Undergraduate BSc (Hons)
Business and Management
with a Foundation Year
At Canterbury, you’ll gain the skills to aspire, grow and lead.
At Canterbury, you’ll gain the skills to aspire, grow and lead.
Do you want to be the kind of leader who can make decisions that look at the big picture?
Our BSc Business and Management course is designed to support those who want to learn to lead and manage responsibly. Whether you see yourself starting your own business or leading teams to help create a sustainable future, this course is for you.
You’ll gain essential transferrable skills that serve you well across a wide variety of business areas including data analysis techniques and how to communicate with confidence. Business and Management also gives you a broad view of how businesses operate. You’ll cover topics including management theories, marketing, economics, accounting, human resource management.
The Foundation Year is for students whose school-leaving qualifications are below the level required. It offers one year of full-time study prior to the start of your BSc course. As you progress, you’ll be introduced to the advanced concepts of many business and management disciplines with the flexibility to tailor your course to suit your interests. Once you graduate you’ll have the skills and confidence to lead and inspire others, be innovative, and manage sustainably.
We have 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.
Love the sound of this course, but want to be closer to London on a smaller close-knit campus? Our course at Medway might be for you.
Gain work experience with a paid year in industry.
Study at a ‘Triple Crown’ business school accredited by AACSB, AMBA, and EQUIS.
Take a ‘selfie year’ and bring your business ideas to life at our aspire centre.
in the UK for Business and Management (The Guardian University Guide 2024).
Our expert teaching staff appear in the top 2% of researchers worldwide.
CDD
MMP
80 Tariff points from your IB Diploma, Typically H5, H4, H4 or equivalent
Mathematics grade 4 / C and English grade 4 / C
N/A
The University will consider applicants holding T level qualifications in subjects closely aligned to the course.
Access to HE Diploma in (subject being taken) with a minimum of 45 Credits at level 3 with 9 credits at Distinction and 12 credits at Merit
We consider all applications on an individual basis during Clearing and you're encouraged to get in touch to discuss your grades. You're most likely to be offered a place in Clearing for this course if you hold the following subjects:
GCSE / IB - Mathematics
The Foundation Year aims to extend access to university education to students from a wide variety of educational backgrounds and age groups and prepares these students for our three or four-year degrees.
After successful completion of the foundation year, you can transfer on to the three or four-year Business and Management programmes. Please refer to the BSc Business and Management, BSc Business and Management with a Year Abroad or BSc Business and Management with a Year in Industry programme for more information about specific modules.
Make rapid progress in understanding European and international business ahead of your undergraduate degree. Through our expert teaching and hands-on projects - including a Dragon’s Den style presentation - you will quickly get up to speed with the topic of international business, while learning and developing your own leadership style. You'll gain the knowledge, skills and confidence that create a strong foundation in international business for your undergraduate degree and beyond.
There has never been a higher demand for business analysis globally. When you study with Kent Business School you'll also be in demand as a talented, skilled and knowledgeable analyst. You'll learn the key essentials of business analysis, getting you ready for your degree and your career. From strategic positioning to Excel analysis, you'll be prepared to hit the ground running as an undergraduate student and build the foundations of an exciting and successful career.
Through this module, students will develop the transferable linguistic and academic skills necessary to successfully complete all the other modules on the IFP. The programme of study will cover academic writing, reading, speaking and listening skills.
Through this module, students will develop the transferable linguistic and academic skills necessary to successfully complete all the other modules on the IFP. The programme of study focuses primarily on grammar, vocabulary and academic writing skills but will include all language skills.
The module begins with an intensive revision of language structures and goes on to embed these structures into academic writing. Students will learn key steps in the writing process and be introduced to a range of written academic genres. Throughout the module, students will also develop their academic vocabulary through reading and writing tasks specially designed for this.
Through this module, students will improve the transferable academic skills necessary to successfully complete their other modules on the IFP and to succeed on their future undergraduate programmes. The programme of study will cover the development of critical and analytical skills.
