Business Management
NP29Turn your passion for business into purpose-driven leadership. In our BA (Hons) Business Management programme, you'll develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to thrive in today's dynamic business world. This innovative programme focuses on applied learning, where you'll solve real industry challenges and develop entrepreneurial thinking – all without the pressure of traditional exams. With four specialisms and flexible final-year options, you can tailor your degree to match your ambitions, whether that's joining a national, global, or private corporation, managing projects, or launching your own venture.
Course overview
At Winchester, we believe business education should mirror the real business world: dynamic, practical, and focused on solving actual challenges. Our recently redesigned Business Management degree (launched September 2024) moves beyond traditional theory-heavy approaches to place you at the centre of real industry scenarios, from day one. With 92% of our graduates in employment or further study, placing us in the Top 20 among English institutions (5-year aggregate), the real-world focus of our approach delivers tangible career outcomes.
Rather than simply studying what makes a business successful, you'll experience it first-hand. You'll learn through transformative educational approaches, working on live briefs with local organisations like Winchester Cathedral to test your business decisions in risk-free simulation environments, and build the professional capabilities employers are actively seeking – all in a supportive environment where your personal growth is just as important as your academic achievement.
Our graduates go on to work with prestigious organisations including Deloitte, PwC, Santander, Monzo, Quilter Investments, and BDO, demonstrating the real-world value and recognition of a Winchester business education.
Our unique position as a Business School that shares a faculty with Computer Science allows us to integrate valuable digital skills throughout your learning journey, preparing you for the increasingly tech-driven business landscape. With guidance from our diverse, international teaching team, you’ll also have the chance to develop a global business mindset and connect with potential employers through our annual placement events and business symposiums. Take your work experience even further with an optional year-long placement between your second and third year of study.
Students who complete our BA (Hons) Business Management are also automatically pre-approved to start their MBA at Winchester. To be eligible, you will need to apply by the end of March in your final year and meet the entry requirements.
University of Winchester Pathways to Business and Management Programme
The Pathways to Business and Management programme runs for the first time from October 2024. The pathway is an opportunity for prospective business and management students to engage in a series of practical and informative sessions delivered by academics and business professionals at the Faculty of Business and Digital Technologies
Participants in Pathways to Business and Management are eligible to receive reduced contextual offers on the following University of Winchester courses:
- BA (Hons) Business and Management
Eligibility for the programme
The programme is open to all home/ Channel Islands Year 12 and Year 13 students.
Programme activities include:
• Lectures and seminar activities based on a variety of business and management topics
• Experience of practical business activities such as innovation, marketing, leadership and strategy
• Career guidance and advice from successful business professionals
• Optional interview experience with the Dean of Faculty or Head of Department
All activities are delivered live at the University of Winchester. Some activities are also delivered virtually.
For more information on the Pathways to Business and Management programme and how to apply
Please click here for the Business and Digital Technologies Pathways programme - Privacy Notice
What you need to know
Course start date
September
Location
On campus
Course length
- 3 years full-time
- 4 years sandwich (with industry placement)
Apply
NP29
Typical offer
104-120 points
Fees
From £9,535 pa
Course features
- Design your own course: Specialise in Marketing, Finance, Project Management, or Innovation and Enterprise.
- Option to spend a paid placement year in industry.
- No traditional exams: Core module assessments are entirely project-based, focusing on real-world applications.
- Incubator space: Develop your ideas in our exclusive new Hatchery space.
- Flexible final year project: Choose from a consultancy project, work placement, dissertation, or launch your own business.
- Receive 1-on-1 employability support from your first year with a personal development plan (PDP) and a range of tailored career events.
- Digital edge: Gain technical skills in web development, design thinking, and AI fundamentals.
- Simulation learning: Use cutting-edge software to experience business decision-making in real time.
Course details
Your journey through our Business Management degree is designed to turn you from a curious student into a confident, capable business professional. You will be taught primarily through a combination of lectures and seminars in small groups and expected to develop your own learning through independent and collaborative research and study.
While your class contact hours, independent learning and assessment activity may vary depending on the optional modules you select, here’s what you can expect from your Business Management course:
Year 1 (Level 4): Building Foundations
Develop core business knowledge while experiencing our applied approach from day one. You'll work in teams on real business challenges, master essential business software, and begin exploring entrepreneurial thinking and sustainable business practices.
Teaching, learning and assessment: 288 hours
Independent learning: 912 hours
Year 2 (Level 5) : Developing Expertise
Deepen your knowledge and begin exploring your chosen specialism. You’ll complete our innovative Consultancy & Research module, developing idea generation and research skills through a twelve-week intensive program where you'll work on briefs for real clients. You'll also have the option of a 15-credit volunteering module to undertake a placement in a voluntary sector organisation.
