BA (Hons) Business and Human Resource Management with Foundation Year

Why study this subject?

Do you have a passion for helping people to achieve their best? Want to create an inspiring work environment and match people to the best available opportunities? Then a career in human resource management could be the perfect choice for you.

Human resource management is an exciting and varied career that has people at its heart. It is all about ensuring that people are managed and treated fairly. You will be at the centre of the action by recruiting, retaining, and developing the talent in a business, you will play a crucial part in business strategy and ensure that it stays ahead of the competition.

Companies are invested in their future success; they are constantly on the lookout for skilled and qualified Human Resource (HR) advisers and managers. Employers want graduates who are not just academically qualified but are also work-ready with professional skills in management and leadership. Our Business and Human Resource Management degree will help you develop the skills needed to become a confident and successful HR manager.

Our programme has been specifically designed by our industry experienced lecturers to reflect the ins and outs of HR and allow you to gather the business function and operations knowledge needed to succeed in the workplace.

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

We are a vibrant and diverse university that has our students at its heart, we are committed to ensuring that you receive the best help for you. We know that everyone is different and our high lecturer to student ratio ensures that you are treated as an individual and will receive continual and first-hand support throughout your degree. In short, we want you to stretch and excel your abilities and so you can graduate with a versatile and in-demand degree.

BNU is proud to support you to become business ready. We have an employer-led student focused approach to our courses. A key feature of this programme is that it provides the chance to blend both the latest industry insights with best practice workplace skills, enhancing the employability of our graduates.

Staying up to date with latest industry trends and information is important part of our course. Our academics have a huge range of experience in the HR sector and they retain strong links to industry, providing you with the perfect chance to develop key skills, such as empathy, problem solving and creativity, which will give you a head start in the employment market. Our Business and Human Resource Management degree is accredited by the Chartered Management Institute and is a recognised qualification by employers throughout the country.

What will I study?

Now is an exciting time to study for a career in the human resource sector. The work environment is fast-paced and everchanging, but it creates the perfect opportunity to put your organisational and reactive skills into action from day one. Through undertaking this degree, you will develop the knowledge and understanding of contemporary best practice in strategic HR management, alongside progressing the personal skills required to prepare you for your future management role.

Over the past year, the global business landscape has had to adapt to a different way of working and trading. The use of technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has increased to ensure that key business activities are fulfilled. Subject areas such as Global Business Environment, Digital Business and New Technologies and Managing and Developing Innovation and Creativity will help you understand how technology can underpin innovation and improvements to business and organisations, alongside developing key skills, such as empathy, problem solving and creativity, which will ensure you are well placed to enter the employment market.

During your foundation year you will have the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of business and study topic areas like, creativity, self-development, responsibility, business studies and inquiry based learning to provide you with a solid basis for your study of business and human resource management.

In your first year, you will hit the ground running and become well versed in the fundamental principles of business management and human resources, including marketing, business environment, finance and people management.

In year 2, you will begin to focus on HR specific topics, such as resourcing, employee engagement and international human resource management. You will gain a more strategic understanding of business issues and put your skills and knowledge into action through working with clients to support them in implementing changes to their business.

In your final year, you will sharpen and expand on the skills you have developed so far on the course. There is a focus on strengthening your leadership skills, ready for employment post university. Topics including leadership and management, HR strategy and innovation and creativity will be explored in-depth to allow you to have a strong understanding of the changing business environment and key strategic HR issues facing all organisations. You will be expected to integrate, apply and evaluate the knowledge you have gained throughout the course to produce a dissertation or consultancy project. The dissertation or a consultancy project will be a key focus your final year and will allow you to specialise on your area of interest. This will prove invaluable when you graduate, allowing you to showcase your area of expertise at job interviews.