BSc (Hons) Business Enterprise (BBE) with integrated Foundation (3-year degree)

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Take this Business Enterprise degree to become an entrepreneur

Foundation

The first of this three year programme is a Foundation course, designed to provide the understanding and preparation required for undergraduate study. This is an ideal step for students who aspire to become entrepreneurs and need to bridge the gap between their current qualifications and the BBE degree.

Start your business while studying this entrepreneurial studies degree

If you want to start your own business but aren’t sure which is the best degree to become an entrepreneur, then look no further. On this Business Enterprise degree, you can pitch for up to £5,000 capital to get your business going. Indeed, every student on this degree must start a business during their first year of undergraduate study. But don’t worry; you will be supported throughout by experienced business owners and entrepreneurs as well as leading academics in the world of entrepreneurship.

You will start your Business Enterprise degree alongside students in the Business School studying Business Management and Business Management with Entrepreneurship. This gives you the opportunity to learn the essentials of good business and management. You’ll then study the psychology of entrepreneurship to understand just what it takes to start your own business. You’ll find out on this part of the programme your own entrepreneurial strengths. Plus, we’ll guide you on any improvements you need to make.

Your enterprise business development

After the first part of your degree is complete, you’ll start on your own enterprise business development as you become an entrepreneur. You can start a business on your own, or with other students. We’ll take you through the process of developing your ideas and helping you set up your business.

Once you have your funding, you will run the business alongside your degree studies. You will continue to study alongside students doing degrees in Business Management and Business Management with Entrepreneurship. This will help you gain the theoretical grounding for your business. You will, though, study subjects that other Business School students do not cover, but which are important to someone taking a degree to be an entrepreneur. These topics include how to sell, law for start-up businesses, how to cope with disruption to your business and making a new business sustainable.

What can I do with a Business Enterprise degree?

Once you have graduated you can continue with the business you started while at Buckingham if you wish. Several of our previous students have done this since we started the degree in 2006. (Yes, we have many years experience in helping students start businesses…!).

However, other students who have taken this entrepreneurial studies degree have decided to start a new business once they graduated. They had ideas they developed while studying that they wanted to explore once they left Buckingham. Many of these are successful businesses in a variety of sectors including brewing, consultancy, international development and selling wine.

Some students decide they want to work in an existing business, rather than set one up themselves. That’s because there is a significant desire for “intrapreneurs” in the business world. These are individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit who can bring that to a large company and help them benefit from the action-centred thinking of an entrepreneur. This means that there are plenty of business enterprise jobs you can get with an entrepreneurship undergraduate degree like this.

Also, several students decide to stay at Buckingham and complete our MBA. This means they can get a B.Sc. and an MBA in three years – the time it takes at traditional universities to get just one degree.

You will join a well-networked business entrepreneurship university course

The Buckingham Enterprise and Innovation Unit at the university is open to all students on the Business Enterprise degree. There you will be able to meet local business people who use our facilities for meetings and work. You will often find them chatting with students who are getting a degree in entrepreneurship.

In addition, the Buckingham Enterprise and Innovation Unit has events with local businesses and entrepreneurs, where you can get advice and ideas. We also have international links with leading educators around the world on some of the other best degrees to become an entrepreneur.

By taking the Business Enterprise degree you will not only start your business, get a degree to become and entrepreneur, but you also be joining a network that could well help you once you have graduated.

Entry requirements

Applicants should have satisfactory completion of grade 12 plus GCSE English and Maths at Grade C / Grade 4, or above, plus evidence of genuine intellectual capacity. If your first language is not English, you will also need an IELTS score of 6.0 (with a minimum of 5.5 in each component).

Please note that the first nine months of this programme constitute the Foundation stage. Students are expected to pass in all the Foundation modules with marks of 60% or more, in order to progress to the second year stage of the course.

UCAS applications

You may apply either through the national UCAS university admissions system, or at any time directly to the University using our own online application form. Our UCAS code is B90.

Mature students

The age range of our student body varies from those who have recently completed A-levels (or equivalent) to more mature students. Age is no barrier to learning and we welcome all applications from suitably qualified students.

International students

We are happy to consider all international applications and if you are an international student, you may find it useful to visit our international pages for details of entry requirements from your home country.

