Description
This qualification is only available until 31 December 2017.
To claim this qualification, you must complete the required 360 credits by this date.
If you have any questions about your eligibility for this qualification please contact the Credit, Qualifications and Ceremonies Centre on +44(0) 1908 653003 or by email.
Once you complete this degree course, you’ll have a general understanding of business organisations, their key elements, wider considerations such as environments, markets and processes, and how all these work together. You’ll be able to analyse how businesses develop strategies, handle risk and take decisions, and you’ll have an insight into essential business functions such as marketing, accounting and finance. You’ll have relevant and practical skills, in particular IT, numerical, study and thinking skills.
There are two main choices in the BA (Hons) Business Studies programme. You can gain a standard BA (Hons) Business Studies degree by taking three compulsory modules, module options (you choose from a selection) and some free choice modules.
Or, if you have an area of special interest, you can demonstrate this by combining another subject with your business studies degree. You can study and attain a BA (Hons) Business Studies with Accounting, with Economics, with Environment, with French, with Information and Communication Technology (ICT), with International Development, with Law, with Spanish or with Systems Practice. See below for more details.
Planning your studies
Whether or not you are new to the University, we advise you to start at Level 1. If you complete your Level 1 studies successfully you’ll have a firm foundation for Level 2 study as well as credits to count towards your degree.
An introduction to business studies (B120) or Working and learning: developing effective performance at work (BU130) is a good starting point for this degree. Otherwise, we particularly recommend the Level 1 modules below. They could count towards your free choice modules or, if you choose the standard BA (Hons) Business Studies degree without a specialism, be part of your module options.
For this honours degree, you need 360 credits, half of which are obtained by studying the three compulsory modules. 120 of the remaining credits are gained by choosing two or more options from a list and the remaining 60 credits can be gained by taking any OU Business School or OU modules that count towards an undergraduate degree.
If you decide to study one of the specialisms – accounting for example – you must study the specified modules. The compulsory modules and your free choice of 60 credits still apply.
Each module contains deadlines and timetables that must be followed. Normally, only one 60-credit module is taken per year.
A few modules are ‘excluded combinations’ because their content overlaps. You are strongly advised to check the compatibility of your modules before making a commitment.
You should note that the University’s unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 120 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you (with the exception of an undergraduate-level qualification of less than 120 credits). If you have graduated with an OU BA degree without honours and are continuing your studies on to honours, this minimum requirement is reduced to 60 credits. Before being awarded any intermediate qualifications on the way to your OU honours degree, we advise you to check that you’ll have sufficient new credits to qualify for your degree.
Modules
For this 360-credit honours degree you require:
180 credits from the following compulsory modules:
Level 2 compulsory modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- Business organisations and their environments (B201)
|
60 |
|
Level 3 compulsory module |
Credits |
Next start |
- Making sense of strategy (B301)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 2 the discontinued modules B200, B202, B203, at Level 3 the discontinued module B300
And at least 120 credits, including at least 60 at Level 3, from the following optional modules:
Level 1 optional modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- An introduction to retail management and marketing (B122)
|
30 |
|
- Discovering mathematics (MU123)
|
30 |
|
- Essential mathematics (MST124)
|
30 |
|
- Fundamentals of accounting (B124)
|
30 |
|
- Introduction to bookkeeping and accounting (B190)
|
10 |
|
- Law: concepts and perspectives (W102)
|
60 |
|
- You and your money: personal finance in context (DB123)
|
30 |
|
Level 2 optional modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- Analysing data (M248)
|
30 |
|
- Financial accounting (B291)
|
30 |
|
- Making it happen! Leadership, influence and change (B204)
|
60 |
|
- or
|
- Making it happen! Leadership, influence and change in retailing (BXA204)
|
60 |
|
- Management accounting (B292)
|
30 |
|
- Running the economy (DD209)
|
60 |
|
Level 3 optional modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- Advanced management accounting (B392)
|
30 |
|
- Doing economics: people, markets and policy (DD309)
|
60 |
|
- Innovation: designing for change (T317)
|
60 |
|
- Managing 1: organisations and people (B628) or online version BZX628
|
30 |
|
- Managing 2: marketing and finance (B629) or online version BZX629
|
30 |
|
- Managing across organisational and cultural boundaries (B325)
|
30 |
|
- Marketing and society (B324)
|
30 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 1 the discontinued modules B120, B121, BD131, BU130, BXS121, DD100, DD101, DD121, DD122, DD131**, DD132**, E112, LB160, M150, MST121, MU120, SMK184, T121, U120, T171, T172, T175, T185, T188, TU100, TU120, W100, W150, Y154, Y157, Y159, Y162, Y165, Y166, Y179, Y182, Y186 at Level 2 the discontinued modules BM240, D216, DD202, T205, T214, T245, T247, TXR248, W221, W222, W223 at Level 3 the discontinued modules B321, B322, B615*, BYN615, BZL615*, BZX615*, BZX646*, BZXN615*, B680*, D301, D319, DU301, DU321, T301, T302, T306, T307, T320
* Please note if you achieve a ‘Pass’ result in this module, this is equivalent to a Pass grade 4 undergraduate result and could affect your final degree grading.
