BSc Business and Management with Placement Year

Gain the skills and knowledge to succeed in the rapidly changing world of business 鈥� and gain valuable real-world experience 鈥� with our BSc Business and Management with Placement Year degree.

This flexible, four-year course, taught by experts from , equips you with the fundamental skills of business – from theory and practice to their real-world applications. An integrated Placement Year provides a fantastic opportunity to put your skills into practice in preparation for your future career.

Study the core disciplines that underpin business – including economics, psychology and sociology – and explore theories and concepts such as:

international strategy
marketing
organisational behaviour
operations
entrepreneurship
data analytics
human resource management
accounting.

You’ll learn through a combination of lectures, seminars, practical workshops, and self-guided study. This will provide the opportunity to discuss subject materials in an in-depth way with your lecturers and fellow students.

Throughout your studies, you will:

explore the interdisciplinary nature of business
apply the skills and knowledge you learn to current business problems
study the emerging challenges facing global markets.

Choose BSc Business and Management with Placement Year at Henley Business School

ranked 1st for overall subject (for Business and Management in the Daily Mail University Guide 2025)
ranked 21st for Business and Management in the Guardian University Guide, 2025
triple-accredited status from the UK, European and US accrediting bodies (AMBA, EQUIS and AACSB)
our business graduates are successful in the job market and in their career aspirations. In the Daily Mail University Guide 2025, we are ranked 1st in the UK for Career on track, and 2nd for High-skilled job in Business Studies.

Flexible study options

After the first year of your BSc Business and Management with Placement Year degree, you will have the option to transfer to any of our specialist pathways:

If you choose to remain on the general degree course, you’ll still be offered a wide range of options in your second and final years – allowing you to tailor your learning to your individual interests.
We also offer two other variations of this course: BSc Business and Management, a three-year course without a Placement Year; and BSc Business and Management with Study Year Abroad, a four-year course with a year studying overseas instead of on placement.

Placement Year in industry

In your third year, you’ll have the opportunity to gain valuable experience in a real-world setting with our Work Placement module.

We will support you to find and secure a placement that’s right for you.

As well as enriching your studies, an industry placement can be an excellent way to:

deepen your knowledge and develop new skills
build a network of industry contacts
boost your employability with new experiences
learn more about the sector you may wish to enter.

A focus on employability with BSc Business and Management with Placement Year

In addition to your Placement Year, we work hard to ensure that the personal skills required to secure, and succeed in, future roles are embedded into the curriculum.

Alongside your business acumen, our focus on self-development aims to prepare you for the external market – from internships and placements to full-time employment.

For example, you will undertake a short, guided project in your second year focusing on social responsibility in action. Working with local communities, you’ll have the opportunity to put your skills into practice, gain new experiences, and open yourself up to new ways of thinking.

Overview

international strategy
marketing
organisational behaviour
operations
entrepreneurship
data analytics
human resource management
accounting.

explore the interdisciplinary nature of business
apply the skills and knowledge you learn to current business problems
study the emerging challenges facing global markets.

Choose BSc Business and Management with Placement Year at Henley Business School

ranked 1st for overall subject (for Business and Management in the Daily Mail University Guide 2025)
ranked 21st for Business and Management in the Guardian University Guide, 2025
triple-accredited status from the UK, European and US accrediting bodies (AMBA, EQUIS and AACSB)
our business graduates are successful in the job market and in their career aspirations. In the Daily Mail University Guide 2025, we are ranked 1st in the UK for Career on track, and 2nd for High-skilled job in Business Studies.

Flexible study options

After the first year of your BSc Business and Management with Placement Year degree, you will have the option to transfer to any of our specialist pathways:

Placement Year in industry

deepen your knowledge and develop new skills
build a network of industry contacts
boost your employability with new experiences
learn more about the sector you may wish to enter.

