BSc (Hons) Business Management and Leadership
Build the confidence you need to shape organisations, deliver sustainable impact and guide businesses through complexity and development.
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Course overview
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Step into the future of business leadership. This accelerated degree develops agile, analytical and creative graduates, equipped to navigate complexity, harness data and drive innovation. Through real-world learning and applied challenges, you will build the confidence to shape organisations, make informed decisions and deliver sustainable impact. Upon graduating, you will have developed the judgement and leadership capability to effectively guide organisations through complexity and change.
Business today demands leaders who can think strategically, analyse data and lead organisations through complexity and change. Buckingham’s Business Management and Leadership degree is designed to develop agile, creative, future-focused graduates that are equipped with the skills to lead in contemporary and emerging business environments.
This two-year degree follows a clear developmental journey. Your initial studies will have a focus on building a strong foundation in how businesses create value. You’ll explore core disciplines including markets, finance, operations and organisational behaviour. You will also develop essential academic, professional and digital skills, alongside an introduction to leadership and the role of artificial intelligence in business.
As this knowledge develops, you’ll begin to analyse organisations as dynamic and interconnected systems. You’ll develop the ability to interpret data, evaluate performance and diagnose business challenges, all whilst applying your learning through simulations and real-world projects. You will explore innovation, organisational change and business growth, growing your confidence in evidence-based decision-making.
Towards the later stages of your studies, you will examine corporate strategy, digital transformation and sustainable organisational design. This culmination of your studies will ensure that you develop advanced strategic and leadership capability, while learning how to make complex decisions under uncertainty. As the programme culminates in a substantial independent research project, you will then have the opportunity to apply your knowledge to a real business challenge.
Throughout the programme, you will engage with live business projects, simulations and collaborative challenges, developing practical skills in leadership, communication and problem-solving. You will graduate with a recognised degree, strong analytical and digital capability, and the confidence to lead organisations, drive innovation and create long-term value in an uncertain world.
Course Highlights
- A focus on practical, up-to-date business creation issues.
- Understand how to lead on innovation, change and organisational growth.
- Work on live business projects with real local business founders.
- Get to grips with hands-on leadership experience through live projects and business simulations.
- You will be assessed through business skills, not exams or essays.
- You’ll be taught by lecturers who have real-world business experience.
- Experience valuable connections as you interact with real business leaders.
- Learn how to make strategic decisions under uncertainty using data and insight.
- Graduate ready to lead with impact, purpose and confidence.
Please note: This course is offered subject to final validation by the University’s Senate and Learning and Teaching Committee, with validation due to be completed by the end of June 2026.
Course breakdown
Your degree follows a clear, structured progression as you develop from your understanding of how businesses operate; from growing your self-awareness and foundational capability, to strategic and organisational leadership.
Firstly, you’ll build your confidence and awareness of how leadership shapes organisations and decision-making, achieved by understanding leadership in real contexts. You will explore how organisations and leaders create value, how markets operate, and how people and teams function within businesses. You will delve into how individuals and teams behave, develop communication and professional skills, and examine ethical, responsible and inclusive leadership.
With this understanding, you will progress to learn the art of leaderships in applied contexts and how leaders manage organisations as complex systems. You will develop analytical skills and the ability to interpret data, evaluate performance, and diagnose business challenges, applying your knowledge through real-world projects, simulations and innovation-focused activities. This stage is all about applying and learning in practical contexts, be it classroom-based or learning with industry.
In your final stage, the focus shifts to strategic leadership. You will develop the capability to lead organisations in complex, uncertain environments, making high-level decisions around strategy, transformation and long-term value creation. You will also explore responsible leadership, governance and sustainability, culminating in an independent project where you demonstrate your leadership thinking in practice.
Towards the end of the programme, you will complete an independent research project, applying your knowledge and skills to a real marketing or business challenge, preparing you for professional practice or further study.
Year 1
In your first year, you will build strong foundations in understanding how businesses operate, exploring how organisations create value, how people and teams function, and how leadership shapes decision-making. You will develop essential academic, communication and digital skills, alongside an introduction to data, AI and responsible leadership, preparing you to engage confidently with real-world business challenges.
Year 2
In your second year, you will focus on analysing organisations and leading in more complex, real-world contexts. You will develop advanced skills in strategy, innovation and data-driven decision-making, while learning to manage change and organisational performance. You will also strengthen your leadership capability, applying your knowledge through simulations, projects and an independent research project aligned to a real-world business challenge.
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Teaching and assessment
We keep class sizes small so you won’t get lost in the crowd. You will be assigned a personal tutor to support you every step of the way, and our academic and student support teams will ensure you have the tools to success in your studies. We value the quality of your learning experience.
Teaching methods
Your timetable will show “lectures,” but we don’t run traditional lectures in this business degree! Instead, when you see the word “lecture” it really means “workshop”, “seminar” or “practical session”, because we want you to learn by doing. So, whilst you will receive some short theoretical or instructional talks, these are always enhanced by practical exercises that you complete in class. During many of your “lectures”, you’ll be asked to leave the lecture theatre to complete an exercise elsewhere, on campus or perhaps in Buckingham itself, before returning to discuss your findings.
Each week, you will also attend a tutorial session for each module you are studying. A tutorial is a small-group session with around eight students, where you’ll have the opportunity discuss your learnings or to complete specific tasks set by your lecturer. These sessions allow you to check your own understanding of a topic, and your lecturer can support you with any concepts you may be struggling with. Or, as is often the case, the lecturer will see your positive progression and therefore challenge you with additional material. Either way, tutorials are an excellent way to ensure you’re getting to grips with the topic effectively.
