Get the business, management and leadership skills employers are looking for.
The success of any business depends heavily on the effectiveness of its managers. Good managers need to make the right decisions for businesses and recognise and exploit any opportunities open to it.
The BSc (Hons) Management course at Ulster is an innovative and exciting degree that puts a major emphasis on personal and skills development in relation to management and leadership.
You will learn what to do, and crucially how to do it. Designed to give you the relevant knowledge and professional skills valued in today's workplace you will learn via live consultancy projects based in real life organisations. This will not only ensure that you have the practical know how to make an impact in organisations as soon as you graduate but also will allow you to network with top organisations leading to future employment prospects.
You will study the important aspects of leadership, management and business, including strategy, marketing, finance, human resource management, operations management, entrepreneurship and personal development. You will also develop key skills beneficial to your own personal development including presenting, critical analysis, problem solving, team building, communication and decision-making.
If you want to inspire, manage and lead teams to success, have aspirations of managing global brands and businesses or want to find more efficient and new ways of working this course is for you. Join us and get ready to graduate with the skills needed to succeed in the fast-paced business environment.
We know that choosing to study at university is a big decision, and you may not always be able to find the information you need online.
Please contact Ulster University with any queries or questions you might have about:
For any queries regarding getting help with your application, please select Admissions in the drop down below.
For queries related to course content, including modules and placements, please select Course specific information.
We look forward to hearing from you.
In this section
Diploma in Professional Practice DPP
Diploma in Professional Practice International DPPI
Diploma in International Academic Studies DIAS
This is a full-time course completed over three years.
You will normally complete three modules per semester, with class contact time approximately three hours per week per module. You will be expected to undertake independent study of around 10 hours per week per module and you will have on average 9-10 class contact hours per week.
Additionally, you will be expected to devote some of your study time to working with local employers on a specific issue as part of your 'live' project modules in Year 2 and Year 3.
You will attend lectures, seminars, tutorials as well as listening to talks from guest speakers from business and industry and our visiting professors, all of whom have a wealth of experience in business, management and leadership roles.
You will also be assessed using a range of techniques including written exams, presentations, debates, essays and reports.
The content for each course is summarised on the relevant course page, along with an overview of the modules that make up the course.
Each course is approved by the University and meets the expectations of:
As part of your course induction, you will be provided with details of the organisation and management of the course, including attendance and assessment requirements - usually in the form of a timetable. For full-time courses, the precise timetable for each semester is not confirmed until near the start date and may be subject to change in the early weeks as all courses settle into their planned patterns. For part-time courses which require attendance on particular days and times, an expectation of the days of attendance will often be included in the letter of offer. A course handbook is also made available.
Courses comprise modules for which the notional effort involved is indicated by its credit rating. Each credit point represents 10 hours of student effort. Undergraduate courses typically contain 10- or 20-credit modules and postgraduate course typically 15- or 30-credit modules.
The normal study load expectation for an undergraduate full-time course of study in the standard academic year is 120 credit points. This amounts to around 36-42 hours of expected teaching and learning per week, inclusive of attendance requirements for lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical work, fieldwork or other scheduled classes, private study, and assessment. Part-time study load is the same as full-time pro-rata, with each credit point representing 10 hours of student effort.
Postgraduate Masters courses typically comprise 180 credits, taken in three semesters when studied full-time. A Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) comprises 60 credits and can usually be completed on a part-time basis in one year. A 120-credit Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) can usually be completed on a part-time basis in two years.
Class contact times vary by course and type of module. Typically, for a module predominantly delivered through lectures you can expect at least 3 contact hours per week (lectures/seminars/tutorials). Laboratory classes often require a greater intensity of attendance in blocks. Some modules may combine lecture and laboratory. The precise model will depend on the course you apply for and may be subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. Prospective students will be consulted about any significant changes.
Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be via one method or a combination e.g. examination and coursework . Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes. You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessment. The precise assessment will depend on the module and may be subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.
Coursework can take many forms, for example: essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, design, artefacts, portfolio, journal, group work. The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification and the assessment timetable. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.
Normally, a module will have four learning outcomes, and no more than two items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised.
The class of Honours awarded in Bachelor’s degrees is usually determined by calculation of an aggregate mark based on performance across the modules at Levels 5 and 6 (which correspond to the second and third year of full-time attendance).
Level 6 modules contribute 70% of the aggregate mark and Level 5 contributes 30% to the calculation of the class of the award. Classification of integrated Masters degrees with Honours include a Level 7 component. The calculation in this case is: 50% Level 7, 30% Level 6, 20% Level 5. At least half the Level 5 modules must be studied at the University for Level 5 to be included in the calculation of the class.