Students will attend regular seminars/workshops each week, focusing on furthering their academic skills. They will receive input on developing a research topic; writing and presenting a proposal; developing research questions; and engaging in reflection on the research and writing process. Students will also review how to write an annotated bibliography; briefly revisit how to plan and write an essay and how to undertake research; and practice presentation skills. They will have the opportunity to meet with their tutor regularly during the term for tutorials, to discuss their individual projects and progress on the module.
What do economists do? This module will introduce students to a wide range of thinking and economic analysis. It will explain how economists think, use evidence and draw conclusions. Different perspectives will be compared and the power of economic reasoning to explain and predict the world will be evaluated. Of particular focus will the differences in economic outcomes between firms, people and countries,
How to study economics and other social sciences Economics like other social sciences demands a high degree of numeracy, the ability to read, understand and communicate a large body of readings, the ability to draw and defend your own conclusions. These core learning skills will be embedded in the course and assessed through assignments and exams
Through this module, students will develop their analytical and problem solving skills to successfully complete other related modules on the IFP. The programme of study will be divided into lectures in calculus, algebra and statistics.
As part of the orientation process, students will take a pre-course test which, along with other factors, will determine whether they go into the upper or lower band. This will involve an in class test in the first week. Students will then be grouped according to their mathematical ability and academic focus. The teaching in the upper bands will be geared more towards systematically working towards a solution while that in the lower bands will deal with mathematical techniques.
In your first year, you’ll build a strong foundation in key business areas. You’ll explore a range of topics like marketing, learn more about management theory and practice, and develop a deeper appreciation for some of the big-picture challenges faced by organisations today. You’ll hone key skills, like the ability to work with data, by studying accounting, economics, and statistics and you’ll finish this year with the confidence to explore more specialised areas in the next.
In today's interconnected world, businesses operate across borders, facing challenges and opportunities in a dynamic global environment. You’ll develop expertise in the complexities of international business and acquire the skills to analyse the impact of globalisation, trade, investment, political systems, and ethics on business operations. You’ll understand the global business world and develop analytical skills to turn data into valuable information for business decisions and position yourself for success in international business.
Excel is a highly demanded skill by employers, in both starting your career and making rapid progress throughout it. You’ll master the fundamentals of this powerful tool and also be introduced to some more advanced technologies that will give you an even greater edge in the workplace. Learn to think creatively through the application of analytics and Excel techniques to real world business problems.
What are the best ways to manage people in organisations? How are decisions made about the design of work, the structure of an organisation, and who is accountable or responsible for different activities? What are the best ways to manage people in organisations? How are decisions made about the design of work, the structure of an organisation, and who is accountable or responsible for different activities? You’ll understand the practices of contemporary organisations by looking at a wide range of different theories of management, starting with classical management perspectives like scientific management or human relations theory and then considering more contemporary issues like culture management and leadership styles. Using case studies, you'll develop key skills like critical thinking and be able to reflect on the ethics and fairness of contemporary forms of work.
Marketing is an exciting and dynamic field that offers endless opportunities for innovation, creativity and growth. With advancements in technology, shifts in consumer behaviour and emerging trends, marketers have the opportunity to explore new strategies and tactics to help firms effectively reach and communicate with their target customers.
Creating brand awareness, engagement, satisfaction and loyalty is vital for sales growth in competitive and dynamic markets. You'll learn how to develop and implement effective marketing plans and strategies as well as exploring how key elements of the marketing mix can be used to create and communicate a distinctive value proposition that helps a product or service stand out from the competition. You'll gain the skills, knowledge and confidence needed to develop, deliver and refine digital marketing strategies that make employers sit up and take notice.
