Business Management BA (Hons) & Foundation Year

Course Overview

Are you interested in pursuing a career in business and management, but not sure if you’re ready for university study? Our business degree with additional foundation year has been designed to prepare you with the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in higher education, even if it’s been a while since you last studied or if you don’t have the qualifications needed to enter a standard university degree course. 

The BA (Hons) Business Management with Foundation Year will provide you with a taste of all the fundamentals of business, so you don’t need to have a particular career path in mind before enrolling on the course. As you explore areas of business such as finance, digital marketing, innovation, people management, and data analysis, you’ll start to form ideas about where you want to go in the future. This broad range of subjects will help you identify and evaluate the roles and contributions of the key business functions applicable to contemporary business, helping you become a well-rounded professional with a keen awareness of how business works. 

The BA (Hons) Business Management with Foundation Year has been developed by industry experts with your long-term future in mind. When you graduate from the course, you’ll do so as a well-rounded, highly-employable and self-motivated professional ready to take on any number of roles and challenges. 

When you graduate from this course you will receive:

• BA (Hons) Business Management
• CMI Level 5 Certificate in Management & Leadership
• Foundation Chartered Manager Status and the post nominal fCMgr
• ILM Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management
• IOEE Professional Diploma in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship

Accreditation and Memberships

CMI Accredited

This course awards a CMI Level 5 Certificate in Management & Leadership and offers CMI Foundation Chartered Manager Status.

BGA Membership

Arden University is a member of the Business Graduates Association (BGA), meaning students will receive complementary BGA membership.

AACSB Membership

Arden University is a member of the prestigious Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

ILM Accredited

ILM accreditation awards a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management upon graduation, which costs up to £3,000 if pursued independently.

Course details and modules

Arden's foundation year modules have been designed to give you a tailored and fully supportive introduction to university study. This first year of study will prepare you for success in higher education by introducing you to the academic skills and subject-specific knowledge required to excel in your chosen degree subject.

By providing you with the knowledge of the fundamentals of business - and teaching you exactly how an organisation works – we’ll prepare you to become a skilled and informed business practitioner, leader, or entrepreneur.

During your studies you’ll gain a wider understanding of business functions, operations, and cutting edge technologies in a range of exciting industries. You’ll also develop your personal and management attributes in dedicated skills-related modules to help build your soft skills and leadership abilities.

Using our business simulation software, you’ll be able to access a virtual business and run it as your own enterprise – managing activities such as marketing, sales, finances, people, product development, operations, and your supply chain. This will give you the chance to practice making critical decisions within a safe environment, helping you develop your ability to interpret commercial information and apply your learnings to generate a profit for your enterprise. On top of this, you’ll have access to our Digital Enterprise Hub throughout your course, which provides you with additional software and resources as well as real-world mentors and industry experts to draw knowledge from.

Study options

This course is available to study through Arden’s blended learning study mode.

Daytime classes are available in London Ealing, London Tower Hill, London Holborn, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Berlin, Germany. 

Evening classes are available in Tower Hill, London Holborn, Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham.

Weekend and evening classes are another option. You’ll have one class on a Friday evening and one class on Saturday each week. These are available in London Tower Hill and Leeds

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.

What you need to study with us

Our aim is to make learning as accessible as possible by ensuring that you can study in a flexible and convenient way. That's why we keep our requirements simple. All you need is a laptop or desktop PC (we recommend one running the latest version of Windows), and a good internet connection. Through ilearn, our online university campus in the cloud, you'll be able to access your course calendar, support services, learning materials, and our online library containing thousands of ebooks, as well as tools for creating assignments, keeping notes, and collaborating with other students on your course.

Eligibility 

To be able to study this course, we need to see that you have: 

• At least 3 x GCSEs OR 45 credits at Level 2 or equivalent – if your qualifications are older than 3 years we would also ask to see a professional CV.
• Applicants may be considered based on a minimum of 12 months of professional work experience evidenced with a CV and Reference if they do not meet the qualification requirements. 
• We also offer this course as a standard bachelor’s degree without foundation year. To view the course details, please click here. 

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.

Professor Dilshad Sheikh

Dean of the Faculty of Business

Career prospects

Perhaps you have a strong idea of where you want to go with your business degree, or perhaps you want to keep your career options open for now? Either way, don’t worry if you are still a little unclear about what the future holds. Your business management degree will give you a range of in-demand and transferable skills that will help you understand how modern organisations work. This gives you the freedom to take your time deciding where in the business ecosystem you’ll fit best, be it as an entrepreneur, manager, or if you are an experienced professional looking for a career change.