About this course
- 22nd in the UK for Business and Management (The Guardian University Guide 2025)
- Top 20 in the UK for Business, Management and Marketing Student Experience (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025)
- Top 20 in the UK for Business, Management and Marketing Teaching Quality (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025)
There’s no single secret to business success — but strong, ethical leadership is a non-negotiable. An organisation’s biggest asset is its people, and those people need the right culture in which to shine. They need nurturing, training, and sometimes even challenging; they need understandable strategies, achievable objectives, and shared, exciting goals.
That’s why human resource management (HRM) is so vital. If you think it’s just about payroll and attendance monitoring, think again.
On this business and HR degree, you’ll learn how the right leadership turns good businesses into great ones, inspiring productivity, performance, and profitability. From recruitment and reward to wellbeing, conflict resolution, and talent management, explore the anatomy of great business — the everyday things companies do to ensure their people are motivated, focused, capable, and confident. With roleplaying, employer-facing opportunities, live consultancy projects, and the chance to study abroad with one of our international partners, this is more than just the theory of HRM and management: this is its hands-on, everyday reality.
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Learn from the experts — this course is approved by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). -
Our students get great jobs — we’ve been ranked 1st in the UK for employability (Uni Compare 2025). -
Complete a placement — our students have secured experience with organisations like JCP and PCC Aerostructures. -
Study in the heart of Nottingham — one of Europe’s top 25 student cities, and home to over 75,000 learners.
What you’ll study
How does wellbeing drive performance and productivity — and why are we always redefining what it looks like? In a competitive job market, how do we find and retain the right people? Aside from trusting in their knowledge and skills, how can we ensure those people are truly engaged with (and inspired by) our biggest business goals?
An organisation can’t succeed without having robust strategies in place for its workforce — from how they’re recruited, to how they’re trained, to how they’re challenged, encouraged, and supported. There’s so much more to human resource management than making sure people come into work and do their bit; we’re here to show you the real world of business and HR, beyond the classroom. From internships, roleplaying and enterprise projects, to the offer of year-long industry placements and a chance to study abroad, it’s applied, it’s hands-on, and it’s exciting.
On this business management and HR degree, you’ll:
- get to grips with the essentials of business management — from accounting and finance to budgeting and objective-setting
- critically analyse the hot topics in today’s workplace — from surveillance, to organisational misbehaviour, to a more nuanced appreciation of gender and sexuality
- explore how AI, cutting-edge analytic tools and new digital technologies are being used in the workplace to assess data, spot trends, solve problems, and enable better practice in both business and human resource management
- consider the rising prominence of the ‘employee voice’, and how it’s shaping employer-workforce relations around the world
- work with challenging briefs to argue your case in mock arbitration tribunals
- explore how HR helps to shape the strategies and goals of a business
- pick your own specialist modules as the course progresses — choose from international business and communication, corporate governance and risk management, and more
- examine the huge range of career pathways open to you as a manager and HR professional
- grow your vital ‘soft skills’ (things like resilience, confidence and communication), learn how to shine as an approachable, reflective, self-motivated team-player, and build up your employability profile.
Here’s a full breakdown of the modules you’ll be studying:
Foundations of Managing and Organising
Both work and management are carried out by people, the human resources of an organisation. The focus of this module is on the management of work within an organisation, providing you with a holistic understanding from the viewpoint of both the workers and the management. You will be introduced to key applications, policies and practices that are involved in the management of human resources. You will examine and analyse their underlying theoretical basis and the effects on the organisation and society in general.
Accounting and Finance for Managers
Through this module you will develop the skills and competencies needed to make effective use of accounting information, especially for control and decision making purposes. You will explore how business organisations are financed and the constraints and limitations that financing imposes on them. You will also learn about the calculation of accounting profit and its importance to an organisation. You will develop skills that will allow you to identify relevant cash inflows and outflows of a proposed business project, and learn about utilising the techniques of break-even analysis in project decision making.