Data analytics are a fundamental tool for any organisation that plans to make strategic use of their data assets and enable data-driven decision-making. You cover the core concepts of data analytics (descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive) including: data management; descriptive statistics; inferential statistics; exploratory data analysis; regression modelling; machine learning; programming data-driven solutions; and developing data-driven recommendations.
Our workshops give you experience in using an industry standard programming language, as well as Graphical User Interface - based tools. This gives you the opportunity to choose the most appropriate method for you own future employability needs. You'll learn and develop employability skills in selecting and using appropriate statistical tools to analyse data, effective use of data visualisation techniques and the formulation of data management strategies for business data analytics. You’ll be able to critically analyse a problem domain and apply the data analytics approach to support data-driven decision making and facilitate strategy implementation and position your business for growth.
What are the major challenges that businesses face today? How are ways of managing, organizing, and conducting business changing because of the rise of artificial intelligence and prevalence of large data systems, or because the challenges that we currently face around the ageing population of our society? How are we innovating and creating new sustainable systems to respond to global ecological crisis with "clean growth"? How are we developing our infrastructure or adapting our systems of production and consumption in order to respond to the challenges of mobility and transport?
On this module we seek to explore answers to these kinds of questions by drawing on the latest research in management and organization studies. We will take a case study-based approach to evaluating the grand challenges, looking at different case study examples every week in order to understand how different organizations are mobilizing people and resources to innovate and respond to these big-picture challenges in impactful ways.
This module also explores the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and how they contribute to a global perspective on addressing the challenges.
Who do you want to be when you graduate? What are you career ambitions? This module seeks to help new KBS students to start thinking about their emerging professional identity and future career goals. It helps students to begin to take a reflective approach to their career development and supports them to see the relevance of their learning to the graduate labour market. It encourages students to see the importance of gaining relevant work experience prior to graduating and what they need to do to secure this. It also introduces them to the employability enhancing opportunities and the support available to them from across the University, professional bodies, and external organizations. Medway version.
The module is designed to teach students how to prepare, read and interpret financial information with a view to their being future business managers rather than accountants.
The module will begin with a brief demonstration of bookkeeping using an easy understandable approach. Students will be shown how to prepare financial statements from a trial balance and make adjustments to the figures given by acting on information given in a short scenario.
The regulatory framework of financial reporting will be considered with annual reports and accounts of a variety of organisations. The module will end with an analysis of financial statements with students shown how to interpret data and make sensible recommendations.
Every lecturer we had was an expert in their field – we had some of the best people teaching us.Zaid Mahmood
In the second year, you’ll expand your knowledge of key areas of business activity like managing supply chains and projects. You’ll become a confident and effective communicator, exploring in greater detail the management of human resources and the creation of new businesses. In line with KBS’s commitment to sustainable futures, you’ll also learn about how businesses can make more ethical and sustainable decisions.
This module aims to equip you with the knowledge and skills to identify, analyse, and evaluate ethical issues in business. Through critical reflection and analytical argumentation, you’ll develop the ability to articulate your views and critique opposing perspectives on ethical matters.
The focus of this module is on gaining an in-depth understanding of business ethics and cultivating critical thinking skills, enabling you to emerge as a conscientious leader in your field. Corporate social responsibility and sustainability are central themes due to the growing interest and expectations from stakeholders on environmental and social performance.
The module covers essential theories such as utilitarianism, deontological theories, corporate social responsibility, and the triple bottom line, applying these concepts to real-life business situations through case studies.
Operations management is the highly important activity of managing the resources devoted to production and delivery of products and services.
We'll explore conceptual, analytical, and practical aspects of how to effectively manage operations in manufacturing and service companies. We’ll look at various types of businesses including in the private, public, and third sector as well as start-up organisations.
You’ll develop highly sought after knowledge, understanding, skills and abilities in analysing, judging and decision-making in these areas. All of these will be very valuable when starting out in your career.
What are the key policies and practices that shape how we manage people in organisations? You'll learn about all areas of human resource management theory and practice — from planning and recruiting for your human resource requirements through to effective performance and reward management, employee relations and the ethical treatment of staff.
