BSc (Hons) Business Management with Industrial Placement Year
Course Overview
Business management qualifications open doors and are considered essential whether you are looking to pursue a career in business or achieve higher levels of responsibility in your current work. By studying for your BSc (Hons) Business Management with industrial placement with the University of Bolton, you can develop essential knowledge and understanding of business and management principles and practices while experiencing life at our supportive, student-focused, multicultural campus.The University of Bolton's BSc (Hons) in Business Management offers a strong grounding in an essential range of contemporary business management subjects combined with the opportunity to focus your studies in the final year. You can graduate with a general BSc (Hons) in Business Management or transfer to one of our named pathways: Information Systems, Enterprise, Finance, Supply Chain Management, People Management, Marketing or Retail. Graduates of all these pathways will also receive the CMI Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management, and some of the pathway options offer you the chance to gain exemptions from further professional qualifications from institutes such as ACCA and CIM.
Developing your employability is a key focus of this dynamic and flexible programme. Real-life case studies, guest speakers and industry visits are designed to help you understand the business environment and the needs of employers in local, national and international contexts. We'll support you in developing sought-after skills such as communication, data analysis, time management, teamwork, and problem-solving.
We also aim to help you develop lifelong learning skills, empowering you to take ownership of your professional development for the future and maximise your potential for success.
The University will offer lots of support to help you find a placement with a relevant company in preparation for your year in industry (the industrial placement takes place between the second and final years of your course). Through our relationships with employers, we'll share placement adverts as they become available, and you can also seek your own placement. Our placement team will help with applications and interview skills. Your placement does not have to be in the Bolton area – it could be elsewhere in the UK. Completing a year in industry will give you invaluable skills and experience that will help you in your final year of study with us and boost your CV to help you find an enhanced career afterwards. If you're unsuccessful in securing a placement, you'll be able to transfer directly to the final year of study and complete your degree in three years.
Highlights
- Our team of highly knowledgeable and enthusiastic business management lecturers offer face-to-face sessions and one-to-one support, ensuring you can access help and advice when you need it.
- On successfully completing this dual award course, you'll receive both an academic degree and a professionally recognised management qualification – the CMI Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management. You don't need to take extra exams or coursework to achieve the Diploma – we combine our degree module and CMI assessments, streamlining your route to both qualifications.
- We'll cover key concepts in areas such as people management, company law, marketing, strategic management, information systems and big data, project management, finance, innovation and enterprise. You'll also choose from a wide range of specialist modules in the final year, allowing you to tailor your degree to areas of personal or professional interest.
- Face-to-face sessions and one-to-one support are offered by our highly experienced and enthusiastic lecturers who have worked in a wide range of businesses, from multinational organisations to SMEs.
- Completing a placement year in industry will give you experience and skills that are highly relevant for your future career and greatly enhance your employability.
- The University offers excellent 24/7 library and IT facilities, WiFi, and well-appointed learning areas.
Key Features
- You'll study in our vibrant Greater Manchester Business School environment in Bolton town centre.
- We use small group and tutorial teaching, so you can benefit from the excellent support offered by our teaching staff.
- We regularly invite guest speakers who hold senior positions in industry and practice, enabling you to benefit from their knowledge and advice.
- The industrial placement year offers valuable experience in the workplace. This can be of great benefit to you in your final year of studies and will enhance your employment prospects after graduation.
- Course materials are available online, allowing you to prepare work at home and make the most of the highly interactive in-class tuition.
- We weave contemporary research findings into our teaching, ensuring a robust academic base underpins your business management studies.
- Our dedicated team will support you as you develop critical thinking and research skills and apply these during your final year dissertation.
- By choosing to study with us, you'll have the chance to enjoy Bolton's many shops, bars, restaurants and leisure facilities. Nearby Manchester is one of the UK's most multicultural and lively cities, and the Northwest of England is renowned for its beautiful countryside, coastline, and heritage.
