Course description

Why study Business and English? 

Business and English will give you a range of transferable skills to succeed and open up a range of career paths upon graduating. We aim to broaden your understanding of literature and culture, while equipping you with skills and knowledge that make businesses function, to help you to fulfil your goals.  

Studying Business and English together will enhance your planning, organisational and communication skills. And studying literature from a range of cultures will enhance your multi-cultural awareness.

We provide opportunities to study writing from different historical periods and cultures, including the work of authors from Europe, America, Africa, the Caribbean and Canada, as well as developing your knowledge of organisations, their management and the global environments in which they operate.

We use our academic expertise to make the links between theoretical business frameworks, and the practicalities of real industries.  

Tailor your degree 

With a range of optional modules across Business Management and English (such as logistics, human resource management, marketing, and various themes and theories in literature such as crime, fantasy, gender and cultural politics) you’ll be able to tailor your studies to your area of interest and your career goals.

How you will learn

You’ll be taught through several learning and teaching methods, such as formal lectures, which will at times include expert speakers, and seminars.

Seminars can be tutor-led or student-led and can include critical analysis of reading, presentations, group work, debates and general problem solving, interaction with real businesses, case study analysis, computer lab work, practical analysis and formative assessment.  

• Tutorials: one-to-one sessions with a tutor to discuss the development of assignments
• Formal lectures
• Work projects  
• Self-directed study  

In addition to direct teaching by faculty staff the University also makes use of blended learning through which students will be able to enhance and progress their learning. Through the university’s online portal; University of Derby Online (UDO) students can access the university virtual learning environment which forms an important part of the delivery of the programme and provide a facility through which tutors can supply lecture notes and presentations, links to learning resources and information and announcements pertinent to studies.

English is a subject based upon discussion and interpretation, and your English classes will reflect this, with great emphasis placed upon student contributions and presentations in addition to lectures.

How you are assessed

For Business Management modules, we mostly assess you through practical coursework assignments — the sort of tasks you might undertake in a workplace. Sometimes these will be individual tasks and at other times, you will need to work in a group. Assignments could include: business reports, research and consultancy projects, presentations, design of digital materials such as videos, blogs or augmented reality posters, and computer-based assessments.

For English modules, our assessment strategy is designed to produce confident, articulate graduates with a broad set of skills. There are no exams and forms of assessment include seminar debates, group presentations and conference papers alongside essays and longer research projects. We place great emphasis on developing your research skills, with independent projects playing a key part in the second and third year of the course.