By the end of the module, you will have increased your awareness and developed your knowledge and skills in effective management by looking at practices currently applied within organisations. This skill set is crucial as you progress in your career in HR management through this module, you should have everything you need to thrive in your career.
Project management has rapidly emerged as an essential discipline for businesses seeking to achieve strategic and sustainable goals. It can be applied across industries, offering indispensable tools for organisational development. Whatever field you are working in, project managers are in the driving seat of progress.
This module provides in-depth insights into project management concepts, principles, and applications, giving you essential approaches, tools, and techniques which you can apply to various contexts.
You’ll enhance your analytical, critical and reflective thinking skills. By integrating project management expertise with discipline-specific knowledge, you’ll have a competitive edge when you finish the module, enabling you to succeed in both project and non-project-oriented careers.
Are you interested in starting your own business? What are the tools and skills you need to do so? Why are startups becoming more popular? We’ll delve into the social and economic changes that have raised the status of enterprises, small businesses, and entrepreneurial ventures in the global economy.
We’ll consider entrepreneurs, their characteristics and motivations, and the barriers and issues that they face when planning and establishing a new startup venture. You'll learn what makes new ventures grow and succeed, and evaluate the practical decisions that entrepreneurs need to make to maximise the chances of their business succeeding.
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.
Making decisions is crucial for managers and businesses, as they shape our lives and impact outcomes at work. However, making smart decisions in the face of complexity and uncertainty can be challenging. How can data support our decisions in such uncertain contexts?
Together we’ll explore various quantitative and graphical methods that help identify, represent, and evaluate different options. These can help us make optimal decisions. We’ll guide you through the decision-making process in organisations, using an evidence-based approach drawn from research in behavioural psychology, economics, error management, and intuitive judgment. These tools will help you to make sound decisions in uncertain situations, enabling you to influence and lead effectively.
By the end of the module, you’ll have a deep understanding of informed decision-making methodologies. You’ll learn how to analyse problems, identify potential solutions, and evaluate outcomes in uncertain conditions. You'll be able to make decisive decisions supported by data and evidence in order to drive growth and deliver results for businesses.
Gain an in-depth and critical understanding of the complex and volatile work environments they may experience in the workplace. The development of relevant knowledge and skills to thrive and lead in today’s dynamic workplace in an ethical and sustainable way is a vital toolkit for today’s graduate. In doing so, you will understand the importance of values-driven and inclusive leadership, collaborative working, employee well-being, valuing difference and championing diversity, creativity, innovation, managing change and the role of AI. This will enable you to develop the knowledge and skills-base needed by business professionals.
International Marketing offers companies the opportunity to expand their business and reach new customers on a global scale. You’ll learn how to identify and evaluate new market opportunities, assess different ways to enter potential markets and appreciate the range of influences that exist in the international marketing environment that might require adaptations to marketing strategy and programmes. By taking a problem solving approach to the opportunities and challenges international marketers face, you’ll learn how to apply key international marketing theories and frameworks to help you demonstrate and develop the essential critical thinking and analytical skills needed in today’s workplace to justify your decision-making.
Your third year is where you’ll develop even more your expertise in a range of business contexts. You’ll learn to critically evaluate problems in global contexts on modules in leadership, strategy, and innovation, with a focus on how businesses can take their social responsibilities into account.
Optional modules mean that you’ll make choices to tailor your course to your aspirations and you’ll grow your employability skills with our specially designed modules and extensive support.
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.
In today's business environment, a wealth of data is available but many businesses find it difficult to transform that data into usable information that can shape meaningful decisions. In this module, you’ll learn to extract insights from historical data through interactive visual analytics, communicate complex information effectively, and gain hands-on experience using data to drive positive change in business, environment and society.
