International Business
Entry requirements
A level
We also accept other combinations equivalent to 120-128 Tariff points from 3 A levels.
122-128 Tariff points from the Access to HE Diploma.
Cambridge Pre-U score of 56-60.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
5 GCSEs at grade C or above to include English and Mathematics/5 GCSEs at grade 4 or above to include English and Mathematics.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
29 points from the IB Diploma. 664 at Higher Level - 30 points from the IB Diploma. 665 at Higher Level.
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
H3,H3,H3,H3,H3-H2,H2,H3,H3,H3
Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.
Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
120-128 Tariff points.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
**Overview**
Global markets, a worldwide supply chain, an international talent pool – the business world crosses national boundaries and provides many opportunities to travel, and experience and understand different cultures.
On this professionally accredited BA (Hons) International Business degree course, you’ll learn to meet the challenges facing global business managers and customers. You’ll experience living, working and studying at 1 or 2 of our international partner institutions in locations such as America, Canada, Europe, the Far East and Australia. You'll also learn about global markets and form an international network of contacts, which will enhance your CV.
This course is a springboard to pursue a global career overseas or with an internationally focused UK organisation. Roles you could take on include commercial officer, corporate financial specialist, account director, project manager, data analyst and more.
This degree shares a common first year with several other business courses. This gives you the flexibility to transfer to another course if you develop an interest in a different subject area.
**Accredited by:**
This course is accredited by the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD).
**What you'll experience**
On this degree course, you’ll:
* Get experience of another culture by studying for a year at a partner university in the USA, Canada, Australia, Europe or the Far East
* Tailor your degree by choosing modules that match your interests and career ambitions
* Deal with topics that affect international business today, such as developing businesses across borders, dealing with business issues on an international basis, and cross-cultural management
* Have the opportunity to do a paid year-long work placement abroad in year 3
**Careers and opportunities**
When you finish the course, our Careers and Employability service can help you find a job that puts your skills to work in the industry. You'll be particularly suited to work in multinational organisations.
**What can you do with an International Business degree?**
Previous students have gone on to work in:
* business consultancy
* international project management
* international sales
* financial risk analysis
* regional management
**What jobs can you do with an International Business degree?**
Roles our graduates have taken on include:
* commercial officer GKN Westland
* corporate financial specialist for Accenture Ltd
* account director for UMD Media in Finland
* pilot for Astraits Ltd
* stock loss project manager for Excel Ltd
Other graduates have continued their studies at postgraduate level or set up successful businesses with help and support from the University.
After you leave the University, you can get help, advice and support for up to 5 years from our Careers and Employability service as you advance in your career.
Modules
Year 1
Core modules in this year include:
- Business Accounting
- Business Innovation Development Project
- Business Operations and Systems Management
- Economics for Business
- International Exchange Workshops
- Managing People in Organisations
- Quantitative Methods and Data Analysis
Year 2
Optional modules in this year currently include:
- Contemporary Issues in Entrepreneurship
- Customer Relationship Management
- Human Resources for the Professional
- Innovation Management
- Intermediate Economics
- International Business
- Managerial and Decision Economics
- Procurement and Safety
- Professional Selling
- Public Relations
Placement year (optional)
On this course, you can do an optional work placement year between your 2nd and 3rd years to get valuable experience working in industry. We’ll help you secure a work placement that fits your situation and ambitions. You’ll get mentoring and support throughout the year.
Year 3
Core modules in this year include:
- Strategic International Management
- Global Business Sustainability and Responsibility
- Business and Law Undergraduate Work Placement
Optional modules in this year currently include:
- Business Consultancy Project
- Business Improvement and Creativity
- Business Intelligence
- Business Research Project
- Business Systems Masterclass
- Contemporary Issues in Product and Service Development
- Critical Leadership: Theory and Practice
- Cross Cultural Awareness for Business
- Dissertation
- Financial Statement and Data Analysis
- Management and Information Systems
- Managing Equality and Diversity at Work
- Money, Banking and Finance Operations
- Operations Strategy and the Supply Chain
- People Resourcing and Talent Management
- Project Management for Enterprise
- Responsible and Sustainable Business
- Sales Management
- Trends in Technology
- Work Based Learning
We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.
Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.
Assessment methods
You’ll be assessed through:
- examinations
- analysis of topical case studies
- written reports and essays
- presentations
- practical projects, such as small websites or systems
The way you’re assessed may depend on the modules you select. As a guide, students on this course last year were typically assessed as follows:
- Year 1 students: 58% by written exams and 42% by coursework
- Year 2 students: 17% by written exams, 8% by practical exams and 75% by coursework
- Year 3 students: 17% by written exams and 83% by coursework
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
University of Portsmouth
Faculty of Business and Law
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.
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
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Top job areas of graduates
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 and 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.
£22k
£27k
£31k
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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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?
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