All other qualifications have an overall grade determined by results in modules from the final level of study. In Masters degrees of more than 200 credit points the final 120 points usually determine the overall grading.
Figures correct for academic year 2019-2020.
The University employs over 1,000 suitably qualified and experienced academic staff - 59% have PhDs in their subject field and many have professional body recognition.
Courses are taught by staff who are Professors (25%), Readers, Senior Lecturers (20%) or Lecturers (55%).
We require most academic staff to be qualified to teach in higher education: 82% hold either Postgraduate Certificates in Higher Education Practice or higher. Most academic staff (81%) are accredited fellows of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) by Advanced HE - the university sector professional body for teaching and learning. Many academic and technical staff hold other professional body designations related to their subject or scholarly practice.
The profiles of many academic staff can be found on the University’s departmental websites and give a detailed insight into the range of staffing and expertise. The precise staffing for a course will depend on the department(s) involved and the availability and management of staff. This is subject to change annually and is confirmed in the timetable issued at the start of the course.
Occasionally, teaching may be supplemented by suitably qualified part-time staff (usually qualified researchers) and specialist guest lecturers. In these cases, all staff are inducted, mostly through our staff development programme ‘First Steps to Teaching’. In some cases, usually for provision in one of our out-centres, Recognised University Teachers are involved, supported by the University in suitable professional development for teaching.
Figures correct for academic year 2021-2022.
High quality apartment living in Belfast city centre adjacent to the university campus.
Find out more - information about accommodation
At Student Wellbeing we provide many services to help students through their time at Ulster University.
Find out more - information about student wellbeing
The Belfast campus is situated in the artistic and cultural centre of the city, the Cathedral Quarter.
Here is a guide to the subjects studied on this course.
Courses are continually reviewed to take advantage of new teaching approaches and developments in research, industry and the professions. Please be aware that modules may change for your year of entry. The exact modules available and their order may vary depending on course updates, staff availability, timetabling and student demand. Please contact the course team for the most up to date module list.
In this section
Year: 1
Status: C
This module aims to provide an introduction to the study of leadership and management. Students will be provided with knowledge and gain an understanding of the internal dynamics of an organisation, and the roles and functions which managers play in ensuring that it fulfills its mission or purpose. The module is applied in nature using real businesses and real managers and leaders in the assessment and content. Throughout the module, students will also be encouraged to self-evaluate and reflect on their own management and leadership skills and competences.
Year: 1
Status: C
For organisations to perform effectively within the rapidly evolving business environment, it is essential that managers are equipped with the necessary skills to effectively solve and implement solutions to business problems. This module provides students with a hands-on and interactive learning approach to allow the students to engage with real world business problems, helping them become equipped with the necessary foundation business skills for their future career.
Year: 1
Status: C
This module provides students with the key foundational skills for their academic journey. It also develops students skills in their ability to analyse and organise quantitative data and an understanding of the core skills to communicate effectively with an emphasis on management and leadership / HRM issues.
Year: 1
Status: C
The overall aim of this module is to provide students with a knowledge and understanding of the concepts related to the financial aspects of businesses and to the economic environments in which they operate.
Year: 1
Status: C
This module helps students to develop an understanding of the relationships between business and society, exploring the ethical dimensions of global trade. Throughout the module students engage with critical inquiry, using questions as a tool to explore the concepts and issues that emerge from within the module. Students are actively encouraged to bring your own experiences as a citizen in to their discussion and inquiry. Assessment in this module comes in the form of a group debate and individual essay
Year: 1
Status: C
The purpose of this module is to provide students with an understanding of the array of issues, which must be considered in relation to marketing activities in the wider business and management context. It represents a key underpinning to subsequent management related modules within their degree programme.
Year: 2
Status: C
In the dynamic environment in which businesses operate the importance of operations improvement cannot be ignored. Customer focus through streamlining of value chains is imperative. It presents challenges in terms of how we classify, relate to and manage the internal and external chain of customers. The ability to remove costs, optimise value creation, understand the competencies, and effectively reconfigure the organisation in the context of a continuous improvement philosophy is crucial.
Year: 2
Status: C
Students will address real-world problems informed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In so doing to generate an SDG related innovative idea and explore how that idea can be taken to market such that it creates and captures value for the organization. This will require an understanding of the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship within an organizational setting and understanding of how a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship is effectively developed and successfully implemented within an organizational setting.
Year: 2
Status: C
This module explores the changing nature of people management and development in organisations. The impact of changes within the economy, in demographics, in legislation and advances in technology will be considered. Taking a broadly employee life-cycle approach the module covers the core functional ares of HRM to include recruitment and selection; learning and development and performance management; pay and reward; the employment relationship and employee engagement. Also the fundamentals of employment law are explored together with equality, diversity and inclusion and the employee health and well being agenda. The topics are presented via an HRM lens but the importance of their understanding for aspiring managers is emphasised.