Entry Requirements
- 104 UCAS points. We accept a full range of qualifications that carry UCAS points, including A-levels, BTECs and T-levels. Please see our guide to the UCAS Tariff for examples of how to achieve these points. For most courses, we are also able to consider non-tariffable qualifications.
- 104 UCAS points
- Any subjects are acceptable at Level 3.
- You should also have five GCSEs at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent), including English and Mathematics.
- We'll be happy to consider your application if you have non-traditional entry qualifications and relevant experience or a suitable portfolio of work that we deem a reasonable substitute for the qualifications we typically accept for this course.
- You may be required to attend an interview and/or provide a portfolio of work.
- If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
- If you don't meet the entry requirements for this course, please consider our BSc (Hons) Business Management with foundation year course.
Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.
Career Opportunities
Our dual award BSc (Hons) Business Management with industrial placement course is designed to provide a broad understanding of business functions in the business and commercial world. You'll have the opportunity to transfer to individual pathways in specific areas of business if you wish.
The course offers you a route into general management and specialist areas. With modules covering areas such as business accounting and finance, enterprise, human resource management, company law, information systems, marketing, retail or supply chain management, you can tailor your skills and knowledge to pursue your chosen career. The dual qualification gained on successfully completing this course is designed to enhance your employability in your preferred field of management.
In addition to nurturing academic and sector-specific knowledge, the programme supports you in developing key employability skills, such as critical thinking, problem-solving and data analysis. Overall, the course aims to give you an essential appreciation of the skills needed to thrive and adapt in the changing world of work.
What can I do with this qualification?
You may also choose to undertake further study in subjects such as marketing, finance, human resources, data analysis, and international business management to develop your expertise in a particular area of business. Studying for an MBA is also another option.
Alternative career options
Graduates can also use the qualification as a stepping stone into a range of other careers, bearing in mind that some of these roles may require relevant experience and/or postgraduate study. Some possibilities include:
- Hotel and leisure management
- Public relations
- Financial management
- Information systems
- Market research analysis
- Product management
- Health policy and information
- Purchasing
- Teaching and education
- Media (TV, film, online, newspaper, magazine)
- Self-employment
- Banking
- Auditing and quality assurance
- Project management
- Risk and insurance
Professional Recognition
Graduates of the University of Bolton's BSc (Hons) Business Management with industrial placement degree will receive a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management from the CMI (Chartered Management Institute).
The Level 5 Diploma is the CMI's benchmark qualification and offers the quickest exemption route towards Chartered Manager (CMgr MCMI) status. Chartered Manager status is only awarded by the CMI and is the highest status that can be achieved in the management profession.
Fees & Funding
Home/EU Fees
No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.
International Fees
No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.
Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2025-26 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.
The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.
How to apply
Home Applicants
Course application details are unavailable at present
International Applicants
Course application details are unavailable at present
Partner Organisation Applicants
Option currently unavailable.
Teaching & Assessment
Lectures introduce the core course content, while seminars explore subjects in greater detail. Tutorials allow you to ask questions, ensuring you understand the topics covered in the lectures and seminars. We use case studies and practical scenarios to help you learn to apply academic theory to real-life practical scenarios, allowing you to gain insights into contemporary practice in a working business environment. We'll also expect you to undertake considerable guided independent study; for instance, library research and background reading, preparing for seminar and tutorial activities, and working on assignments.
Furthermore, we'll expect you to adopt work-based learning as part of your employment or during a work experience placement.
While you're away from the University on your industrial placement, our academic team will contact you during the year to ensure progress on your placement, including discussions with your employer.
Guest lectures and presentations by various visiting speakers from relevant employment areas offer you the chance to develop your knowledge and understanding further.
Regarding assessment, you can expect time-constrained exams, essays, reports, presentations, and portfolios. These contribute to your final module mark and allow you to demonstrate that you have met the learning outcomes.
We also use other assessment forms to help you learn, provide feedback, and inform your development. These do not, however, count towards your final module mark.
The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.