The University is a UKVI Student Sponsor.

English levels

If English is not your first language, please check our postgraduate English language requirements. If your English levels don’t meet our minimum requirements, you may be interested in applying for our Pre-sessional English Language Foundation Programmes.

Selection process

Wherever possible, you will be invited to the University to meet the Admissions Tutor for an informal interview and to have a tour of our campus. If you are an international applicant, it may not be possible for you to visit in person, so if the Admissions Tutor has any queries about your application you may be contacted by Microsoft Teams, email or phone.

The Admissions Office for Business would be happy to answer any questions you may have, email admissions@buckingham.ac.uk.

Student Contract for prospective students

When you are offered a place at the University you will be notified of the student contract between the University and students on our courses of study. When you accept an offer of a place on the course at the University a legal contract is formed between you and the University on the basis of the student contract in your offer letter. Your offer letter and the student contract contain important information which you should read carefully before accepting an offer. Read the Student Contract.

Quality teaching

We offer high quality, traditional Oxbridge-style teaching, which leads to our degrees being recognised around the world. The standards of degrees and awards are safeguarded by distinguished external examiners – senior academic staff from other universities in the UK – who approve and moderate assessed work.

High calibre staff

Most of our academic staff teach for three terms out of four, with the remaining term used for research. Because of this, we have no difficulty in attracting high calibre, highly respected lecturers, many of whom also have a background in business or industry and can offer networking opportunities for students.

Teaching methods

Teaching is carried out through a combination of lectures supported by seminars and tutorials. A key feature of the Buckingham teaching method is the use of small tutorial groups which provide the most effective means of ensuring that the students benefit from the academic expertise at their disposal. It is also the philosophy of the Business School faculty to be available to students outside the scheduled tutorial times and to encourage good working relationships between staff and students.

Assessment methods

The assessment of individual modules within each course varies according to the subject. Assessment is usually by examination, assessed coursework, or a combination of the two. Please check module information for more details.

Preparation for work

All our degree courses combine academic challenge with the transferable skills that will stand you in good stead for future employment. Many of our more vocationally-focused degrees offer the opportunity of work placements and experience in industry.

Graduate employment

Our graduates have gone on to further study at most of the world’s leading universities, including Harvard, London, Oxford and Cambridge and secured jobs in senior positions around the world. Among our alumni we have a graduate who became the head of his country’s civil service and one who became a leading Formula One motor-racing driver. Another secured a position as the Minister of Sabah and one female law graduate became the first British lawyer to become a French Advocate.

The University reserves the right to increase course fees annually in line with inflation linked to the Retail Price Index (RPI). If the University intends to increase your course fees it will notify you via email of this as soon as reasonably practicable.

Course fees do not include additional costs such as books, equipment, writing up fees and other ancillary charges. Where applicable, these additional costs will be made clear.

The following fee illustrations provide an insight into the cost savings which can be made by studying at The University of Buckingham.

• Fee illustration: International students
• Fee illustration: Home students

You may also find it useful to visit the following fee related information on our site:

• Estimated Living Costs
• Grants and Loans

Discounts

Students who graduate from the University and plan to continue their studies with a postgraduate degree at Buckingham can benefit from a very generous automatic discount on their fees:

• 33%, those with a first class honours degree from Buckingham
• 25%, those with a Second Class Honours, Upper Division (2:1) degree from Buckingham

Scholarships

The following automatic awards are available to undergraduate Home students:

• • High Achiever Scholarship
    We offer a reduction of £2,000 per annum if you achieve AAB or above in your A levels (or equivalent) excluding General Studies. This scholarship is dependent on your making Buckingham your firm choice. It will be reviewed after your preliminary and subsequent examinations and will continue if your average mark is in the upper second or first class.
  • The University of Buckingham Bursary
    The University of Buckingham Bursary aims to support students on low incomes or from low income families. The bursary is worth £2000 per year and students receive this as a termly reduction in tuition fees (£500 reduction per term). Read about the eligibility criteria and how to apply.

Details of other scholarships can be found on our Bursaries and Scholarships page.

We welcome applications in two different ways – directly via our online application form or through UCAS.

If you’re interested in transferring to Buckingham from another university then please get in touch to talk through your options.