You’ll also explore advanced pattern recognition and forecasting techniques, enabling you to foresee future outcomes and trends. You’ll explore real-world case studies from diverse industries, giving you a deep insight into how data analytics is integral to the supply chain management, marketing, healthcare, and finance sectors.
By the end of this module, you’ll have the skills and knowledge to transform data into actionable insights and predictions, positively impacting any organisation you work for and driving growth.
An introduction to the concept of behavioural science and how its insights can be applied to the workplace. Behavioural Science is drawing from multiple scientific disciplines (e.g. psychology, behavioural economics). It aims to give new insights into how our minds operate in the modern business world. Applied to the workplace it can help us to shed new light onto a wide range of issues relating to HR. You'll gain a first insight as to how the developing cross-disciplinary field of behavioural science and provide you with novel tools to overcome organisational challenges. For example, you'll cover how behavioual sciences can help us to understand how our decision making can be inherently biased and affect selection and assessment processes or equality and inclusivity within the workplace, how humans are motivated, how the workplace environment can be affected by workplace interactions both between individuals and teams, or how stress or wellbeing are influenced by a number of workplace factors.
The law expects businesses to be governed responsibly and individuals within them to be mindful as to how they fulfil their legal obligations to their customers, the environment, their workforce and the public. You'll study negligence, company, employment and discrimination law, emphasizing responsible business governance and individual accountability. By analysing current legal issues and applying them to real-world scenarios, you'll enhance problem-solving skills, understanding of diverse impacts and ethical decision-making in business. Navigating complexities and ambiguities fosters critical thinking and integrity, preparing you for future studies and careers.
Study the different ways in which people operate within organisations. You're introduced to the strategic use of data in people operations to tackle workplace challenges effectively. You'll learn various methodologies for analysing and interpreting data to improve organisational performance and employee well-being. Explore diverse data collection, processing and utilisation techniques. Through practical exercises and case studies, you'll learn to extract valuable insights, recognise patterns and make informed decisions to optimise human capital management. Ethical considerations such as privacy and confidentiality are emphasised, ensuring responsible data usage. You'll leave with a thorough understanding of how data-driven approaches can positively impact organisational culture and productivity.
How do you think creatively for business and startup planning? You'll address opportunity recognition, product development, business proposal creation and entrepreneurial finance. Through teamwork, you'll develop leadership, problem-solving, communication and analytical skills. Analogies from diverse cultures aid personal connections, while the curriculum emphasises sustainability, lifelong learning and systems thinking. You'll gain entrepreneurial confidence, adaptability, opportunity recognition, risk management, and innovative mindset for diverse career paths.
Many developed economies are dominated by services, so it’s increasingly important to understand the customer decision making process involved with service encounters, as well as what’s involved in delivering quality service experiences and understanding how to positively influence customer perceptions at key touchpoints in the service delivery process. You’ll learn how the distinct characteristics of services create challenges for service marketers and explore how theoretical concepts and models of services marketing can be applied to address these challenges by examining the strategies and practices of service based companies. This will give you the skills and knowledge to formulate marketing strategies and programmes that are customer centric and enhance the service experience for target customers, enabling service organisations to compete more effectively.
We use a variety of teaching methods, including;
Classroom-based learning is supported by the latest online technologies and learning platforms.
Your progress is assessed through coursework and exams. Coursework takes a variety of forms and includes;
Exams are individual written assessments tested under time-controlled conditions.
As part of your studies it is also possible to take a foreign language module in stage 1 and for students going on a Year Abroad in year 1 and 2 subject to programme requirements. Alternatively, our university also offers language courses.
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. Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules. Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
For programme aims and learning outcomes please see the programme specification.
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:
For students continuing on this programme, fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.*
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.
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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In the QS World University Rankings 2024, Kent has been ranked 39th within the UK and is in the top 25% of Higher Education Institutions worldwide.
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Kent has risen 11 places in THE’s REF 2021 ranking, confirming us as a leading research university.
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