Teaching, learning and assessment: 276 hours
Independent learning: 912 hours
Placement: 12 hours
Year 3 (Level 6): Professional Application
Bring everything together and prepare for your next steps into employment with your choice of final year Capstone project.
Teaching, learning and assessment: 252 hours
Independent learning: 948 hours
Percentage of the course assessed by coursework
The assessment balance between examination and coursework depends to some extent on the optional modules you choose. The approximate percentage of the course assessed by different assessment modes is as follows:
Year 1 (Level 4)*:
74% coursework
0% written exams
26% practical assessment
Year 2 (Level 5)*:
62% coursework
12% written exams
26% practical assessment
Year 3 (Level 6)*:
62% coursework
10% written exams
28% practical assessment
*Please note these are indicative percentages and modes for the programme.
Feedback
We are committed to providing timely and appropriate feedback to you on your academic progress and achievement in order to enable you to reflect on your progress and plan your academic and skills development effectively. You are also encouraged to seek additional feedback from your course tutors.
Modules
Please note the modules listed are correct at the time of publishing. The University cannot guarantee the availability of all modules listed and modules may be subject to change. The University will notify applicants of any changes made to the core modules listed. For further information please refer to winchester.ac.uk/termsandconditions
Modules
Whatever a student’s future career, there are certain professional skills that are required in the workplace. This module provides opportunities to acquire and apply essential skills for academic success, while also developing digital skills that are a prerequisite for a successful career. Students will practice, and build confidence in wide ranging skills, as part of their transition into higher education. By establishing and pursuing a personal development plan, students develop a set of personal qualities such as self-awareness, confidence and resilience; and professional skills such as communication, teamwork, risk management, coaching and feedback. Whilst students learn to construct outstanding CVs and professional LinkedIn profiles, this module also aims to raise students’ digital skills competencies. The module will cover the general Microsoft Office suite and specific digital skills of particular relevance to the discipline that the student is studying. This module is taught as a mix of lectures, practitioner guest lectures, hands-on skills seminars and computer lab sessions.
An important aspect for a contemporary business is to adhere to the requirements of responsible and ethical management. Due to the rapid changes and current dynamics in the environmental and social arenas, shareholder demands develop swiftly. This module prepares the students as future managers and business owners to react to these demands in a prompt, agile and responsible manner. Even in a world of AI and technological advancement, work is not possible without human planning and interaction. Much what is at stake in business organisations depends on the behaviour of groups and their individual members. Late developments in the disciplines of psychology and organisational behaviour help us to understand the significance of considering human behaviour in recruiting and retaining skilled workforce and talent. Apart from the above, the module provides practical insights into the foundations of the entire process of human resource management by addressing major contemporary issues such as diversity, inclusion and equality of opportunity at the workplace.
This module equips non-accounting students with the basic financial skills and understanding of economics at both personal and macro levels. This will support their learning through their management-related degree studies, and also the management of their own finances. The module introduces principles and concepts of economics and this sets the scene on markets and the motivations of human beings and their decisions in becoming ‘better off’: the module will examine how the economics relates to and can determine a person and a country’s well-being. Fundamental financial processes will include analysis of financial statements, knowledge of cost behaviours and forecasting, financial decision making such as how to price a product or service. The module allows students to bring together their financial skills by preparing extracts from a business plan as part of an application for finance.
This module introduces the concepts, theories, and practices of marketing. It explores the meaning and scope of modern marketing as both a management philosophy and a business function. The module contains three components.
MARKETING PRINCIPLES
Marketing concepts are examined in depth, emphasising the importance of aligning marketing strategies with market demands. Students are encouraged to develop a critical marketing perspective, considering the broader impact of marketing on the economy, society, and the environment.
MARKETING RESEARCH
Students will learn the fundamental methodologies and techniques collecting, analysing, and interpreting data. It equips them with the necessary skills to conduct valuable research and contribute to evidence-based marketing practices in today's fast-paced business environment. Students will gain a deep understanding of how marketing research offers valuable insights into consumer behaviour, market trends, and competition.
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
Students will explore contemporary consumer behaviour theory and its relevance in marketing management, decision-making, and societal contexts. Various disciplinary perspectives, including economics, psychology, sociology, and cultural anthropology, are examined to reveal the motivations underlying consumer behaviour.
Modules
This module enables you to develop your understanding and competence in using diverse research methods for academic and professional purposes. You will explore a variety of research approaches and will develop practical qualitative and quantitative research skills including defining and scoping a project; designing an effective and manageable research protocol; collecting data and using appropriate analysis methods.
