About the course

Economies are increasingly global so, to be a successful business professional, you need to understand how businesses operate at an international level. This innovative degree allows you to explore the challenges and opportunities facing international business while giving you the skills to manage a global business effectively.

Taking in both large and small organisational contexts, you study traditional business disciplines such as strategy, human resource management, finance, operations and marketing. You also gain a broader global business perspective via units such as international economics, global marketing and intercultural awareness in business.

You learn in a small-class, interactive environment, through lectures, seminars and workshops. You also undertake projects, research exercises, presentations and case-study analyses, with a focus on using your knowledge and understanding in practice. In your final year, we support you to find a placement relevant to international business so you can apply your learning to project work in a live setting while earning credits towards your degree.

Why choose this course?

• Gain a theoretical and practical understanding of global business operations, on a highly vocational course that combines 21st-century management skills with an international business perspective
• Benefit from a recognisably high level of professionalism, enabling you to fit in and be effective from day one when working across cultures in international teams
• Develop skill sets much in demand by employers, including communication, analysis, problem-solving, interpersonal and collaborative
• Undertake a supervised final-year dissertation involving an individually conducted research element
• Take the degree over four years and include a fee-free year in industry (see below), gaining experience and building your contacts
• If you need a step-up into higher education, start with a Foundation Year (see below) which guarantees you a place on the degree course

About the course

The Bedfordshire International Foundation Year (IFY) offers guaranteed progression* to a wide range of our undergraduate degrees, for those applicants who do not have the required qualifications or English language proficiency to join the first year of their chosen subject.

The IFY will help you improve your English language level, enhance your study and IT skills and increase your subject knowledge. This will help you succeed when you progress on to your main degree programme.

*subject to successful completion of the course

Why choose Bedfordshire International Foundation Year?

Unlike many university International Foundation programmes, The Bedfordshire IFY is delivered by the University of Bedfordshire and at the University of Bedfordshire. You will be a University of Bedfordshire student from day one.

The IFY offers guaranteed progression to over 75 bachelor’s degree programmes, via eight different pathways.

Each pathway is designed to accommodate students with a range of English language abilities from IELTS 4.5 upwards, and aims to take students up to IELTS 6.0 overall, or above, which is the requirement for undergraduate courses at the University of Bedfordshire.

The course also covers academic skills necessary to thrive in UK Higher Education and enables students to progress to their undergraduate degree, fully prepared and confident to face the challenges of a level 4 programme of study. Each pathway also offers a broadly subject-specific unit in the second semester, delivered by specialist staff from the relevant faculty, to offer you a programme specific to your subject area, as well as meeting your linguistic needs. In some cases, you may join an existing class for this session, further embedding you into university life.