Triangle

Course overview

This is coupled with a fully integrated understanding of the theory and practice of management in different organisations.

You will develop a broad educational base suitable for a business leader of the future, as demonstrated by the range of accreditation we receive from a number of professional bodies. This includes the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, and Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.

Key facts

  • One of the UK's leading centres for management education, part of an elite group of global EQUIS accredited business schools
  • Development and employability programmes that bring you closer to top employers, including Deloitte, HSBC, PwC and Unilever
  • Opportunities to study abroad at the University's campuses in China or Malaysia or in locations such as Australia, China and Europe
  • Nottingham University Business School is recognised as an ICAEW Partner in Learning

Entry requirements

All candidates are considered on an individual basis and we accept a broad range of qualifications. The entrance requirements below apply to 2020 entry.

UK entry requirements
A level AAB in Clearing

Please note: Applicants whose backgrounds or personal circumstances have impacted their academic performance may receive a reduced offer. Please see our contextual admissions policy for more information.

Required subjects

GCSE maths, 6 (B) or above, and English, 5 (B) or above

IB score 34

A levels: AAB excluding general studies, critical thinking and citizenship studies
GCSEs: GCSE maths, 6 (B) or above, and English, 5 (B) or above

English language requirements

IELTS: 7.0 (no less than 6.0 in any element)

For details of other English language tests and qualifications we accept, please see our entry requirements page.

British Council accredited

If you require additional support to take your language skills to the required level, you may be able to attend a presessional course at the Centre for English Language Education, which is accredited by the British Council for the teaching of English in the UK.

Students who successfully complete the presessional course to the required level can progress onto their chosen degree course without retaking IELTS or equivalent.

International applicants

For country-specific information including entry requirements, contact details and representatives, see our website. If you need a visa to study, the University can provide all the information and advice you need.

Mature students

At the University of Nottingham we have a valuable community of mature students and we appreciate their contribution to the wider student population. You can find lots of useful information in our guide for mature students.

Alternative qualifications

Our admission process recognises that applicants have a wealth of different experiences and may have followed various educational pathways. Please view the alternative qualifications page for details.

Flexible admissions policy

In recognition of our applicants’ varied experience and educational pathways, the University of Nottingham employs a flexible admissions policy. We may make some applicants an offer lower than advertised, depending on their personal and educational circumstances. Please see the University’s admissions policies and procedures for more information.

Notes for applicants

The school does not normally interview candidates; our offers are made on the basis of the information contained in your UCAS application. We welcome applications from mature candidates and consider academic and professional backgrounds on an individual basis. We also consider other qualifications in addition to those listed above.

Please note we do not accept entry, or transfer from another university, into year two or above on any of our undergraduate degrees.

Mature Students

At the University of Nottingham, we have a valuable community of mature students and we appreciate their contribution to the wider student population. You can find lots of useful information on the mature students webpage.

Learning and assessment

How you will learn

How you will be assessed

Study abroad

On this course, you can apply to spend all or part of your second year studying abroad at the University's campuses in China or Malaysia, or to take a semester at one of our partner institutions in locations such as Australia, China and Europe.

You will get the opportunity to broaden your horizons and enhance your employability by experiencing another culture. You can choose to study similar modules to your counterparts back in Nottingham or expand your knowledge by taking other options.

Teaching is typically in English; however, there may be opportunities to study in another language if you are sufficiently fluent.

Year in industry

This course is also available as a four-year programme, including a placement year. If you apply for this route, you will have the option to spend your third year on placement with a relevant organisation.

Study Abroad and the Year in Industry are subject to students meeting minimum academic requirements. Opportunities may change at any time for a number of reasons, including curriculum developments, changes to arrangements with partner universities, travel restrictions or other circumstances outside of the university’s control. Every effort will be made to update information as quickly as possible should a change occur.

Modules

In your first year, you will be introduced to the underlying core management disciplines of economics, organisational behaviour, and accounting and finance. You will also take core modules in business computing, law, and quantitative methods.

Overall, the first year equips you with a rational-economic, organisational and accounting/financial perspective of management and organisations.