A focus on employability with BSc Business and Management with Placement Year

Entry requirements A Level ABB

Firm drop grade

Select Reading as your firm choice on UCAS and we'll guarantee you a place even if you don't quite meet your offer. For details, see our firm choice scheme.

Our typical offers are expressed in terms of A level, BTEC and International Baccalaureate requirements. However, we also accept many other qualifications.

Typical offer

ABB

If you are taking an EPQ

Extended Project Qualifications (EPQ): If you are taking an EPQ, you will receive two offers: our standard offer and an alternative offer of BCC in your A-level subjects on the condition that you achieve a B in your EPQ.

International Baccalaureate

32 points overall, including 4 in Maths and English at standard level

GCSE

Maths and English at grade B (5).

BTEC Extended Diploma

DDD

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5, with no component below 5.5

For information on other English language qualifications, please visit our international student pages.

Alternative entry requirements for international and EU students

For country specific entry requirements look at entry requirements by country.

International Foundation Programme

If you are an international or EU student and do not meet the requirements for direct entry to your chosen degree you can join the 澳门六合彩开奖记录’s International Foundation Programme. Successful completion of this 1 year programme guarantees you a place on your chosen undergraduate degree. English language requirements start as low as IELTS 4.5 depending on progression degree and start date.

Learn more about our International Foundation programme

Pre-sessional English language programme

If you need to improve your English language score you can take a pre-sessional English course prior to entry onto your degree.

Find out the English language requirements for our courses and our pre-sessional English programme

Compulsory modules

Management Debates: ways of thinking about business

Examine key ideas and debates in business and management, including the intellectual foundations on which many well-known management frameworks are built. You'll consider business decisions from different academic perspectives and come to recognise the value of competing viewpoints.

Business in Practice: Markets, Marketing and Management

Explore the concepts that underpin markets, strategy, marketing, operations, organisational behaviour and entrepreneurship -- and gain an understanding of the inter-relationship between them. You'll examine key theories and frameworks, and apply them to current scenarios in the business world.

Business in Practice: Accounting for Managers

Explore how businesses use accounting information in reporting, internal decision-making and planning. You'll gain an understanding of management accounting and financial accounting, as well as the necessary foundation in accounting to allow you to specialise in your later studies.

Business in Practice: Data Analytics

Study key concepts in data analytics, including descriptive analytics and predictive analytics, and explore visualisation techniques for qualitatively summarising data. Topics will include: types of data, types of distributions (with an emphasis on the normal distribution), using parametric and non-parametric tests to analyse statistical differences, and regression models. You'll also gain experience in using GUI-based tools for analysing data.

Developing Professional Excellence

Develop the key skills and competencies to thrive in your studies and your career, including communication, business writing and time management skills. You'll also explore careers theories and gain practical skills that can help you with internships, placements or applications for graduate positions.

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/25 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they're informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the 澳门六合彩开奖记录.

Compulsory modules

Building competitive advantage: Business Strategy and Operations

Taught in two halves, the first half of this module introduces the concept of competitive advantage, why it's important, and how it can be achieved through business strategies. The second half of the module focuses on operations management: how an organisation manages its resources to create and deliver services and products. You'll gain insight into how different functions work together to develop and sustain competitive advantage.

Managing Work and People: Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources Management

Examine the main concepts, principles and practices in the management of work and people in organisations. You'll explore the observable, practical elements of people management, as well as the underlying theories of organisational behaviour and management studies.

Social Responsibility in Action

Explore the principles of corporate social responsibility, including sustainability, diversity and ethical behaviour. You'll study the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals, including the "Principles for Responsible Management Education", and apply the knowledge you've gained during your studies to a real-world management problem.

Optional modules

International Corporate Financial Reporting

Build on the knowledge and skills acquired in the Year 1 module "Business in Practice: Accounting for managers". You'll look closely at the content and application of a range of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

Marketing Essentials

This module discusses and analyses marketing theories, as well as strategic marketing tools and techniques used in the business world. You'll explore the elements needed to develop a marketing strategy, including assessing your competitors and customers, market trends, brand positioning, the "marketing mix", and organisational capabilities.

