The Uni Guide has a fresh new look

Swansea University

UCAS Code: N604 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)

Entry requirements

A level

A,B,B-B,B,B

Access to HE Diploma

D:33,M:9

From a Business related Access Course.

We recognise the EPQ as an excellent indicator of success. If you are predicted a Grade B or above in the EPQ, you will receive an offer with a one grade reduction, to include your EPQ with a grade B.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE Grade C or 4 in Mathematics and English or Welsh (first language) is required.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32

International students must achieve 4 at Higher Level English Language and/or Literature, or 5 at Standard Level English Language and/or Literature.

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H2,H2,H2,H2,H2,H3

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

DDM

UCAS Tariff

120-128

Swansea University accepts the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales as fully equivalent to x1 A-Level.

Swansea University accepts the Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate as fully equivalent to x1 A-Level.

About this course

Course option

4years

Full-time with time abroad | 2025

Subjects

Business studies

Human resource management

Staff development

Our BSc Business Management (Human Resource Management) is ideal for students who are interested in the human element of business management - from classical human resource management to areas such as leadership and high-performance organisation. Whilst covering the core areas of business and management, this pathway also provides you with a broad understanding of the legal and ethical challenges that Human Resource (HR) professionals face as well as the techniques companies use to match skills and abilities to their business needs across the public, private and third/voluntary sectors.

As part of this programme, you will spend a year abroad between your second and final year, broadening your skills and experience. Our partner institutions span the globe, with opportunities varying each year. If you wish to receive more information, please get in touch with us on [email protected].

As a student of our Business department within the School of Management at Swansea University, you can expect to receive excellent teaching, driven by our world-class academic team of staff and state-of-the-art Bay Campus facilities. Our Business Management degrees are accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), providing you with industry-focused teaching and a wealth of professional skills to enhance your employability on graduation. Our Final Year Projects also enhance your career potential, by working in partnership with real companies on real business-related issues.

Modules

Your first year of study is made up of 7 compulsory modules covering key elements of Business Management. Compulsory modules are studied by all students on the programme, meaning you are automatically enrolled. Examples of compulsory modules include:

• Marketing
• Human Resource Management
• Operations Management

First year students must also choose 1 elective module to complete their year's teaching and learning. Students on some of our Business Specialism pathways will have this elective module built into their programme, therefore will have it selected for them.

Your second and fourth years will comprise of a mixture of compulsory and optional modules. The split between compulsory and optional choice will depend on the Business specialism you have chosen. Examples of optional modules in recent years have included:

• Project Management
• Application Development
• Lean Operations
• Digital Marketing
• Sustainable Tourism

Your final year will include a large compulsory project for all Business Management students, including both group and individual assessment, further preparing you for the world of work.

For the full programme structure and module breakdown, please visit our webpage at https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/som/business-management/

Assessment methods

We offer a variety of assessment methods within our programmes. In addition to traditional examinations and essays, examples of alternative assessment include:

• Business report
• Group presentation
• Reflective Log

Throughout your undergraduate Business Management degree, you will develop excellent research and analytical skills and learn to present your ideas effectively both verbally and in writing. For full breakdown of course structure and assessment, please get in touch with us at [email protected].

The Uni

Course location:

Bay Campus

Department:

Business and Management

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.

74%
Business studies
83%
Human resource management
83%
Staff development

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
81%
Staff are good at explaining things
74%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
71%
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

77%
Library resources
82%
IT resources
81%
Course specific equipment and facilities
69%
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?

83%
UK students
17%
International students
65%
Male students
35%
Female students
78%
2:1 or above
11%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
C

Human resource management

Teaching and learning

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

91%
Library resources
100%
IT resources
92%
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?

67%
UK students
33%
International students
36%
Male students
64%
Female students
77%
2:1 or above
11%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
D
C

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
99%
high
Employed or in further education
46%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

29%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
25%
Business, research and administrative professionals
10%
Business, finance and related 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.

Human resource management

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.

£20,000
med
Average annual salary
98%
high
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

30%
Business, research and administrative professionals
25%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
16%
Business, finance and related associate professionals

This subject is much more common at postgraduate level, and so be aware that many of the good jobs in HR and personnel management go to graduates with Masters or other postgraduate qualifications in this subject. Work experience for first degree graduates can help to get around the lack of postgraduate qualifications, but if you want to go into management you might find that Masters to be an advantage. Although human resource roles are much the most common outcome for graduates from these courses, they take those jobs in an impressive array of industries so there are plenty of options for the kind of employer you can work for. If you would like to know about graduate prospects for your chosen course more specifically, head to an open day to talk to tutors about what previous graduates went on to do.

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

£25k

£25k

£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.

Human resource management

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

£25k

£25k

£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.

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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