Core modules

Business Finance

This module provides an introduction to the fundamental concepts of finance and will help you:

  • understand that there is a relationship between the risk of an investment and the expected returns
  • understand the concept of the time value of money and be able to calculate the present value of a single and multiple future cash flows
  • to be able to apply NPV to project appraisal in realistic situations
  • understand the fundamental ideas or portfolio theory and be able to apply the CAPM
  • to be able to estimate cost of capital for equity (CAPM and dividend growth model) and bonds (market value and IRR)
Business Law

This module will cover:

  • UK legal framework
  • impact of EU legislation
  • law of contract - essential elements, performance and remedies
  • business and the law of tort
  • employment law
  • law in a local and global context
  • agency
  • legal personality; sole traders; partnerships and limited companies
  • purpose and legal status of memorandum and articles
  • management and the administration of a company
  • insolvency
Computers in Business

This module will introduce the use of computers and IT in business today - and in particular spreadsheet modelling - via a lab based assessment and a case study group report and presentation.

Economic Principles

This module introduces you to the microeconomic theory of the market, firm and consumer, and to the nature and scope of the macroeconomic policy agenda, developing the analytical frameworks necessary for the evaluation of policy instruments. The module enables you to understand the economic arguments that underlie different views and to evaluate relevant arguments.

Topics include: market demand, supply and equilibrium; firm production and costs; market structure (perfect competition, oligopoly, monopoly); consumer theory; market failure; asymmetric information; externalities; aggregate demand; money and interest rates; aggregate supply; unemployment and inflation; balance of payments and exchange rates.

This module provides you with the opportunity to apply for CIMA accreditation in the CIMA paper: Fundamentals of Business Economics. It also provides you with the foundations to build upon in quantitative and econometric modules which provides you with the opportunity to apply for additional CIMA accreditation.

Fundamentals of Financial and Management Accounting

This module covers:

  • key accounting concepts
  • the impact of accounting policy selection
  • the recording and collating of accounting information, including double entry bookkeeping
  • preparation of financial statement from accounting data
  • cost concepts and allocation of manufacturing overheads
  • absorption and variable costing
  • cost-volume-profit analysis
  • relevant costing
  • budgeting
Organisational Behaviour

This module will introduce you to the basic ideas of organisational behaviour. The content will encourage you to develop an understanding of managing and developing people within business organisations.

The module will draw its primary material from the major theorists and theories of both organisational psychology and organisational behaviour. The module will also develop links with other aspects of the business school curriculum such as general management and international business.

Professional and Academic Development

This module covers:

  • rules and regulations of studying at university, organisational skills and time management, and how to approach reflective work and skills analysis
  • essay writing, referencing and plagiarism, taking minutes and agendas
  • team working, listening skills, values, personal attributes, networking, cultural awareness
  • problem solving, critical thinking and decision making, SDGs and project - social enterprises
  • study abroad, careers insight days, CVs and applications
  • communication - personal brand, self-awareness values
  • project management
  • interviews and assessment days - careers and some external companies, commercial awareness
  • presentation skills
  • ethics in business and technology in relation to future careers
Quantitative Methods 1B

This module covers:

  • economic application of calculus
  • confidence intervals
  • introduction to hypothesis testing
  • partial differentiation
  • optimisation of two variables
  • probability
  • random variables
  • sampling distributions

Optional modules

One from:

Managing Operations in the Digital Enterprise

This module provides an integrated overview of operations management and information systems, covering the following:

  • Key technology trends: Web 2.0, cloud, mobile computing
  • Manufacturing systems design and management (process choice, layout, location)
  • Service operations design and management
  • Balancing capacity and demand
  • Information systems analysis and design
  • Operations planning and control, including inventory management
  • Operations excellence, lean thinking and business process re-engineering
  • Supply chain design and management
  • Customer relationship management
  • Knowledge management
  • Business intelligence and analytics
Quantitative Methods 1A

This module introduces you to:

  • numbers
  • algebra
  • functions
  • equations
  • exponents
  • logarithms
  • descriptive statistics
  • differentiation
  • optimisation
  • integration
Tourism Futures: The Challenge of Sustainability

This module will survey the international tourism industry in the 21st century. Starting with lectures on the history and sociology of tourism and its broader cultural significance, it will analyse trends in tour operation management, sustainable transport practice, niche markets like eco-tourism, and investigate and evaluate the various social, cultural and environmental impacts which the tourist industry has on destinations. 

