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International Business Studies

Entry requirements


A level

C,C,D-B,B,C

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

MMP-DMM

UCAS Tariff

88-112

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

International business

**If you are looking to improve your knowledge of business and dream of a career overseas, our BSc International Business Studies programme is your next step.**
**Designed by our industry experienced academics, this course will give you the skills to manage diverse projects, teams and organisations across international borders.**
**We are proud to be ranked 14th for the UK’s top universities for producing CEOs and MDs.**

**Why study this subject?**
Our BSc International Business Studies programme has been specifically designed by our industry experienced lecturers to reflect the ins and outs of international business and allow you to understand the function and operations knowledge needed to succeed in global business industries.

This course aims to develop your knowledge and understanding of organisations across the globe, and the differences in the external environment in which they operate.

**Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?**
BNU is a vibrant and diverse university, with student experience at its heart. Our high lecturer-to-student ratio ensures that you receive continual and first-hand support throughout your degree. We will help you excel in your abilities and graduate with a versatile and in-demand degree.

Our industry-experienced academics will support you to develop the knowledge and understanding of agile project planning and management skills for local, regional, national and international organisations and groups.

Our strong links with industry and knowledge of their requirements for graduates helped to shape this programme. We will also introduce key business speakers and live briefs as assessments throughout the course.

Our International Business Studies course is also offered as a four-year programme in September 2024 including an initial Foundation Year. The Foundation Year will allow you to develop your academic study skills and build confidence in your abilities, identifying your own strengths and development needs for progression onto the undergraduate programme. 

**What will I study?**
With our BSc (Hons) International Business Studies programme, you will gain knowledge and expertise in managing global organisations.
You’ll cover diverse subject areas, including global strategies in digital business and managing people across cultures. Alongside developing key skills such as understanding financial decision making, enhancing your attention to detail and analytical thinking. Studying such varied topics will help you understand the impact of global businesses.

During your second year you will study international trade and leading and managing diverse teams. This will help you develop skills including working effectively in a team as well as an understanding of how external environments impact organisations across the globe. You will be able to choose optional modules including intergenerational business: family business growth and business law.

In your final year, you will focus on preparing for your future and career after graduation. In addition to learning about international finance, supply chain resilience and sustainable strategic agility and innovation, you will undertake an independent professional project. This allows you to examine a contemporary global business management issue, whilst using your time management, professionalism, and personal discipline skills.

**What are my career prospects?**
At BNU we’ll help you to develop crucial skills in managing global businesses, encouraging you to become enterprising, employable and good leaders. We also help you find employment after graduation.

You will have gained a wide range of knowledge and skills, so that you can pursue a career in any profession or business role around the globe.
This programme offers the opportunity to go on to postgraduate study, either on a full-time basis or part-time whilst working. You may choose to study for the MSc (Hons) International Business Management course offered by the University.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£15,000
per year
International
£15,000
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Buckinghamshire New University

Department:

School of Business and Law

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

55%
International business

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Business studies

Teaching and learning

45%
Staff make the subject interesting
52%
Staff are good at explaining things
59%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
64%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

52%
Library resources
69%
IT resources
71%
Course specific equipment and facilities
24%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

37%
UK students
63%
International students
69%
Male students
31%
Female students
44%
2:1 or above
28%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
D

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Business studies

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£19,000
med
Average annual salary
95%
med
Employed or in further education
58%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

32%
Sports and fitness occupations
18%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
7%
Business, research and administrative professionals

The number of business studies graduates fell significantly last year after a long period of increase. But there were still more than 14,000 degrees awarded and this is the third most popular subject for new graduates. Because so many graduates get business studies degrees, you can find them everywhere in the economy, and very few jobs are completely out of reach for a good business studies graduate. Around 40% go into jobs in finance, sales, recruitment, management (particularly retail) or marketing. There is also a small (but well paid) group who take their technical skills into computing and IT. Thousands of graduates from this subject go into professional jobs every year, and average starting salaries are above the average for all subjects and particularly healthy in London where they top £25k. Graduates with good degree grades in business studies are much more likely to get good jobs, so don’t be complacent, and keep a close eye on your grades.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Business studies

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£19k

£19k

£24k

£24k

£26k

£26k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here