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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.

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.