Work and Society

This module explores the nature of work and society. It will look at the development of our understanding of work and society. The development of the industrial and the post-industrial society will be explored and its impact on the nature of work, organisation and management.

There will be a historical and critical review of the schools of thought and key writers. Examples of research into individual and group experiences of work, organisation and management will be discussed.

The above is a sample of the typical modules we offer but is not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules that will be available in any given year. Modules (including methods of assessment) may change or be updated, or modules may be cancelled, over the duration of the course due to a number of reasons such as curriculum developments or staffing changes. Please refer to the module catalogue for information on available modules. This content was last updated on Friday 04 September 2020.

The second year of the course allows you to develop specialist knowledge in finance, accounting and management by building on your first-year studies. Specifically, your second year will include core modules in corporate finance and reporting, management accounting and information systems, and management strategy, as well as quantitative methods and econometrics.

The second year also provides an opportunity to develop your particular interests through optional modules within or outside the Business School.

Core modules

Accounting Information Systems

This module looks at the use of accounting information systems in financial and management accounting and their control and audit. You'll cover topics such as:

  • introduction to systems
  • business processes
  • budgeting and decision support systems
  • internal control and audit
  • computer crime and external audit
  • enterprise resource planning systems
Corporate Finance

This module concentrates on the major investment and financing decisions made by managers within a firm.

Intermediate Corporate Reporting

This module addresses the application of financial reporting principles in preparing financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards for a range of transactions and economic events. This module also develops your understanding of the role of external audit and audit theory and practice.

Introductory Econometrics

This module will provide an introduction to the theory and practice of quantitative economic modelling at a basic level. The theoretical framework will be developed around the classical regression model and its extensions, with theoretical understanding being supplemented with computer-based practical examples of modelling and data analysis. 

Management Accounting

This module will introduce the following topics:

  • Activity based costing
  • Process costing
  • Transfer pricing
  • The changing role of the management accountant
  • Curvilinear cost functions (for example, the learning curve)
  • Pricing decisions and strategies
  • The range of alternative approaches to performance measurement and their respective merits/problems
Management Strategy

This module provides you with a theoretical and applied overview of strategic management in today's operational environment. It introduces and analyses the key concepts, frameworks and techniques of strategic management, which allow them to diagnose complex situations related to real-world business development.

Quantitative Methods 2A

In this module you'll study further maths and statistics including topics such as linear algebra, constrained optimisation, difference equations and hypothesis testing. 

Optional modules

Plus 20 credits of approved optional modules:

Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management

The current business climate demands that companies, large or small, develop the capability to anticipate and respond to changes in their external environment. These changes may represent opportunities or threats for companies.

Entrepreneurship has been viewed as a means through which economic actors identify and pursue such opportunities. It is often assumed that large, established organisations are constrained by bureaucracy and are not as flexible and entrepreneurial as new small firms. There are, however, several examples of large companies (such as Sony, 3M and IBM), which have been able to create and sustain a competitive advantage by being consistently innovative and entrepreneurial.

This module explores entrepreneurship in larger companies. Corporate entrepreneurship is a term used to describe entrepreneurial behaviour inside established mid-sized and large organisations.

Database Design and Implementation

This module examines the process of relational database design and implementation using relevant theory. Applications of modern databases will be studied and all students will be required to create a database system, fully documented, to solve a given problem. 

Managing Business Operations

This module explores the strategic importance of operations in business management, within and across organisations, and in addressing environmental and societal challenges. Organisations in this module refer to organisations from the public, private and third sectors; service and manufacturing.

Examples of topics include:

  • value and performance
  • the links with other business functions
  • sustainability
  • product and service innovation
  • managing the supply chain and network
  • resource management
  • excellence through improvement and quality
Managing Tourism and the Environment: Conflict or Consensus?