Year: 2
Status: C
This module equips students with an understanding of the business environment and the skills required for a career in business and management.
Year: 2
Status: C
This module will cover a range of topics relating to responsible leadership and sustainable business. These topics will develop student awareness of business impact on society and the environment, provide students with frameworks for implementing sustainable business at the organisational level and develop their skills to lead ethically, inclusively and sustainably in the workplace.
Year: 2
Status: C
This module introduces students to Digital Business Skills concepts. The module aim is to enable students to study and develop digital literacy skills in order to collect, analyse and report on data from a variety of digital sources. It seeks to develop the student's ability to identify appropriate methods and techniques for analysis from different data sources in order to report on this and to develop and enhance their employability skills.
Status: O
Year: 3
This module is optional
This module provides undergraduate students with an opportunity to gain structured and professional work experience, in a work-based learning environment, as part of their planned programme of study. This experience allows students to develop, refine and reflect on their key personal and professional skills. The placement should significantly support the development of the student's employability skills, preparation for final year and enhance their employability journey.
Status: O
Year: 3
This module is optional
This module provides an opportunity to undertake an extended period of study outside the UK and Republic of Ireland. Students will develop an enhanced understanding of the academic discipline whilst generating educational and cultural networks.
Year: 4
Status: C
This integrative core module, which places particular emphasis on achieving a balanced understanding of strategic management theory and practice, introduces the concept of Business Strategy. It aims to develop students' awareness and understanding of the means by which viable business strategies can be developed and implemented in a complex and challenging competitive climate.
Year: 4
Status: C
This module equips students with an understanding of how leadership and management is evolving in organisations, the leadership challenges associated with a turbulent and unpredictable environment, and of the strategies and techniques to ensure effective leadership and management. The module will examine a range of theoretical approaches that will be used to help analyse and evaluate leadership situations.
Year: 4
Status: C
This module equips students with an understanding of the pressures for change acting on organisations, the challenges associated with changing organisations, and of the strategies and techniques used to achieve organisational change. The module will examine a range of theoretical approaches that will be used to help analyse and evaluate change situations.
Year: 4
Status: C
This module is aimed at providing students with a thorough understanding of the research process and steps involved in producing an applied management project. Specifically, this means establishing manageable aims and objectives, the ability to conduct a critical literature review, choice of appropriate methodology and collecting, analysing and presenting primary data collected for the project, ultimately resulting in the production of an applied management project. Additionally, students will be provided with the opportunity for work based learning that aims to further develop employability and research skills.
Year: 4
Status: C
This module will introduce and equip students with the key concepts, theories and approaches to Digital Transformation within the organisational context. Specifically, it will examine key organisational capabilities needed to examine digital transformation initiatives or programmes such as Digital Strategy, Business agility, People, Processes, Tools/Technologies, Culture and the focus on the Customer which are necessary for effective digitisation efforts.
Status: O
Year: 4
This module is optional
The module informs and equips students to effectively respond to the corporate governance, risk management and ethical challenges organisations face today in the business environment.
Status: O
Year: 4
This module is optional
This module equips students with an understanding of the coaching and mentoring interventions that can be employed to solve problems, consider options, set goals, self-reflect and to allow for enhancing one's personal brand. The module will examine a range of theoretical approaches that will be used to help analyse and evaluate coaching and mentoring for improving individual and organisational performance and will equip learners with the self-reflexive and practical life skills to purposefully seek out support from coaches and mentors, and to assume such roles in the future. Learners will be encouraged to be mindful of the strategies they can utilise in future individual goal setting and career planning.
Status: O
Year: 4
This module is optional
The aim of this module is to prepare students to be effective managers in the area of global business. It addresses the potential and risk factors associated with global marketplaces, operational decision-making, strategy and succeeding in different cultural environments. It introduces a range of management concepts and ideas that provide the foundation for further (specialised) study of global business.
We recognise a range of qualifications for admission to our courses. In addition to the specific entry conditions for this course you must also meet the University’s General Entrance Requirements.
In this section
The A Level requirement for this course is BCC.