** You can only study DD101 or DD131 or DD131 and DD132 (now discontinued).
And a maximum of 60 credits of free choice from any OU modules to bring your total number of credits to 360. Within the total, you must ensure that you have at least the required minimum number of credits at each level and after 31 December 2014 no more than 30 from Openings modules or the discontinued Short module Science starts here (S154).
Specialisms
If you want a BA (Hons) Business Studies degree that shows you have concentrated your studies in one subject area, you must include the three compulsory modules listed above (B201, B203 and B301) and the modules listed below for the appropriate subject area.
With Accounting
Level 2 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Financial accounting (B291)
|
30 |
|
- Management accounting (B292)
|
30 |
|
Level 3 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Advanced management accounting (B392)
|
30 |
|
- Managing 2: marketing and finance (B629)
|
30 |
|
- or
|
- Managing 2: marketing and finance - online version (BZX629)
|
30 |
|
If you have successfully completed Analysing data (M248) and the discontinued modules Accounting for strategy implementation (B321) and Certificate in accounting (B680), you can claim this specialism until 31 December 2017. If you have not studied the discontinued module Certificate in accounting (B680*), but have completed the discontinued module B321 you must study the modules B291, B292 and Level 3 module B629 (or BZX629). If you have any questions about your eligibility for this qualification please contact the Qualifications and Ceremonies Centre on +44(0) 1908 653003 or by email.
*Please note if you achieve a ‘Pass’ result in this module, this is equivalent to a Pass grade 4 undergraduate result and could affect your final degree grading’.
With Economics
Level 2 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Running the economy (DD209)
|
60 |
|
Level 3 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Doing economics: people, markets and policy (DD309)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 2 the discontinued modules D216, DD202, at Level 3 the discontinued module D319
With Environment
Level 2 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Environment: sharing a dynamic planet (DST206)
|
60 |
|
Level 3 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Earth in crisis: environmental policy in an international context (DU311)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 2 the discontinued module U216, at Level 3 the discontinued module U316
With French
Level 2 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Envol: upper intermediate French (L211)
|
60 |
|
Level 3 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Mises au point: advanced French (L310)
|
60 |
|
With Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
Level 2 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Communication and information technologies (T215)
|
60 |
|
Level 3 |
Credits |
Next start |
- The discontinued module (T324)
|
30 |
|
- The discontinued module (T325)
|
30 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 2 the discontinued module T209, at Level 3 the discontinued module T305
With International Development
Level 2 |
Credits |
Next start |
- International development: making sense of a changing world (TD223)
|
60 |
|
Level 3 |
Credits |
Next start |
- International relations: continuity and change (DD313)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued modules U213, DU301
With Law
Level 2 |
Credits |
Next start |
- The discontinued module W200
|
60 |
|
Level 3 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Law: agreements, rights and responsibilities (W300)
|
60 |
|
With Spanish
Level 2 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Viento en popa: upper intermediate Spanish (L204)
|
60 |
|
Level 3 |
Credits |
Next start |
- A buen puerto: advanced Spanish (L314)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 2 the discontinued module LZX204, at Level 3 the discontinued module LZX314
With Systems Practice
Level 2 |
Credits |
Next start |
- The discontinued module T214
-
|
Level 3 |
Credits |
Next start |
- The discontinued module T306
-
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 2 the discontinued module T205