The importance and use of budgeting for forward-planning, communication, coordination and control within an organisation will be covered, as well as the importance of cash and liquidity within an organisation and the construction of cash and working capital budgets. You will learn how to use cash and working capital management models and techniques and how to construct financial statements. Other areas covered in this vast module include financial appraisal of long term capital investment proposals and valuation of company shares.
Economics and Data Analysis for Managers
This module will introduce you to a range of skills, methods and knowledge, that are applied by professional economists. It will enable you to offer a distinctive contribution to business and management decisions involving the deployment of globally scarce resources. The module will enable you to demonstrate a range of applications of economic ideas, principles and techniques, and to identify resource consequences of business and managerial decisions in a national and international context.
Principles of Marketing
The aim of this module is to provide you with an understanding of the basic principles of marketing and operations. You will be introduced to core marketing and operations functions, and develop your understanding of the key concepts, frameworks and models within the area of marketing and operations.
You will develop the knowledge and skills needed to identify differing marketing orientations, in particular how organisations identify, understand and satisfy their customers. It will also provide you with the skills required to develop marketing objectives and to translate these into operational processes that satisfy the needs of the customer. Alongside all this, you will learn about the dynamic relationship between operations, organisational performance and competitive position, and will develop effective team building and communication skills.
Essentials of Business Development
This module introduces you to the dynamics of business and enterprise in the context of organisational growth, blending operations management theory with real-world challenges. You’ll explore how different types of organisations—start-ups, SMEs, large businesses, and the public sector—navigate decision-making, operational development, and strategic challenges. Emphasis is placed on the role of enterprise and entrepreneurship skills to design, deliver, and improve products and services, particularly in response to evolving customer preferences and sustainability pressures in a global landscape characterised by uncertainty and constant change.
Personal and Academic Development
Helps you recognise the personal skills, behaviours and attributes you currently have, and supports you in formulating a continuous personal and professional development plan to develop the skills and knowledge you need to achieve your future ambitions and realise your full potential.
First half of Year Two – Core modules
Exploring Human Resource Management
This module will develop your knowledge of the key issues relating to the processes and practices of human resource management (HRM). You will study the role of HRM and the HR function in organisations, and also have the opportunity to critically understand research in the field of HRM.
The module will develop your knowledge and understanding of the key issues of relations between an employer and its workforce. You will also have the opportunity to understand critically the reasons and explanations behind trends such as employee voice and employee engagement and what the role of HRM is in shaping those trends. You will evaluate current and developing practice in selected areas of managing the employment relationship, with a particular emphasis on the role of employee voice.
Researching People and Organisations
This module aims to develop your critical understanding and challenge accepted views of organisational issues affecting people in their everyday work. You will develop core research skills, learn to evaluate and present research evidence and arguments, and also develop a greater awareness of the limitations of theory.
Examples of the topics that are covered include power, surveillance and technology at work, service and leisure work, organisational misbehaviour, gender and sexuality in the workplace, and changing time and place of work.
Human Resource Development
This module will increase your understanding of the key underpinning theories, principles, and practical implications relevant to Human Resource Development through the use of data analytic techniques. You will consider key ideas informing an HRD strategy, and to outline the meaning and importance of Strategic HRD in contemporary organisations. You will be asked to assess organisational data in creating learning and training activities for organisations, groups and individuals.
Throughout the module you will be encouraged to consider a range of theoretical and practical applications of HRD, and its implications for the effective management and development of individuals and the organisation. There will also be the expectation to demonstrate team-working skills and ability to structure and communicate ideas effectively both verbally and in writing.
Second half of Year Two
You can either select one of our unique opportunities initiatives below or continue with your taught modules.
Option 1 – Study Abroad
Experience life in another country by studying at one of our partner universities. Choose from a host of countries in Europe or go further afield and study in the USA, South America, Australasia and South East Asia. This is a great opportunity to develop your independence and explore another culture.
Option 2 – Enterprise Project
Explore your entrepreneurial side and start to develop the meaningful and practical skills needed to run your own business. Supported by NTU Enterprise, NTU's centre for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise, during this opportunity you'll work alongside other young entrepreneurs and a dynamic network of mentors and advisors, to develop your own ideas into a live enterprise project.