Firms in the Global Economy

This module offers an integrated perspective on the role of nations and firms in the global economy and serves as an introduction to international business and economics. It revolves around the key questions of why and how firms go abroad and what are the consequences of international business activity for the nations, firms and people of the global economy.

Practice of Entrepreneurship

This module will introduce you to key concepts of business start-up as you identify and develop a new business opportunity and test your idea through ‘lean start-up' experiments. You’ll gain entrepreneurial management skills such as design thinking, business model creation, and entrepreneurial finance and marketing.

Introduction to Machine Learning

This module focusses on data-driven processes that are used in industry and business applications to provide recommendations, make predictions, or extract knowledge. You’ll focus on the importance of machine learning for strategic use and gain experience building predictive models that can lead to data-driven solutions.

Business Ethics 1

Study and debate the ethical issues that corporate decision-makers face in developing policies about employees, shareholders, customers and broader stakeholders. You’ll utilise both theory and case study as you focus on topics such as ethical theory, buyer/supplied relationships, and the ethics of globalisation and financial issues.

An Introduction to the Management of Information Systems

Become acquainted with the management of business Information Systems (IS) and learn the interplay between management, organisational, and information technology IS dimensions. As you learn their capabilities and limitations, you’ll gain a conceptual foundation to different information systems and consider their purpose from a business perspective.

Business Applications Development

Develop the skills and knowledge required to manage and analyse data. You will study key computing concepts, learn to design and implement different types of databases, and critically evaluate the usability and user experience of applications.

Understanding Leadership

Gain deeper understanding of leadership models and concepts as you explore different leadership styles and the ethical challenges associated with it. You’ll consider potential obstacles for leaders and learn how they can develop their leadership capabilities to deal with them.

Consumer Behaviour

Study the psychological and sociological factors that influence consumer behaviour before, during and after purchase. Focussing on consumption in contemporary consumer markets, you’ll discuss the effective engagement and handling of business customers and explore consumer and business customer buying behaviour models.

Digital Entrepreneurship in Practice

Explore how entrepreneurial digital companies develop their products, compete in hyper-competitive markets, and monetise their products. You'll examine the marketing methods used by digital entrepreneurs, approaches to customer development, and data-driven decision making processes.

Management Accounting

Develop further understanding of the role of management accounting in organisational decision making, planning, control and performance management.

Sales and Business Development

Learn the characteristics of the sales channel as you explore sales through a practitioner-oriented view. You’ll consider different approaches and sales models, focussing on direct and online sales, and explore the modern concept of sales as a philosophy, culture, process and strategic business development role for companies.

Branding Theory and Practice

Examine two key issues within marketing: branding and the preparation of a branding orientated project. You'll gain in-depth understanding of the theories and practices related to brand management, and the process of building a strong brand. The project will provide an opportunity to apply the concepts you've learned in a creative team task.

Strategic Human Resource Management

Examine how companies manage people at work and study the relationships between strategy, HRM and performance. You’ll consider the priorities and objectives of organisations and how these are managed while accommodating the needs and expectations of employees.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the 澳门六合彩开奖记录.

Work Placement

Compulsory modules

Developing Personal Leadership

Gain a comprehensive view on personal leadership development and learn how to plain your own leadership skills strategy. You’ll examine concepts, theories, and evidence needed to develop your understanding and competencies associated with leadership development and demonstrate contextual and self-awareness.

Optional modules

Advance Management Accounting

Develop your critical understanding of the role of management accounting in organisational decision making, planning, control and performance management. You’ll be provided with a critical conceptual and technical understanding of management accounting tools and techniques.

Optimising Marketing Performance

Develop financial acumen for a career in marketing. You’ll evaluate financial statements, apply relevant marketing metrics, assess marketing costs, and monitor marketing performance results.