During your programme you will also experience guest lectures from people in business, such as owners of local businesses, small firms or major global brands. Each term, you will get to engage with several businesspeople who come to deliver these guest lectures. This means you’ll get the valuable opportunity to hear about the goings-on in businesses right now, and ultimately discover the challenges that they face.
You will also engage with businesses through the project work you undertake. Businesses visit the University and give students a real, live project they need assistance with. This allows you to get more deeply involved in the business, and this provides you with a unique, real-world understanding. Recently, our students have produced a marketing plan for a wine shop, a business plan for a gym, and a strategy for a radio station.
Timetabled activities
In your first year, you can expect:
| Lectures | 9 hours per week |
| Tutorials | 3 hours per week |
Assessment Methods
You’ll be assessed in ways that reflect how work is done in real business and marketing roles. Rather than relying on traditional exams, most of your assessment is coursework-based and highly applied, helping you to build practical skills that you can apply in your career.
Across the programme, you will complete a range of engaging assessments. These include:
- Business reports
- Marketing strategies
- Data analysis projects
- Presentations
- Simulation exercises
- Case study analysis
- Tutorial contributions
- Live business project work.
You will also utilise AI and digital tools within your assessments to analyse data, develop insights and support real-world decision-making.
You should expect little to no formal written exams, with the balance of assessment being almost entirely coursework (close to 100%). This allows more time spent on developing real skills and producing meaningful and industry-relevant work, rather than revising for exams.
You’ll receive regular formative feedback throughout each module, helping you improve your work step-by-step before final submission.
As you progress, your assessments will become more independent and strategic. You’ll move from structured assignments in your first year to more complex tasks such as data-driven decision-making, digital marketing strategy development and innovation proposals in your final year.
In your final stage, you will complete a major independent research project, focusing on a marketing challenge that interests you. Overall, you’ll be graded on your ability to apply knowledge, analyse data, think strategically and communicate effectively, ensuring you graduate ready for real-world roles.
After your course
Having completed the BSc (Hons) Business Management and Leadership degree, you will be well prepared for graduate roles across business, management and consultancy. You will have developed strong capability in strategic thinking, leadership, data analysis and decision-making, alongside practical experience gained through real projects and simulations. You will also be equipped to lead in AI-enabled business environments, applying digital tools and data to support informed, responsible and effective decision-making.
These skills position you for key roles in various industries, with the confidence to manage people, lead change and contribute to organisational growth. You will also be well equipped to pursue entrepreneurial ventures or postgraduate study, supported by your ability to think critically and apply knowledge in complex, uncertain and real-world contexts.
Here are just some of the career opportunities and skills that can stem from studying on this course:
Career opportunities
- Management Trainee
- Business Analyst
- Operations Manager
- Strategy Consultant
- Project Manager
- Business Development Executive
- Leadership Programme Graduate
- Entrepreneur / Start-up Founder.
Career skills
- Entrepreneurial thinking
- Commercial awareness
- Innovation, problem-solving and strategic thinking
- Communication and presentation skills
- Teamwork and leadership
- Change management and adaptability
- Networking and relationship-building
- Self-management and professional confidence
- Data analysis and evidence-based decision-making
- Digital and AI literacy.
Careers and Employability Support
Our courses strive to effectively combine academic challenge with the transferable skills that will stand you in good stead for future employment. The Buckingham tutorial teaching model means that our students are well prepared as they embark on their careers and future study.
Find out more about our Careers and Employability Service.
Postgraduate study
Our two-year degrees mean you can begin your postgraduate studies quicker than your peers.
“Buckingham helped make the impossible, possible. The strong support offering and small class tutorials make the degree less daunting.”
Reni, Undergraduate student
Entry requirements
See our general University entry requirements for information on flexible entry, mature students and alternative qualifications.
UK Offers
The standard entry requirements for this course are:
A-Level: BCC
IB: 30-32
BTEC: DDM
Or equivalent UCAS points
If English is not your first language, you will also need an IELTS score of 6.5 (with at least 6.0 in each component).
International Applicants
We have a number of standard entry requirements for our international applicants:
If you are uncertain on whether you will be eligible to apply for this course, please contact our Admissions team.
Course fees
The fees for this course are:
| Start | Type | 1st Year | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|
Month Year Full-time (2 Years) | UK | £00,000 | £00,000 |
| INT | £00,000 | £00,000 | |
Month Year Full-time (2 Years) | UK | £00,000 | £00,000 |
| INT | £00,000 | £00,000 |
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.
Same degree less debt
As part of our 50th anniversary celebrations, this course has discounted tuition fees. Find out more.
Scholarships and bursaries
How to apply
We welcome applications in two different ways – directly via our online application form, or through UCAS.
Apply direct
Apply online from this page as:
- The most flexible option.
- You can apply until shortly before the course starts.
- There are no application fees.
- Apply as an additional option to your UCAS choices.
You can apply directly through our website by clicking the ‘Apply Now’ button.
Apply via UCAS
Alternatively, if you do not wish to apply directly with us, you can apply via UCAS where you can easily make Buckingham one of your UCAS choices.
Do bear in mind that the application and decision deadline are set by UCAS and there is an application fee to UCAS.