This module will examine and explore:

  • the interactions between and the management of tourism and the environment from the perspective of key stakeholders including business, government, non-governmental organisations, tourist and local communities
  • the emergence of environmentally concerned consumers and the implications of different environmental paradigms for tourism development
  • debates surrounding the environmental and economic impacts of tourism to highlight the potential for both conflict and consensus
  • the role played by pressure groups in influencing tourism development and the emergence of nature/eco-tourism
The Psychology of Economic and Business Decisions

Much economic and business behaviour deviates from the traditional views of rationality - for example, utility and profit maximisation. This module provides an overview of alternative views of decision making from behavioural economics and the economic psychology of individual choice.

The focus is both on new methods of economic enquiry and the insights they have generated into economic and business decision making. These new approaches include: experimental and cognitive economics; neuroeconomics; economics of emotions and happiness; behavioural finance; cultural economics; social preferences and evolutionary psychology.

Risk Management Decisions

This module will introduce the different aspects of corporate risk and examine how the risk of fortuitous loss may affect the various stakeholders in the operations of firms.

Supply Chain and Operations Planning

This module will introduce you to:

  • supply chain fundamentals, including: the supply chain planning processes and the need for them
  • planning processes and methods, including: forecasting; aggregate planning; MRP; capacity management; theory of constraints (TOC); JIT (kanban); inventory management
  • IS/IT support for planning including ERP systems
  • planning through the supply chain, examining the challenges in different contexts through case studies
The above is a sample of the typical modules we offer but is not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules that will be available in any given year. Modules (including methods of assessment) may change or be updated, or modules may be cancelled, over the duration of the course due to a number of reasons such as curriculum developments or staffing changes. Please refer to the module catalogue for information on available modules. This content was last updated on

In your final year, you will study four core areas in depth: corporate reporting and analysis, management accounting, business ethics and sustainability, and financial markets.

There are also more opportunities for you to tailor the course to your interests and career aspirations through optional modules.

Core modules

Advanced Corporate Reporting and Analysis

This module covers advanced financial reporting topics including:

  • accounting conceptual framework
  • accounting measurement and recognition issues
  • special topics
Advanced Management Accounting

This module will discuss some or all of the following topics:

  • Pricing decisions and profitability analysis
  • Measuring business performance
  • Strategic management accounting (including strategic cost management)
  • Issues in management accounting and control
  • Current issues in management accounting
Business Ethics and Sustainability

This module explores the (inter)relationships between business, society and the environment through the theories and practices of business ethics and sustainability. You will be introduced to different ethical frameworks that can be used to understand a business' responsibilities to a broad range of stakeholders; ranging from investors and customers, to employees, communities and ecosystems.

The module equips you with the capacity to describe and address specific situations that enable and/or constrain ethical and sustainable decision-making in businesses. Ultimately, the module develops your 'moral imagination' - to become responsible managers of the future - in light of competing stakeholder expectations, situational factors, and broader challenges of sustainability.

Financial Markets: Theory and Computation

This module examines the workings of the major financial markets. Markets for equity and debt are dealt with (money and foreign exchange markets are also the focus) as are markets for derivative instruments. The module covers the key theoretical models of modern finance, key market conventions and mechanisms, financial risk management with derivative instruments.

Optional modules

Plus 40 credits of approved optional modules:

Advanced Taxation

This module covers more complex issues in:

  • income tax
  • national insurance contributions
  • corporation tax
  • capital gains tax and value added tax on individuals and entities
  • inheritance tax theory and practice
  • interaction between different taxes
  • international tax issues
  • more complex tax planning considerations
  • current issues and developments
Applied Econometrics

This module will provide an introduction to econometric techniques for modelling data. Topics to be covered include:

  • panel data modelling (difference-in-difference models; regression discontinuity designs; experiments)
  • qualitative response models
  • time series models
Behavioural Economics and Finance

This module will provide you with an understanding of methods, results and models of behavioural economics and behavioural finance. We will talk about experiments and their importance in several fields. Within this context we will cover topics such as:

  • how to design an experiment
  • asset markets
  • labour markets
  • social dilemmas
  • bargaining
  • contests
  • behavioural finance
  • market structure
  • risk

You will learn how to design your own experiment and how to interpret empirical results.