QCF Pearson BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (inc. course if appropriate)/ OCR Cambridge Technical Level 3 Extended Diploma(inc. course if appropriate)(2012 Suite)
Award profile of DDM
RQF Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (inc. course if appropriate)/ OCR Cambridge Technical Level 3 Extended Diploma(inc. course if appropriate)(2016 Suite)
Award profile of DMM
QCF Pearson BTEC Level 3 Diploma (inc. course if appropriate) / OCR Cambridge Technical Level 3 Diploma(inc. course if appropriate) (2012 Suite)
Award profile of DM plus A Level Grade B
RQF Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (inc. course if appropriate)/ OCR Cambridge Technical Level 3 Diploma(inc. course if appropriate) (2016 Suite)
Award profile of DM plus A Level Grade C
QCF Pearson BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma (inc. course if appropriate) / OCR Cambridge Technical Level 3 Introductory Diploma(inc. course if appropriate) (2012 Suite)
Award profile of M plus A Level Grades BC
RQF Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (inc. course if appropriate)/ OCR Cambridge Technical Level 3 Extended Certificate(inc. course if appropriate)(2016 Suite)
Award profile of M plus A Level Grades BC
104 UCAS tariff points to include a minimum of 4 subjects at Higher Level and 1 at Ordinary Level, including English and Maths at O4/H6 or above.
The Scottish Highers requirement for this course is BCCCC.
The Scottish Advanced Highers requirement for this course is CDD
Overall International Baccalaureate profile minimum 26 points (13 at higher level).
Overall profile of 60% (120 credit Access Course) (NI Access Course). To include a 20 credit Level 2 Mathematics module, passed at 40% or successful completion of NICATS Mathematics as part of the pre-2021 Access Diploma.
Overall profile of 12 credits at distinction, 30 at merit and 3 at pass (60 credit Access Course) (GB Access Course)
GCSE Profile to include Mathematiics with a minimum Grade C.
GCSE Profile to include English Language with a minimum Grade C.
English language requirements for international applicants
The minimum requirement for this course is Academic IELTS 6.0 with no band score less than 5.5. Trinity ISE: Pass at level III also meets this requirement for Tier 4 visa purposes.
Ulster recognises a number of other English language tests and comparable IELTS equivalent scores.
There are currently no routes to join the course later than year one.
In this section
Graduates from this course are now working for:
With this degree you could become:
Graduating from this course will have attractive opportunities to practice your skills in management and leadership in a variety of roles. With such a strong skillset gained you will have opportunities to apply to a wide spectrum of jobs across the business world. Our past graduates are now in successful roles in areas such as Operations Management, Consultancy and Business Development. Some of our graduates have also successfully secured positions with the companies they worked on live projects with as part of their modules.
Past graduates have also expressed how they have significantly benefited from the skills and knowledge obtained throughout the course. As one recent graduate said: “Thanks to the department .... for all the help over the last 3 years. I've managed to gain a promotion and am now an operations manager with team managers reporting into me. I had to do a presentation as part of my interview and really believe the skills I have learned in the last 3 years really helped.”
You may also wish to proceed to postgraduate study or research in business-related areas.
Optional placement year in third year.
You receive contact with real organisations through group and individual project work. In second year, you will undertake a group project in which you will work directly with a local employer on addressing an organisational issue.
In Final Year, as part of the Management Project module, you will also undertake an individual project in which you will work with a local employer on resolving an organisational issue. Students have worked with organisations such as the Grand Opera House, Coca Cola, Oxfam and Huhtamaki. You will be fully supported throughout this module as you will have a lecturer as a mentor and supervisor throughout the whole of final year.
2024/25 Fees
Fees for entry in 2024/25 have not yet been set. See our tuition fees page for the current fees for 2023/24 entry.
Staffline Best Final Year Project Prize (presented to the student with the highest score in the final year project).
It is important to remember that costs associated with accommodation, travel (including car parking charges) and normal living will need to be covered in addition to tuition fees.
Where a course has additional mandatory expenses (in addition to tuition fees) we make every effort to highlight them above. We aim to provide students with the learning materials needed to support their studies. Our libraries are a valuable resource with an extensive collection of books and journals, as well as first-class facilities and IT equipment. Computer suites and free Wi-Fi are also available on each of the campuses.
There are additional fees for graduation ceremonies, examination resits and library fines.
Students choosing a period of paid work placement or study abroad as a part of their course should be aware that there may be additional travel and living costs, as well as tuition fees.
See the tuition fees on our student guide for most up to date costs.
We know that choosing to study at university is a big decision, and you may not always be able to find the information you need online.
Please contact Ulster University with any queries or questions you might have about:
For any queries regarding getting help with your application, please select Admissions in the drop down below.
For queries related to course content, including modules and placements, please select Course specific information.
We look forward to hearing from you.
"Thanks to the department .... for all the help over the last 3 years. I've managed to gain a promotion and am now an operations manager with team managers reporting into me. I had to do a presentation as part of my interview and really believe the skills I have learned in the last 3 years really helped".
"Everything in that course is relevant to today's business world and my job. I'm really seeing the benefit of the applied nature of the course as I have those skills that my employer was looking for".
