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 Centre for Qualifications and Ceremonies on +44 (0)1908 653003 or by email.
How do businesses develop strategies, handle risk and take decisions? What’s involved in essential business functions such as marketing, accounting and finance? This degree in business studies provides an innovative and accessible introduction to the world of business, and helps you relate your studies directly to your own workplace. You’ll investigate how organisations think and work, how they’re managed, and the external world in which they operate. You’ll also gain a general understanding of business organisations and their key elements; wider considerations such as environments, markets and processes; and how all these work together. This degree course includes flexible options, enabling you to specialise in an area of business studies – for example, the BA (Hons) Business Studies (Accounting) – or you can combine business studies with another subject and study for a BA (Hons) Business Studies with Economics, with Environment, with French, with International Development, with Law or with Spanish.
Planning your studies
Whether or not you are new to the University, we strongly advise you study Level 1 modules first, followed by Level 2 modules and to complete your degree with Level 3 modules.
While studying for this honours degree, you can achieve a Diploma in Business Studies (E20) along the way. You can pause or stop your studies at that point.
Depending on the modules that you take, you can also obtain a Professional Certificate in Accounting (K01) and/or a Professional Certificate in Management (C31). It is also possible to study for a Foundation Degree in Business (G07) or a Foundation Degree in Retail Management (G22) as long as you make sure that you take the required modules for those qualifications as part of your business studies degree.
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:
30 credits from the following compulsory module:
Level 1 compulsory module |
Credits |
Next start |
- An introduction to business studies (B120)
- (now discontinued)
-
|
30 |
|
And 30 credits from the following optional modules:
Level 1 optional modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- An introduction to retail management and marketing (B122)
|
30 |
|
- Essential mathematics 1 (MST124)
|
30 |
|
- Fundamentals of accounting (B124)
|
30 |
|
- Management practice (B123)*
|
30 |
|
- You and your money: personal finance in context (DB123)
|
30 |
|
*Please note that you can only study one of B123, BU130, BUXS130 with this qualification.
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 1 the discontinued modules B121, BU130*, BUXS130*, LB160, MST121
And 60 credits from the following compulsory module:
Level 2 compulsory module |
Credits |
Next start |
- The discontinued module B203
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 2 the discontinued module B202
And 60 credits from the following optional modules:
Level 2 optional modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- Business organisations and their environments (B201)
|
60 |
|
- Financial accounting (B291)
|
30 |
|
- Making it happen! Leadership, influence and change (B204)
|
60 |
|
- Making it happen! Leadership, influence and change in retailing (BXA204)
|
60 |
|
- Management accounting (B292)
|
30 |
|
- Running the economy (DD209)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 2 the discontinued module B200, B680*, DD202
*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.
And 60 credits from the following compulsory module:
Level 3 compulsory modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- Making sense of strategy (B301)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 3 the discontinued module B300
And 60 credits from the following optional modules:
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 |
|
- International relations: continuity and change in global politics (DD313)
|
60 |
|
- Managing 1: organisations and people (B628)or online version BZX628
|
30 |
|
- Managing 2: marketing and finance (B629)or online version BZX629
|
30 |
|
- Marketing and society (B324)
|
30 |
|
- Managing across organisational and cultural boundaries (B325)
|
30 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 3 the discontinued modules B321, B322, B625, DU301, T306, T307, T320
*Please note that if you choose B392 you must have studied Management accounting (B292).
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 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 either economics, environment, French, international development, law or Spanish you must include:
- 150 credits from the three compulsory modules: An introduction to business studies (B120) (30) (now discontinued), Business functions in context (B203) (both now discontinued) and Making sense of strategy (B301)
- 30 credits from the Level 1 optional modules listed above
- 120 credits from the modules listed below for the appropriate subject area
- 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 no more than 30 from Openings modules or the discontinued Short module Science starts here (S154).
If you want a BA (Hons) Business Studies degree that shows you have concentrated your studies in accounting you must include:
- 150 credits from the three compulsory modules: An introduction to business studies (B120), Business functions in context (B203) (both now discontinued) and Making sense of strategy (B301)
- 130 credits from the compulsory modules listed below and 30 credits from the Level 3 optional modules listed above
- and a maximum of 50 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 no more than 30 from Openings modules or the discontinued Short module Science starts here (S154).
(Accounting)
Level 1 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Introduction to bookkeeping and accounting (B190)
|
10 |
|
- You and your money: personal finance in context (DB123)
|
30 |
|
Level 2 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Financial accounting (B291)
|
30 |
|
- Management accounting (B292)
|
30 |
|
Level 3 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Advanced management accounting (B392)
|
30 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 2 the discontinued module B680* and at Level 3 the discontinued module B321.
*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 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 2 the discontinued module LZX211, at Level 3 the discontinued module LZX310
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 in global politics (DD313)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 2 the discontinued module U213 and at Level 3 the discontinued module DU301.
With Law
Level 2 |
Credits |
Next start |
- Understanding law (W200)
- (now discontinued)
|
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