You will develop an appreciation of ethical implications of the research process to facilitate responsible research practice and will be introduced to the key stages required to complete an applied project from concept to delivery. You will learn how to manage a project and contribute effectively as a member of a project team, using ideas generation techniques and problem-solving skills to develop innovative solutions to business problems. This module contributes to your continuing professional development as you will gain key insights into how to perform technical process improvement tasks in a range of environments to solve real-world business problems.
The ongoing success, and sustainability, of established organisations often depends on their ability to generate innovative products and services. New and early-stage ventures typically rely upon radically different ideas to gain a critically important foothold in the market. Furthermore, it is also essential for business success, that an organisation is then able to leverage the global business opportunities that creativity can provide. Thus, the ability to communicate and work with others in a multicultural, diverse, and ever-changing environment is key.
The module will challenge students to develop their creative and critical thinking skills, to engage in design-thinking processes and to employ a user-centred approach to innovation. It will also provide students with the key skills and knowledge to allow them to apply international business management communications principles to complex scenarios in an International organisational context.
Excellent project management, efficient day to day operations, and a reliable, sustainable supply chain are at the heart of a successful businesses. This module explores the role and purpose of each, with a focus on project initiation, the principles of Sustainable Operations and Supply Chain Management and the opportunity to gain a professional Lean Foundation qualification.
- Performance Marketing - 30 credits
- Financial Management - 30 credits
- Project Management: Application and Implementation - 15 credits
- Project Management: Monitoring and Control - 15 credits
- Be Your Own Boss - 15 credits
- Disruptive Business Innovation - 15 credits
- Web Development - 15 credits
- Volunteering - 15 credits
Modules
This module provides a holistic overview of strategic management from a global perspective and aims to develop informed, critical, and responsible managers who can lead others in an effective and ethical way, aligned with their values.
Drawing upon traditional academic theories and current debates, the module evaluates the relationship between strategic analysis, strategic formulation, strategic implementation, and business performance in the global arena. Furthermore, students will develop a systematic understanding of the key issues and concepts in the leadership, change [including formulating and executing change as well as overcoming resistance to change], and crises with a critical perspective.
The module examines how external and internal factors influence strategic decisions and how strategic choices contribute to an organisation’s performance in an increasingly dynamic and hyper-competitive environment. In the module
On completion of the module, students will be able to apply different strategic management tools to analyse and evaluate the strategic position of firms, develop a set of alternative strategies that will enable a firm to become or remain competitive in the national and global marketplace and recommend how organisational systems should be aligned to support a firm’s national and international strategic direction. In addition, students should be able to critically evaluate why and how ethical leadership is important and how it guides organisations through change and crises from a practical, ethical and international perspective.
- From Idea to Success: Your Business Start Up- 30 credits
- Advanced Project Management- 30 credits
- Investments and Financial Risk Management- 30 credits
- Brand and Innovation Management- 30 credits
- Social Media Marketing- 30 credits
Entry requirements
Our offers are typically made using UCAS tariff points to allow you to include a range of level 3 qualifications and as a guide, the requirements for this course are equivalent to:
- A-Levels: BCC-BBB from 3 A Levels or equivalent grade combinations (e.g. BBB is comparable to ABC in terms of tariff points)
- BTEC/CTEC: DMM from BTEC or Cambridge Technical (CTEC) qualifications
- International Baccalaureate: To include a minimum of 2 Higher Level certificates at grade H4
- T Level: Merit in a T Level
Additionally, we accept tariff points achieved for many other qualifications, such as the Access to Higher Education Diploma, Scottish Highers, UAL Diploma/Extended Diploma and WJEC Applied Certificate/Diploma, to name a few. We also accept tariff points from smaller level 3 qualifications, up to a maximum of 32, from qualifications like the Extended Project (EP/EPQ), music or dance qualifications. To find out more about UCAS tariff points, including what your qualifications are worth, please visit UCAS.
In addition to level 3 study, the following GCSE is required:
GCSEs in Mathematics at grade 4 or C, or higher. Functional Skills at level 2 is accepted as an alternative, however Key Skills qualifications are not. If you hold another qualification, please get in touch and we will advise further.
If you will be over the age of 21 years of age at the beginning of your undergraduate study, you will be considered as a mature student. This means our offer may be different and any work or life experiences you have will be considered together with any qualifications you hold. UCAS have further information about studying as a mature student on their website which may be of interest.