Option 3 – Internship
Get a taste of the working world and gain some essential industry insight with a 16-18 week work placement. The experience will allow you to put your learning in to practice, with the experience gained improving your future career prospects, and sharpening your interpersonal and professional skills.
Option 4 – Continue with taught modules
If you didn't fancy doing any of the above options then you can continue your studies at university. With a mixture of both compulsory and optional modules, the first will enhance your knowledge and skills set in your area of study, with the latter allowing you to tailor your learning experience.
Students on Sandwich courses are eligible to choose the Enterprise project or continue with taught modules in the second half of their second year. They are not eligible for options 1 and 3. However, they are able to use their sandwich year to study or work abroad.
Core modules
Marketing Management
This module explores the role of marketing management and its interaction with other business functions. You will study marketing management concepts that are used during the development of sound marketing strategies, and will develop effective group and personal skills that are valued highly by organisational employers. You will learn about the application of marketing tools to different contexts, as well as segmentation, targeting and positioning. Other subjects covered include integrated marketing communications, social and ethical implications of marketing, and marketing in context (including services, business, and international).
Applied Professional Development
Following on from the Personal Development module in Year One, this module supports you to build upon and reflect on your personal and professional skills, attributes and behaviours. You will attend a conference with a varied programme of events focused on the future of work, and later in the module you will immerse yourself in a period work or work-like experience to develop a range of skills designed to enhance your employability.
Plus one optional module from:
Digital Entrepreneurship
The aim of this module is to develop your critical awareness of digital entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship within a global marketplace. Using both a critical and practical perspective, you will examine the process of developing a digital business that is enabled and / or enhanced by Internet technologies, smart and mobile phones and their applications, and other emerging technologies.
Using theory, analytical frameworks and practical examples, the module will provide you with practical skills and capabilities to explore a market opportunity, develop a digitally enhanced business idea and the requisite considerations of implementing such an idea in either a start-up, or a new market for an existing firm.
You will study E-concepts, exploring the opportunities and threats of digital commerce and doing business in a networked economy. You will also examine business models and the use of frameworks in identifying new business opportunities and challenges. In addition to this you will learn about the internet and associated technologies, understanding the widespread changes enabled by the internet and the international opportunities for new forms of competition it affords willing entrepreneurs.
Management Accounting for Decision Making
The manager and entrepreneur of the future must have sound financial skills to enable them to take advantage of their environment. Critical to this process is understanding the environment in which you operate and the financial structure of your organisation. You need to understand the information that is required to successfully manage your organisation and how to interpret it.
During this module you will examine a range of management accounting techniques that are used in business decision making, and explore how accounting and finance information could evolve to meet the needs of organisations operating in competitive markets.
You will study the value and limitations of accounting information for managerial decision making, planning and control purposes within organisations, and develop your understanding of problem solving techniques that are frequently used by teams operating in an organisational context, and how these techniques could be used within the accounting and finance framework.
International Business in a Changing Global Landscape
This module gives an overview of how international business is conducted, focusing on what makes international business different from domestic business. You will study the major theories explaining international business transactions, the financial exchange systems and institutions that measure and facilitate international transactions, and the dynamic interface between countries and companies attempting to conduct foreign business activities. You will explore strategy, behaviour and the management of multinational corporations and the actions and policies of international regulatory bodies and agencies.
Placement year
In year three, you have the option to take a placement year. This time spent working in business provides our students with crucial work experience, which is highly prized and much sought after by employers upon graduation. We have links with a wide range of sectors, firms and organisations that offer student placements. If you have decided to undertake a placement year then this will last for a minimum of 48 weeks during your third year.
Our Employability Team is here to inspire and enhance every stage of your career planning and as a graduate of NTU, you will be able to access their services for three years after your course has finished.
Services they provide include:
- finding placements, internships and part-time work
- pursuing self-employment
- taking gap years and time out
- getting into volunteering
- providing advice on further study.
