Overview
Our four year course, integrated with a placement year, will develop your IT knowledge and give you the skills needed to provide businesses with consultative support, strategic direction and technological insight. There is also an option to gain a double degree (two degrees for the price of one).
Course outline and modules
This degree will develop your understanding of the management and communication of information, as well as the human, managerial and technical considerations.
You will learn the role that information technology plays in modern business environments and societies, and how technology can be the key to solving some of their biggest challenges.
What you’ll learn
This course will provide you with theoretical knowledge and skills, including analysis and problem-solving, which can be applied to a broad range of career paths.
You will learn the relationship between technical knowledge and human design, the complex role of IT in business, and how technology can be used to drive competitive advantage.
In your first year you will develop a general knowledge of business theories as well as computing and IT. Your second year is focused on building your IT and computing skills. This will help you as you apply for placement opportunities in your third year.
The final year includes both compulsory and elective modules and builds on the knowledge and skills gathered during the placement year and facilitates cultivating advanced skillsets relevant to the contemporary business environment. This will include, and not limited to project management, emerging technology trends, and information security. Furthermore, the final year project dissertation enables you to put your skills and knowledge into practice, through collaborative, peer and self-directed learning, working on real-life case studies and applications, which are aligned to your individual career aspirations.
Practical experience
As well as developing your skills in analytical thinking, project management, knowledge of business systems and structures, you will also get hands-on practical skills in technology, coding and cyber security.
During your placement year, you will develop your learning and showcase your skills, and improve your employability through real work experience. Students on this course have enjoyed placements at companies including Microsoft and Intel.
Professional accreditation
Graduates from this course can claim exemptions from the examinations of a number of professional bodies. Exemptions are dependent upon the options you have followed.
Two undergraduate degrees
This course offers an Exchange Partnership Second Degree Pathway option, meaning you could study overseas at one of our partner institutions during your placement year and graduate with two undergraduate degrees for the price of one. Find out more about the Exchange Partnership Second Degree Pathway
International students
Aston University is a diverse and close community. Students from over 120 different countries choose to study with us every year. Based in the centre of Birmingham, Aston is not only a great place to study, it’s also a great place to live.
Aston’s professional work placements can improve your chance of securing a graduate job. Placements give you experience, confidence and opportunities and, as an Aston student, you’ll be better prepared for your future career. One of the great things about Aston is our focus on employability, and our close links with businesses, industries and professions make this possible.
For International Students intending to do a foundation year, visit ONCAMPUS.
Foundation programme
Before you start your undergraduate degree, you may choose to study our foundation programme in business. This foundation course will help you develop specialist knowledge and fully prepare you for your chosen undergraduate course. During your foundation year, you will have excellent support from academics, and group projects will give you the chance to meet new people, make new friends and build a network of peers who will share your university journey.
We also have a Learning Development Centre that can provide additional support and offers pre-sessional English language programmes.
Post-study work visa
Aston University welcomes the creation of a new immigration route which will enable international students to remain in the UK for two years to find work after they have completed their studies. The new post-study work visa will apply to international students starting undergraduate and postgraduate courses from 2020 at universities with a track record of compliance with immigration policy.
Modules
Year 1You will study a range of topics, designed to give you a solid foundation for your business degree. The core and compulsory modules are:
- Introductory Accounting for Business
- Introduction to Organisation Behaviour
- Introduction to Marketing Management
- Principles of Operations Management
- User Experience Design (BCIT only)
- Introduction to Information Systems and Database (BCIT only)
- Foundations of Business Analytics
- Economic Environment of Business
Learning, teaching and assessment
Our close links to industry informs the learning and business experiences we provide during your degree to make sure you have the right skills and knowledge required by industry and increase your employability.
We make extensive use of working within a team and delivering presentations to develop your negotiating skills, all of which help prepare you for your career.
Your placement year will give you practical work experience that is invaluable in developing skills, and provides an experience that cannot be replicated in the lecture room.
The approximate weighting for this course is 60 per cent business and 40 per cent computing and IT, with an emphasis on the integration of the two subjects.
Learning and teaching
As a business computing and IT student at Aston, you will experience our innovative approach to teaching, which combines a range of teaching methods including lectures, seminars, tutorials, group working, case studies, and individual and group presentations.
Traditional teaching is supported by our virtual learning environment which hosts a range of electronic supporting materials. For example, all business students undertake the Business Game module and compete in teams in a computer simulation exercise that culminates in a presentation to a panel of internal employers.
Assessment
You will be assessed through a mix of coursework and examinations.
Students who are made an offer will receive a detailed programme specification which forms part of our terms and conditions.
Personal development
Our business degrees are designed to also give you a range of transferable and practical skills to succeed within your chosen career. We make extensive use of group working and presentations to prepare you for the reality of working life. This experience will develop your team working and negotiating skills.
The integrated placement year gives you the genuine practical work experience that is invaluable in developing an appreciation of issues such as office politics, which cannot be replicated in the lecture room.
Our close links to industry and our focus on delivering practical business experiences provides a blend of learning and teaching experience to equip you for your future career.
Placement year
The Aston placement year forms an integral part of your educational journey and is compulsory for all home students. International/EU students can request permission to opt out of the placement year, but we strongly recommend that it is completed where possible.
Career prospects
Today, the majority of roles in business incorporate some form of technology. Having a clear understanding of technology, computing and systems, and how these can be applied in a business setting is a highly sought-after skill.
The careers available to you cover the whole range of business applications of computing and IT. They range from managing a department or company’s personal computer network, to building links over the internet for a multinational company, to running a handful of computers in a small firm.
Recent graduates
Recent graduates are now working in roles such as:
- IT security Consultant
- Business Analyst
- Digital Supply Chain Consultant
- Innovation Analyst.
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