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.
Our typical offer levels are listed below and include indicative contextual offers. If you hold alternative qualifications just get in touch and we'll be glad to discuss these with you.
If you don't meet the academic requirements for direct entry, our Business and Management with a Foundation Year course offers one year of full-time study prior to the start of the BSc degree.
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
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.
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.
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.
The law affects the commercial world in many ways. This module focuses on how businesses fulfil their legal obligations to customers, suppliers and their workforce. As well as exploring how businesses are structured and the duties on directors and partners it also considers the legal obligations individuals and organisations have over those to whom they have a duty of care. The module further covers the main laws governing the employment of staff and contractors. By applying the law to real-world business situations students are able to fine-tune their problem solving skills, and their ability to construct well-reasoned and persuasive arguments.
Indicative topics are:
The English Legal System, Legal Process, Dispute Resolution and the impact of European Union Law in the UK;
Law of Negligence – including general principles and negligent misstatement;
Law of Business Organisations - classification of business organisations; main principles applying to general and limited liability partnerships and registered companies, and directors' duties;
Employment Law - the general scope of the legal obligations owed by employers to employees, including the employment contract, discrimination and dismissal.
We are all consumers of services. But have you ever wondered how these services are delivered and how technology has changed service provision? You'll explore the fundamentals of service provision and the technology that drives service improvement. You'll be equipped to manage and improve service delivery developing an excellent understanding of how to use service management tools and techniques to drive improvements, making you a valuable asset to businesses and giving you a real edge in a competitive job market.
You can't make strategic marketing decisions without market research. You’ll understand the theory and practice of market research, conducting both primary and secondary research to investigate, and provide solutions to, real life business problems. Through practical work based on live briefs, you’ll become highly competent in conducting your own market research and strategic decisions leading from it.
Businesses need to make decisions about everything, often at pace and always ensuring positive results. But making decisions can be difficult, which is why those that have the skills and confidence to make the right calls are valuable to business. You'll be able to take a structured and coherent approach to decision-making, involving a wide range of quantitative and graphical methods for representing and assessing alternatives to decide a best course of action. Leading companies across a wide range of sectors use decision analysis and you’ll understand how to apply it to a wide range of business situations, giving you the skill set you need to launch a successful career.
Consumer Behaviour is a critical exploration of the dynamics of how consumers and organisations engage with products and services. Society, culture, identity and psychology all influence consumer habits. So, what can marketers learn from the social and cultural world?
You'll learn why consumers from different backgrounds react uniquely to the same products, what drives the consumption patterns of individuals and groups, and how culture shapes our buying decisions. You'll unravel the social and cultural tapestries of consumers and gain the insights needed to connect, engage and succeed in a global marketplace. By embracing a wide spectrum of philosophical and research perspectives, you’ll gain a multifaceted understanding and critical thinking skills, greatly enhancing your employability and preparing you to tackle complex problems and adapt to diverse professional environments.
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.
We are all consumers of services. But have you ever wondered how these services are delivered and how technology has changed service provision? You'll explore the fundamentals of service provision and the technology that drives service improvement. You'll be equipped to manage and improve service delivery developing an excellent understanding of how to use service management tools and techniques to drive improvements, making you a valuable asset to businesses and giving you a real edge in a competitive job market.
In today's rapidly changing business world, understanding employee performance management is vital to adapt to new challenges globally. Getting the most out of employees and boosting productivity through a resilient and motivated workforce is how businesses not only survive but thrive. You’ll learn how to do this through evaluating and applying various models for performance management and developing a critical understanding of people management processes to improve both employee and organisational performance. This puts you in the position to jump into a successful and exciting management career where you can get the best out of your workforce and make a real impact in business.
Digital marketing is a rapidly changing dynamic environment. How can brands use digital marketing applications to acquire and retain customers? You'll study exciting topics such as affiliate marketing, influencers, search, programmatic advertising and the use of apps. The module's focus is on how digital marketing applications can be used to acquire and retain customers in an increasingly competitive world. Learn how digital marketing applications can be used to create integrated campaigns to target and then retain profitable customers.
Managing your career is essential. You'll build an understanding of the type of employee that is valued in business today. This will help you create a work identity that will get you ahead as you build your career, through knowing how personal brand, fitness levels, and the hours you work inform this identity, as well as how you can stay authentic to your true self while responding to work demands. You’ll be able to create a work identity that enables you to fulfil your potential and take you to the very top of the organisations you work in.
Strategic Human Resource Management (HRM) isn't just about aligning organisational goals with effective people management, it's about unlocking the full potential of both individuals and businesses. As you delve into the theories explaining practical people and organisational management issues, you'll embark on a journey of critical evaluation.
From understanding the strategic importance of human resource management to unravelling the complex links between strategic HRM and business strategy, you'll gain insights that go beyond textbooks. The module doesn't just stop at theory, it extends to practical applications and connects the dots between strategic HRM and organisational performance. You won't just possess theoretical knowledge, you'll be equipped with a toolkit of skills ready for navigating HRM in diverse contexts.
Businesses need to make decisions about everything, often at pace and always ensuring positive results. But making decisions can be difficult, which is why those that have the skills and confidence to make the right calls are valuable to business. You'll be able to take a structured and coherent approach to decision-making, involving a wide range of quantitative and graphical methods for representing and assessing alternatives to decide a best course of action. Leading companies across a wide range of sectors use decision analysis and you’ll understand how to apply it to a wide range of business situations, giving you the skill set you need to launch a successful career.
This module offers a comprehensive introduction to the area of cross-cultural management research. Based on a critical analysis of the assumptions underlying various approaches to studying national cultures, frameworks are applied to understand cross-cultural issues managers in international organisations may face. Indicative topics are:
• Management and culture
• Different approaches to cross-cultural management
• Cultural-frameworks and its application
• Roles of the global manager
• Global management challenges
Steven Bartlett said that "people are everything in business." But why do people matter so much at work and how do you keep staff motivated?
Applying cutting-edge research within psychology and behavioural science to business management and going beyond simply Human Research Management, you'll understand the skills you need to apply your new knowledge to organisations ensuring that you know how to manage people in an ethical and sustainable way.
Gain sought after skills in independently scoping, researching and reporting a problem as you develop a research project on a topic you want to explore. You'll get support from a series of workshops that cultivate key research skills like scoping a project, using databases to do secondary research, asking good interview or survey questions, coding data that you've collected, and reporting professionally on your findings. You'll be supported by a supervisor in your field, offering guidance as you shape and complete your project.
Business analytics isn't only concerned with understanding data, it's about transforming data into actions through your unique analysis and insights. Predictive and prescriptive analytics are the most important analysis tools in business today. We’ll make you an expert in both, through mastering the fundamentals and getting hands-on experience using software such as SPSS and Excel to find solutions for case studies, you’ll be ready to bring your analysis to real world scenarios.
The constant evolution of data intelligence and big data analysis means there has never been a higher demand for great data analysts, the kind you'll become at Kent Business School. You’ll learn how to use data analysis and computer programming techniques to get the crucial information and actions from data to drive results in business. Through your use of Python, you’ll make rapid progress towards mastering data visualisation and analysis skills, so you'll not only understand data, you’ll also be able to make other people understand it as well. Your ability to turn data into clear messaging for stakeholders will make you a key asset to any business.
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:
The 2024/25 annual tuition fees for this course are:
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
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.
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.
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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