Business School Dissertation

This module is an opportunity for you to work largely independently and in depth on a subject of your choice to be approved by staff from the Business School.

Business, Government and Public Policy

You will be encouraged to understand the political and institutional frameworks within which business operates. Businesses do not simply react to policies set by government however; they are intimately involved in the processes of policy formation and decision making will be examined. You will be encouraged to think critically about policy formation and the role of business in this process.

Corporate Restructuring and Governance

This module examines the antecedents and consequences of corporate restructuring. Factors triggering corporate restructuring are considered in a number of alternative organisational settings. In particular, the role of corporate governance in inducing and shaping corporate restructuring receives special attention (in particular, executive compensation and the market for corporate control).

The process of restructuring is discussed against a background of resource-based, agency and behavioural theories of the firm. The impact of corporate restructuring on the size, complexity, incentive systems and ownership structure of large firms is examined. Finally, the evidence relating to the effects of corporate restructuring on performance, employment, R&D and corporate governance is examined.

Financial Economics

This module will offer an introduction to some theoretical concepts related to the allocation of risk by financial institutions. Then it will apply these concepts to the analysis of financial and banking crises.

International Finance

This module discusses and analyses the management of the international finance function of firms. Typical issues include:

  • foreign exchange markets
  • foreign exchange and other international risks
  • international financial markets
  • international investment decisions
  • foreign trade 
Law and Economics

This module covers:

  • introduction to law and economics: the Coase theorem, property rights and transaction costs
  • economics of corporate law: ownership, agency and governance structures
  • economics of contract law: efficient breach and efficient remedies
  • economics of tort law: efficient liability rules
  • economics of criminal law: fines and imprisonment
  • economics of legal processes: litigation, settlement and trial
  • competitive markets: products liability
  • non-competitive markets: economics of antitrust law and regulation
Management Operations Strategy

This module examines the strategic importance of manufacturing and service operations, and the key links between operations and other functional strategies. The module explores the importance of a properly formulated and explicit operations strategy to ensure the development of a successful business. The module discusses the interdependence of policies for capacity, technology, supply networks, development and organisation.

Managing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

This module covers:

  • key concepts and definitions
  • contextualising equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI)
  • EDI in organisations: equal opportunity, diversity and 'mainstreaming' approaches
  • implicit bias
  • intersectionality
  • managing for EDI: organisational interventions.
Plant Location and Design

This module provides an understanding of the factors which influence a company's choice of location, and of how to approach the design of layouts to support a company's strategic objectives and maximise the efficiency of its operations.

Risk Management Processes

This module will discuss the processes utilised by corporate enterprises to manage the risk of fortuitous loss. Once corporate risks have been identified and their impact on the firm measured, risk management attempts to control the size and frequency of loss, and to finance those fortuitous losses which do occur. 

Risk, Information and Insurance

This module examines individual decision-making under conditions of risk and uncertainty, and investigates the effectiveness of insurance as a means of controlling risk.

Strategic Innovation Management

This module introduces you to key strategy and innovation concepts and tools which are relevant to dynamic markets in which there is rapid change in knowledge and skills, technologies, products, and services. Topics covered include:

  • creating and sustaining competitive advantage in dynamic markets
  • dynamic capabilities
  • first and second mover advantages in innovation
  • industry life cycles
  • new product development and technology lock-ins
  • innovation in services (public and private sector) 
Technology Entrepreneurship in Practice

This module aims to provide you with the skills, knowledge and practical experience required to respond to the challenges involved in managing, commercialising and marketing technological innovation and new business development.

The above is a sample of the typical modules we offer but is not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules that will be available in any given year. Modules (including methods of assessment) may change or be updated, or modules may be cancelled, over the duration of the course due to a number of reasons such as curriculum developments or staffing changes. Please refer to the module catalogue for information on available modules. This content was last updated on

Fees and funding

UK students

£9,250
Per year

International students

£18,420*
Per year

*For full details including fees for part-time students and reduced fees during your time studying abroad or on placement (where applicable), see our fees page.

