent Business School, you’ll have the skills and confidence to lead and inspire others, be innovative, and manage sustainably.
Kent Business School is a supportive community, where you’ll work closely with your academic adviser and other academic staff. They are experts in all areas of business who will expose you to the right mix of detailed theory and hands-on experience.
Convert your HND or Foundation Year into a full degree with an extra year of study.
Top-up your current qualification to a full degree in just one year.
Study at a 'triple crown' accredited business school.
Our expert teaching staff appear in the top 2% of researchers worldwide.
Providing an excellent student experience at Canterbury.
The only qualifications accepted for this programme are:
You take all compulsory modules and select 40 credits from a list of optional modules. These may be at Level 5 or Level 6 but a maximum of 20 credits of these may be at Level 5 in order to meet the requirements of an honours degree.
In the rapidly evolving world of business, developing and implementing effective strategies is vital for success. This module equips you with the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in the field of strategic management.
You’ll engage in rigorous analysis and critical thinking to explore a range of strategic concepts. These include the fundamentals of strategic planning, advanced topics in supply chain dynamics, and issues such as quality management, technology-driven innovation, and project/event management.
Throughout the module, you’ll engage in interactive discussions, group projects, case studies, and hands-on exercises to enhance your problem-solving and decision-making skills. By the end, you’ll have the ability to analyse and apply critical thinking to evaluate strategic alternatives and make informed recommendations.
In a world characterised by perpetual transformation, how can emerging business leaders navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities that shape corporate strategy? Through engaging and interactive sessions, you’ll explore the complexities inherent in leadership principles and strategic decision-making.
This module emphasises hands-on learning, ensuring that you gain the knowledge and essential practical skills needed for effective leadership in contemporary business environments. After finishing the module, you’ll understand the vital corporate strategy tools organisations use to navigate the complex landscape of strategic planning and decision making. This understanding of these processes and tools makes you an asset to employers and help you stand out in the job market after graduation.
What is the impact of a changing world on cross-border management? How can culture, organisation, communication, leadership, and ethics be managed effectively in different locations? The current era offers unprecedented excitement and opportunities for learning.
You'll gain a comprehensive introduction to the latest research on cross-cultural management. Based on critical analysis of the assumptions underlying various approaches to studying national cultures, you’ll apply frameworks to understand cross-cultural issues managers in international organisations may face. Some of the topics you’ll study include different approaches to cross-cultural management, cultural frameworks and how to apply them, the role of the global manager, and global management challenges.
Experiential learning and teamwork are integral to the module and the teaching is highly participative. You’ll participate in various group exercises including an assignment in partnership with Kelley School of Business in the USA. This active experience working with peers and with another international institution helps you make rapid progress in your understanding of cross-cultural management, giving you an edge in the job market.
Kent Business School views assessment and feedback as an integral part of excellent pedagogy and our courses use assessment as a developmental mechanism that scaffolds and supports students’ learning by providing meaningful and timely feedback on their progress throughout their student journey. This course aims to have a balance of different assessment types to support the development of the knowledge, skills, and behaviours that students will need to further their career ambitions.
For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours which include both direct contact hours and private study hours. The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules.
Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules.
Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
For course aims and learning outcomes please see the course specification.
The main objective for me was finding a course that had great links to industry.
Our graduates look to make their mark on the organisations they join, whether they are large multinational companies or small local firms in Kent.
Kent Business School students make their ambitions known, working at companies like:
*The Government announced on 4 November 2024 that tuition fees in England for Home students will increase to £9,535 from £9,250 for the academic year 2025/26. This increase requires Parliamentary approval, which is expected to be given in early/mid 2025.
Tuition fees may be increased in the second and subsequent years of your course. Detailed information on possible future increases in tuition fees is contained in the Tuition Fees Increase Policy.
The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
Students will require regular access to a desktop computer/laptop with an internet connection to use the University of Kent’s online resources and systems. Please see information about the minimum computer requirements for study.
Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.
Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details.
We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.
Next steps
If you are from the UK or Ireland, you must apply for this course through UCAS. If you are not from the UK or Ireland, you can apply through UCAS or directly on our website if you have never used UCAS and you do not intend to use UCAS in the future.
We welcome applications from students all around the world with a wide range of international qualifications.
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