If English is not your first language, a formal English language test will most likely be required and you will need to achieve the following:
- IELTS Academic at 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all four components (for year 1 entry)
- We also accept other English language qualifications, such as IELTS Indicator, Pearson PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and TOEFL iBT
If you are living outside of the UK or Europe, you can find out more about how to join this course by contacting our International Recruitment Team via our International Apply Pages.
2025/6 Course Tuition Fees
| UK / Channel Islands / Isle of Man / Republic of Ireland |
International |
|
|---|---|---|
| Year 1* | £9,535 | £16,700 |
Additional tuition fee information
*(UK / Channel Islands / Isle of Man / Republic of Ireland) £9,535 for the 25/26 academic year. Fees for future academic years will be determined in line with our Terms and Conditions. The fee is currently subject to a governmental fee cap for each academic year. It is our policy to charge tuition fees at the level of the cap set by the Government. If the cap set by the Government changes, then we may increase our Fees in line with governmental policy.
*(International) £16,700 for the 25/26 academic year. Fees for future academic years will be determined in line with our Terms and Conditions. We decide the annual level of increase of our Tuition Fees by taking into account a range of factors including the cost of delivering the course and change in governmental funding.
Remember, you don’t have to pay any of this upfront if you are able to get a tuition fee loan from the UK Government to cover the full cost of your fees each year.
UK Part-Time fees are calculated on a pro rata basis of the full-time fee for a 120 credit course. The fee for a single credit is £79.45 and a 15 credit module is £1,191. Part-time students can take up to a maximum 90 credits per year, so the maximum fee in a given year will be the government permitted maximum fee of £7,145
International part-time fees are calculated on a pro rata basis of the full-time fee for a 120 credit course. The fee for a single credit is £139.14 and a 15 credit module is £2,087.
Additional costs
As one of our students all of your teaching and assessments are included in your tuition fees, including, lectures/guest lectures and tutorials, seminars, laboratory sessions and specialist teaching facilities. You will also have access to a wide range of student support and IT services.
There might be additional costs you may encounter whilst studying. The following highlights the mandatory and optional costs for this course:
Optional
Core Text
Multiple copies of core text are held within the library and e-books are identified where possible, however due to limited availability students are recommended to purchase a copy for their own use. It is possible for students to purchase second-hand copies. Indicative cost: £50 - £300 per year.
Volunteering and Placements
Students may incur travel costs on optional volunteering placements in the second and third year of study. Indicative cost: £5 - £30 per day.
There may be an additional contribution for optional school trips. Indicative cost £5 - £30 per day.
Smart Wear
Students may be expected to dress formally for oral assessments. Costs will vary depending on the students existing wardrobe. Indicative cost: £0 - £50.
SCHOLARSHIPS, BURSARIES AND AWARDS
We have a variety of scholarship and bursaries available to support you financially with the cost of your course. To see if you’re eligible, please see our Scholarships and Awards.
CAREER PROSPECTS
A Business Management degree from the University of Winchester opens doors to diverse and rewarding career paths. Our exceptional 92% employment or further study rate (placing us in the Top 20 among English institutions based on a 5-year aggregate) demonstrates the effectiveness of our applied approach to business education. Our graduates succeed across multiple sectors, taking their applied knowledge and skills into different areas such as business development, project management, marketing, operations, human resources, finance, product development and strategic planning.
Our recently opened Hatchery space gives you a place to develop your business ideas with expert guidance, and our upcoming business maker space will soon allow you to prototype and test concepts before launching them into the world.
Many of our alumni are now running their own businesses, developing successful startups, working for major corporations including Deloitte, PwC, Santander, Monzo, Lush, Maserati, Wincanton, Channel 4, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, or making an impact in the public sector. The flexible nature of our degree, with its emphasis on practical skills and entrepreneurial thinking, prepares you for the changing nature of work in the 21st century – and beyond it.
From your first year, we focus on building your employability through:
- Regular career development workshops
- CV and interview skills training
- Assessment centre preparation
- Networking events with industry professionals and successful alumni
- Optional placement opportunities
- 3-4 annual employability events, including placements and presentations from employers
Our close relationships with local and regional businesses create pathways to employment, while our growing placement program offers valuable work experience opportunities, including a sandwich year in industry. The skills you develop – from critical thinking and problem-solving to digital literacy and holistic project management – are exactly what today's employers are seeking.
Pre-approved for a Masters
If you study a Bachelor Honours degrees with us, you will be pre-approved to start a Masters degree at Winchester. To be eligible, you will need to apply by the end of March in the final year of your degree and meet the entry requirements of your chosen Masters degree.
OUR CAREERS SERVICE
Read about Winchester's Business Management Employability Day when recent graduates returned to the West Downs Centre to share their secrets of business success with current students.