If you are a student from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you may be asked to complete a fee status questionnaire and your answers will be assessed using guidance issued by the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) .

Additional costs

As a student on this course, you should factor some additional costs into your budget, alongside your tuition fees and living expenses.

You should be able to access most of the books you’ll need through our libraries, though you may wish to purchase your own copies of more specific titles which could cost up to £600. The library will hold only a limited number of copies or core texts and these are in high demand during term and revision periods, so purchasing your own copy is advisable.

Please note that these figures are approximate and subject to change.

Scholarships and bursaries

The University of Nottingham offers a wide range of bursaries and scholarships. These funds can provide you with an additional source of non-repayable financial help. For up to date information regarding tuition fees, visit our fees and finance pages.

Home students*

Over one third of our UK students receive our means-tested core bursary, worth up to £1,000 a year. Full details can be found on our financial support pages.

* A 'home' student is one who meets certain UK residence criteria. These are the same criteria as apply to eligibility for home funding from Student Finance.

International students

We offer a range of international undergraduate scholarships for high-achieving international scholars who can put their Nottingham degree to great use in their careers.

International scholarships

Careers

Graduates from the Business School are highly sought after in the job market, gaining employment in accountancy, banking and other financial services, while many others develop careers in management consultancy, marketing and human resource management.

Recent graduate employers include Accenture, Amazon, Apple, Barclays, British Army, Deloitte, EY, HMRC, HSBC, KPMG, Lloyds Banking Group, Macquarie, Morgan Stanley, PwC, RBS, Saatchi & Saatchi, Samsung, Santander, and Standard Chartered Bank.

The Business School's careers and recruitment service provides targeted and bespoke support to help steer you onto a career path of your choice. You will have opportunities to network with top employers throughout your degree, with many of these companies choosing to sponsor prizes for the highest-performing students in different years of study or particular subjects.

Professional accreditation

ICAEW

Nottingham University Business School is recognised as an ICAEW Partner in Learning, working with ICAEW in the professional development of students.

The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) has awarded University Partnership status to Nottingham University Business School. On this course, you will be registered as a CIMA student as part of your degree, gaining valuable workplace experience, access to a wide variety of learning resources, and certain exemptions from CIMA exams.

Graduates from this course will also obtain exemptions from a number of professional examination papers set by the:

ACCA   CIMA  

CIPFA

Average starting salary and career progression

85.8% of undergraduates from Nottingham University Business School secured graduate level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation. The average annual salary for these graduates was £32,026.*

* HESA Graduate Outcomes 2019/20 data published in 2022. The Graduate Outcomes % is derived using The Guardian University Guide methodology. The average annual salary is based on graduates working full-time within the UK.

Studying for a degree at the University of Nottingham will provide you with the type of skills and experiences that will prove invaluable in any career, whichever direction you decide to take.

Throughout your time with us, our Careers and Employability Service can work with you to improve your employability skills even further; assisting with job or course applications, searching for appropriate work experience placements and hosting events to bring you closer to a wide range of prospective employers.

Have a look at our careers page for an overview of all the employability support and opportunities that we provide to current students.

The University of Nottingham is consistently named as one of the most targeted universities by Britain’s leading graduate employers (Ranked in the top ten in The Graduate Market in 2013-2020, High Fliers Research).

Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales

The school is recognised as an ICAEW Partner in Learning.

Association of Chartered Certified Accountants

This course is accredited by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Chartered Institute of Management Accountants

The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) has awarded University Partnership status to Nottingham University Business School. On this course, you will be registered as a CIMA student as part of your degree, gaining valuable workplace experience, access to a wide variety of learning resources, and certain exemptions from CIMA exams.

Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy

This course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.

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Important information

This online prospectus has been drafted in advance of the academic year to which it applies. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information is accurate at the time of publishing, but changes (for example to course content) are likely to occur given the interval between publishing and commencement of the course. It is therefore very important to check this website for any updates before you apply for the course where there has been an interval between you reading this website and applying.