Or
Taught modules
If you have decided to continue with your studies please view the 'final year' tab for your list of modules.
Developing Professional Impact
This module is designed to expand your horizons and challenge your attitudes and behaviours both in relation to subject specific issues and wider business concerns such as global citizenship and sustainable business practices. It will encourage you to build on your strengths and explore a range of possibilities as you embark on your next steps.
Contemporary Issues in Human Resources
This module will introduce you to leading edge academic perspectives on management and human resources. It will build on your knowledge of management and human resources, introducing a more critical and creative approach to the subject. You will be exposed to a range of contemporary issues within Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour.
You will examine contemporary management theory and practice, focusing on the social, cultural and historical roots of management practice. In addition to this, you will study the emergence of modern human resource management within its historical context by examining how well established concepts have developed over time.
Comparative International Management
Influences of culture on management, and managing within and across diverse cultures, have become increasingly relevant in today’s business world. The module aims to address the issues of cultural differences and their influences on international management, largely from a human resource management perspective. During this module you will examine and explore the problems that arise from these matters and the solutions that are needed, all of which are at the heart of business and organisational life in the 21st Century.
Strategic Human Resource Management
The overall aim of the module is to help you improve your critical appreciation of the theories, principles, historical trends and practical issues relevant to human resource (HR) strategy and function. You will be able to consider and evaluate the key activities, practices and functions in managing human resources in a different organisational setting and context. You will develop an understanding of the role of HR function on improving employment relationships and achieving organisational goals.
There is also the expectation to develop critical knowledge of the skills required by HR managers for successfully managing human and knowledge capital as well as the importance of linking business strategy with strategic human resource. The module is designed to research an enhanced range of relevant information, data, and analytical materials through practical and written work demonstrate a critical awareness around strategic human resource management.
Plus one optional module from:
Applied Business Research Project
For this module you will undertake a purposeful, individual, in depth study of a relevant topic, developing your independent learning, critical thinking and knowledge of research techniques relevant to your subject area. The project will develop your ability to manage a major piece of work, for which you will be completely responsible, and will be completed over a period of several months. You will learn to utilise and improve your time management and communication skills, as well as test your initiative and resourcefulness. To support your development during this module you will study essential skills such as critical thinking, conducting a literature review, understanding the appropriate research framework, practical research methods and skills, report and academic writing skills.
Sustainability Impact Project
Sustainability is one of the most pressing challenges facing modern organisations, influencing every aspect of business strategy and leadership. This module equips you with the critical skills and knowledge to navigate the complex social, economic, environmental, and managerial dimensions of sustainability. You'll explore how businesses are adapting to global challenges, balancing profit with purpose, and driving long-term success through responsible decision-making. By applying theory to real-world scenarios, you'll develop the problem-solving and analytical abilities needed to shape sustainable strategies, preparing you to be a future leader in an ever-evolving business landscape.
Plus one optional module from:
Leveraging Information and Knowledge for Digital Transformation
In this module, you'll explore how organisations use data, information and knowledge to shape their strategy. You'll examine the role of technology in business decision-making, the importance of data literacy, and how organisations adapt to evolving challenges. Using real-world examples, you'll learn to distinguish between data, information, and knowledge, and understand their impact on shaping management practices and strategic opportunities. This module will equip you with the skills to navigate the complexities of digital transformation and make informed decisions in a data-driven environment.
Corporate Governance and Risk Management
During this module you will study current recommendations and developments in the field of corporate governance both in the UK and in a selection of overseas countries. The module aims to highlight the importance of control and risk management when implementing strong governance measures, and will evaluate the ethical and moral dilemmas faced by those entrusted with these responsibilities.
International Development Economics
The principal theoretical and empirical models of trade are used to explain why countries engage in the international exchange of goods and services. The macroeconomic context of trade is also examined as the conduct of trade can be affected by exchange rates, macroeconomic policy and other policy factors.
