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The University of Edinburgh

UCAS Code: N1N2 | Master of Arts (with Honours) - MA (Hons)

Entry requirements

A level

A*,A,A

A*AA. Required subjects: A levels: no specific A Level subjects required. GCSEs: Mathematics at B or 6 and English at C or 4.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

39

39 points with 666 at HL. Required subjects: HL: no specific subjects required. SL: English at 5 and Mathematics at 5.

Scottish Higher

A,A,A,A,A

AAAAA (achievement by end of S5 preferred). BBB must be achieved in one year of S4-S5. Required subjects: Highers: no specific Higher subjects required. National 5s: Mathematics at B and English at C.

UCAS Tariff

152-165

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course

Course option

4years

Full-time | 2025

Subjects

Business studies

Enterprise and entrepreneurship

Combine the study of business with enterprise and innovation to prepare for the social, political, environmental and cultural challenges facing contemporary businesses, governments and not-for-profit organisations.

Taught by world-leading industry professionals and researchers, you will develop personal and professional competencies such as:

* authentic leadership

* ethical, responsible, sustainable business behaviour

* entrepreneurial practice

* effective communication

This will enable you to work across a range of roles in contemporary business including:

* accountancy and finance

* strategy

* marketing

* human resource management

* data analytics

* entrepreneurship and innovation

You can draw on a range of disciplines outside business, particularly in Years 1 and 2, which include:

* psychology

* law

* economics

* sociology

* art and design

* history

* mathematics

**Enterprise and innovation**

Studies in enterprise and innovation drive change at every level in society.

Courses in this specialism include:

* foundational theories of entrepreneurship (and the role of the entrepreneur/manager)

* group consultancy projects undertaken with local enterprises

* examining the introduction of new technology (and its fundamental changes on how goods and services are produced and delivered to the market)

**Who the programme is for**

If you are interested in starting your own venture, you will have the opportunity to take a range of courses to help you understand the venture-creation process.

This programme is particularly suitable if you are looking to set up your own business. The programme is also appropriate for those aspiring to undertake a career in management, and those seeking further educational opportunities.

**Environment for learning**

We offer a supportive and encouraging environment where you can grow and develop. Our Student Experience Team offer an extensive range of pastoral and professional provision to support you on your undergraduate journey.

We provide many and varied opportunities for you to engage in co- and extra-curricular activities. Our dedicated Student Development Team can help you develop a range of essential business graduate competencies.

**Further development opportunities**

You may take undergraduate Edinburgh Awards supported by an alumni professional mentor and trained coaches:

* Personal and Professional Development (Year 2)

* Effective and Responsible Leadership (Year 3 or 4)

You can also participate in a large number of business societies, business events and peer-support schemes.

This degree offers the opportunity to study abroad in Year 3.

Tuition fees

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

EU
£28,000
per year
International
£28,000
per year
Scotland
£1,820
per year

The Uni

Course location:

Central area campus

Department:

Business School

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.

73%
Business studies

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

72%
Staff make the subject interesting
77%
Staff are good at explaining things
79%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
65%
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
85%
IT resources
87%
Course specific equipment and facilities
70%
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?

50%
UK students
50%
International students
41%
Male students
59%
Female students
95%
2:1 or above
8%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
A

Business studies

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.


Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

73%
UK students
27%
International students
36%
Male students
64%
Female students
95%
2:1 or above
8%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
A

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.

£26,000
high
Average annual salary
94%
med
Employed or in further education
83%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

24%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
22%
Business, research and administrative professionals
14%
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.

Personal development

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.

£26,000
high
Average annual salary
91%
high
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

24%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
22%
Business, research and administrative professionals
14%
Business, finance and related associate professionals

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.

£24k

£24k

£31k

£31k

£36k

£36k

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.

Personal development

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

£26k

£26k

£20k

£20k

£29k

£29k

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.

Explore these similar courses...

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

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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.

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