Cross Cultural Marketing

Following on from the module Marketing Essentials, this module introduces cross-cultural marketing based on the recognition of diversity in different markets of the world and local and global consumers. You’ll embark on a group project that provides you with the opportunity to apply concepts and tools in a creative and challenging team task that addresses cross-cultural marketing issues.

Strategy and International Business

Study the strategic issues confronting managers of multinational enterprises (MNEs) both within the firm and in the global marketplace. You’ll examine factors that influence the development and the competitive positioning of MNEs and gain an understanding of both the external business environment and internal nature of the firm and its strategy.

Service Operations

Covering key concepts and theories within the area of service operations and management, this module will introduce you to particular challenges facing service organisations in an era where services contribute more to gross domestic product (GDP) than manufacturing. You’ll be provided with theoretical and practical grounding to work within service organisations or service business units within manufacturing organisations.

Financing Entrepreneurship

Become acquainted with the various forms of financing for entrepreneurship including debt, equity financing, non-for-profit and alternative financing. You will gain an in depth understanding of the entrepreneurial ecosystem approach and develop skills of cost-benefit analysis of a project and a financial appraisal of new ventures.

Digital Marketing

Study the increasingly important role of technology in both marketing practice and society. You’ll learn to apply a range of skills to implement digital marketing approaches and study key strategic drivers behind the growth of the digital economy.

Institutions and Emerging Firms

Explore frameworks that allow description and understanding of national institutions and competitive dynamics related to emerging economies such as China, Russia, Brazil, India and South Africa. You’ll gain understanding as to how managers can address challenges of different national institutions in product markets, labour markets and financial markets in the face of competition.

New Directions in Business and Corporate Social Responsibility

Develop your awareness of contemporary debates and practices of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as you consider challenges such as reducing poverty, protection vulnerable ecosystems and facing up to global climate change. You’ll consider the wider role of business in society and global sustainable development and focus on specific areas of corporate responsibility.

International Human Resource Management

Learn the key concepts for understanding international human resource management. You'll explore the practice of managing human resources in international businesses and consider variations in the practice of managing human resources in different countries and cultures.

Commercial Law

Study the fundamental principles of commercial law through a critical examination of relevant case law, legislation, business practice, academic work, historical influence and public policy. You’ll primarily focus on the law surrounding contracts for the sale of goods, with particular reference to commercial transactions in England and Wales.

Marketing Communications

Discuss marketing communication theories to understand how intended audiences are targeted and engaged with. You’ll learn how marketing communications work in practice as you consider both traditional and digital strategies associated with advertisement, sales promotion, design, and management.

Technology Advisory Practices

Develop your ability to address complex business problems involving the use of technology and identify appropriate options and formulate recommendations. You’ll have the opportunity to work closely with a group of peers to apply technology advisory practices to a contemporary business case and gain business and academic skills applicable to different areas of advisory practice.

Fairness

Study how fairness shapes our understanding of justice and morality as you delve into different theories that ask the importance and relationship of fairness to concepts such as justice, impartiality, need, and deservingness. You’ll examine real word examples such as global poverty, climate change, and the intersection of fairness and moral demandingness.

Financial Statement Analysis

In this module, you’ll develop financial acumen through reading, evaluating and analysing real companies published financial statements as you consider key financial rations and performances. You’ll expand on oral communication skills as you plan and give a presentation that integrates your knowledge and creative ideas.

Global Ethics for International Management

Develop your awareness of global approaches to ethics. You’ll gain a critical understanding of the key approaches to ethical theory from different cultural and national contexts as you study their application to key global issues in the relationships between business and society.

Advances in Digital Marketing

Cement your knowledge of digital marketing and learn its role in achieving business goals. You’ll learn how to consult organisations of different sizes on the most appropriate digital marketing approaches sing a range of skills and gain practical experience of digital platforms used to implement marketing strategies.

