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International Business with Foundation Year

Entry requirements


Access to HE Diploma

M:15

Access to HE Diploma from a QAA recognised Access to HE course. Normally we require 15 credits at level 2 and 45 at level 3. At least 15 level 3 credits must be at merit grade or above from a QAA-recognised Access to HE course, or an equivalent Access to HE certificate.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

English Language at grade C or 4 or equivalent, and Maths at grade C or 4 or equivalent.

UCAS Tariff

64

This must include at least 32 points from one A level or equivalent BTEC National qualifications excluding general studies For example: CC at A Level, MPP in BTEC Extended Diploma, Pass overall from a T level qualification with D or E from core, or a combination of qualifications (which may include AS levels and EPQ).

About this course


This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

4years

Full-time including foundation year | 2024

Other options

5 years | Sandwich including foundation year | 2024

Subject

International business

**Please check the Sheffield Hallam University website for the latest information.**

**Course summary**

- Prepare for the degree with an extra foundation year at the start.

- Develop specialist expertise by studying key international business topics.

- Apply your knowledge and skills to real-life business projects.

- Study a foreign language to improve your employability.

This course will provide you with the theoretical knowledge, practical understanding and skills required to pursue a variety of careers in international business or management in both large and small organisations.

**How you learn:**

All our courses are designed around a set of key principles based on engaging you with the world, collaborating with others, challenging you to think in new ways, and providing you with a supportive environment in which you can thrive.

The course is suitable if you don't meet the entry requirements for our BA (Hons) International Business course, or you want extra preparation before starting degree-level study. You share the first year with other Sheffield Business School foundation year students, then move on to the degree.

Our large and diverse teaching team combines practical industry experience and academic research expertise. This enables us to offer a course that blends real-world understanding and relevance with advanced subject knowledge and a truly international perspective.

In the foundation year, you'll study wider business topics, while specialising in your chosen subject area. You'll learn useful skills such as academic writing, work in diverse teams and learn to utilise a wide variety of data sources. In doing so, you'll fully prepare yourself for undergraduate study.

**Applied learning**

**Work placements**

You will have the opportunity to arrange a year-long work placement between your third and fourth years. This gives you real-world experience to prepare you for your future career. Due to our strong relationships with regional, national and international employers, we can help you to secure a great placement opportunity and support you while you are there, and salaries of up to £22,000 are possible. If you study abroad or do your work placement in another European country there may be funding available through the Erasmus+ programme (until 2023) or the Turing Scheme.

Previous students have gained work placements with organisations including

- Carlsberg UK

- Experian

- GE Capital Solutions

- IBM UK

- Janssen Pharmaceuticals

- Lloyds Banking Group

- Metropolitan Police

- Microsoft UK

- Nestle UK

- Nissan Motors

- Unilever

- Vauxhall Motors

- Walt Disney Company

If you do not take a work placement, you can still gain valuable work experience through an international consultancy project during your final year.

**Networking opportunities**

You have an academic and professional adviser to support your progress and help you develop your academic skills. You can also join the student-led International Business and Economics Society to meet others and discuss and debate current events in the economy and business world. The society arranges social events and hosts guest lectures by academic experts and industry practitioners.

Modules

Module and assessment information for future years is displayed as currently validated and may be liable to change. When selecting electives, your choices will be subject to the core requirements of the course. As a result, selections may be limited to a choice between one of two or more specified electives in some instances.

Important notice: The structure for this course is currently being reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment are all likely to change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Once the changes have been confirmed, updated module information will be published on this page.

You will be able to complete a placement year as part of this course. See the modules table below for further information.

**Year 1**

**Compulsory modules**

The Exploration Of Law, Crime, Justice And Society

**Elective modules**

Social Justice In Action
The Practice Of Law And Policing

**Year 2**

**Compulsory modules**

Contemporary International Business
Economic Environment For International Business
Foundations Of Business
Understanding People And Cultures

**Year 3**

**Compulsory modules**

Global Entrepreneurship
Managing Across Borders
Managing Business And Financial Performance

**Elective modules**

Business In Emerging Markets
Foreign Language
Managing And Developing People In Diverse Contexts
The Digital Customer Experience

**Year 4**

**Optional modules**

Placement Year

**Final year**

**Compulsory modules**

Advanced International Business
Consultancy Project In International Business
International Business Strategy And Practice

**Elective modules**

Contemporary Leadership In Context
Dynamic Issues In International Business
Marketing In A Global Context

Assessment methods

Coursework
Practical

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
£16,655
per year
International
£16,655
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

Extra funding

Scholarships, discounts and bursaries may be available to students who study this course

The Uni


Course location:

Sheffield Hallam University

Department:

College of Business Technology and Engineering

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.

80%
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

75%
Staff make the subject interesting
85%
Staff are good at explaining things
83%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
85%
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

82%
Library resources
89%
IT resources
90%
Course specific equipment and facilities
75%
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?

91%
UK students
9%
International students
58%
Male students
42%
Female students
66%
2:1 or above
9%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
B
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.

£21,000
med
Average annual salary
94%
med
Employed or in further education
38%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

31%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
11%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
8%
Public services and other associate 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.

£20k

£20k

£26k

£26k

£30k

£30k

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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Lower entry requirements
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International Business (with Foundation Year)
BA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 48
Nearby University
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UCAS Points: 112-120
Same University
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UCAS Points: 112

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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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Teaching Excellence Framework (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