Corporate Strategy

Consider the corporate strategies of companies with a single primary line of business to the strategies of multi-business firms. You’ll consider choices related to corporate strategy such as those concerning diversification, vertical integration, acquisitions, and the allocation of resources. As you embark on this module, you’ll develop a sense of what strategists must do to improve firms long-run performance.

Project Management

In this hands-on module, you'll work on project-based group activities to develop a practical understanding of the tools and techniques used in project management. You'll also explore the core theories that underpin the project management process.

Intellectual Property Law

Gain an in-depth knowledge on the law of copyright, performers’ rights, trademarks and passing off. You’ll identify and explore rationales of intellectual property protection and learn to assess their practical, day-to-day implementation to understand the interface between legal rules and physical realities.

International Marketing

Gain an in depth understanding of the complexity and variety of factors playing a role in designing and implementing international marketing programmes. This module will stimulate your critical and independent thinking as you consider topics from theoretical and empirical perspectives and the implications for marketing operations of organisations trading across cultures.

Information Systems and Digital Business

Gain an in depth understanding of the structure and function of information processed and presented by IT systems in organisations. You’ll acquire the ability to plan and develop information system solutions to support digital transformation of organisations with the awareness of social and technological changes and advances.

Social Enterprise

This interactive module offers an experiential introduction to social entrepreneurship. You’ll embark on a journey exploring social enterprise from conception through to design and delivery. Additionally, you’ll explore opportunities and challenges surrounding social enterprises and the impact of various stakeholders on the development, survival, and growth of such organisations.

Private Equity and Venture Capital

Become familiarised with private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) fund raising and investment processes. You’ll develop an appreciation of the practical aspects of investing by PE and VC firms and understand the dynamics between venture capital investors and the entrepreneur.

The Dark Side of Marketing

Explore the conflicts, controversies and moral challenges in the world of marketing – and challenge the way you think about the subject. You'll examine the effects of marketing on consumers’ physical and mental well-being, as well as the alleged exploitation of vulnerable consumers. This module combines marketing with other subject areas, including science, nutrition and law.

Business Evolution

Examine time-dependent phenomena in business & management and learn how evolutionary processes can lead to radically different outcomes to those predicted by neoclassical economics. You will consider the impact of time-dependent business phenomena on firm survival, growth, domination, or extinction.

Company Law

Communication and Persuasion in Business

Explore effective communication traits in both written and spoken forms. You’ll learn to present data persuasively and delve into rhetorical theory for critical analysis of various texts, including social media communications. You’ll create informative and persuasive documents and reflect upon your own use of language in the workplace and beyond.

Dissertation

Learn to conduct an in-depth examination of a chosen topic through guided independent research to produce a 10,000-word dissertation.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the 澳门六合彩开奖记录.

Fees

New UK/Republic of Ireland students: £9,535 per year for 2025/26 then fixed per year at this fee for the standard duration of your course.

New international students: 拢25,250 per year for 2025/26 then fixed per year at this fee for the standard duration of your course.

Tuition fees

To find out more about how the 澳门六合彩开奖记录 sets its tuition fees, see our fees and funding pages.

Placement year fees

If you spend a full year on placement, you will only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee for that year. For more information, please see our fees and funding pages or contact placements@reading.ac.uk.

Additional costs

Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.

Financial support for your studies

You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.

Careers

Careers for BSc Business and Management with Placement Year graduates

Your degree in business and management will prepare you for a career in both the public and private sectors. The skills and knowledge you acquire will be applicable to, and provide a route into, many areas:

Accounting and professional services
Banking and investment banking
Consultancy
Finance
Human resources
IT
Marketing
Operations
General management.

Our business graduates are successful in the job market and in their career aspirations. In the Daily Mail University Guide 2025, we are ranked 1st in the UK for Career on track, and 2nd for High-skilled job in Business Studies.

澳门六合彩开奖记录