You will be able to:
- develop a detailed knowledge and critical understanding of the microeconomic principles underpinning trade theory and trade policy
- identify and analyse the potential determining factors of trade, distinguishing between the trade patterns of the advanced countries and the developing countries
- develop a critical understanding of the macroeconomic context of international trade.
We regularly review and update our course content based on student and employer feedback, ensuring that all of our courses remain current and relevant. This may result in changes to module content or module availability in future years.
Don’t just take our word for it, hear from our students themselves
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How you're taught
Our tutors come from fields as diverse as journalism, manufacturing, finance, IT, healthcare, hospitality, policy-making, and the non-profit sector. Through the lens of human resource management, consultancy, and research, they’ve worked as specialists in sustainability, social media, risk management, inclusion, and organisational analysis — locally, nationally, and internationally. They’re ready to share their knowledge and insights, alongside an exciting rollcall of guest lecturers and returning NTU graduates. It’s no wonder we’re ‘Gold’-rated for teaching and learning.
On this business management and HR degree, you’ll learn through:
- Networking — whether you’re hearing from guest lecturers, attending the prestigious ‘Future of Work’ event, or joining our delegation at the annual CIPD conference in Manchester, you’ll learn lots (and build meaningful connections) by meeting leaders in business. This is an HR course with a difference!
- Getting hands-on. This course is about real-world practice, which means getting you on the frontline of business management and HR — whether that’s by arguing your case in mock tribunals or shadowing the HR operations here at NTU, observing training days, recruitment panels, and trade union negotiations.
- Completing internships and placements. You’ll have the chance to take on a 16-18-week internship in Year Two, or a 48-week professional placement in Year Three of the sandwich pathway. Through these employer-facing experiences, some of our students have received job offers before they’ve even graduated!
- Making your own choices. If you dream of studying abroad, you could attend one of our summer schools, or complete an extended stay with one of our global partners, anywhere from Sweden to South Korea. Looking to stay local? If the internship or Enterprise project pathways don’t appeal, you can continue with your taught modules. It’s a versatile offer, built around your own preferences.
How you're assessed
People learn in different ways, and we want each one of our students to have the best possible chance of success. Our diverse range of assessment methods includes mock employment tribunals, group presentations, real-world consultancy projects and business challenges, reflective learning, workshops and experiential learning, business reporting, and your ongoing personal development activities.
You’ll also complete on-campus, open-book exams, where you can count on the support and guidance of your tutors.
Careers and employability
Our graduates get great jobs
From day one, we’ll teach you how to think like a leader in human resource management — but once you’ve graduated, you’ll be effective in every area of business. Rather than being dedicated to a single discipline, you’ll be a true ‘business decathlete’: a versatile, collaborative strategist who’s at home in every operational environment, from marketing to accounting.
Our business and HR students have secured roles on graduate schemes with blue-chip nationals and multinationals, with recruitment specialists, and in prominent roles with local SMEs. Some have even set up HR departments from scratch! Today, our graduates are employed by prestigious organisations like Vauxhall, Jaeger, and British Airways — working around the world as HR advisers, consultants, talent managers, and more.
Personalisation at Nottingham Business School (NBS) — what it means for you
We’re a close-knit course, with unparalleled standards of support. You’ll receive pastoral care from the same people who are teaching you, on a joined-up, week-by-week basis. More than just a course, this is a community.
At NBS, we’re proud to provide our learners with a very personal experience. Each student’s experience is uniquely theirs, built around their own specific needs, interests, and ambitions. It’ll be the same for you: whether choosing your own specialist modules or picking your preferred means of hands-on, experiential learning, we’re here to help you gather the skills, knowledge and experience to gain that vital competitive edge. Your future and employability comes first, and everything you’ll experience at NBS has a purpose — from industry networking events and prestigious guest speakers, to the personal and professional development modules that’ll support each step of your university journey. Book onto an NTU open day to find out more.
Get accredited
Our course is approved by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). As part of our commitment to your professional development, we’ll register you as a student member of the CIPD and pay your membership fees from the start of Year Two through to graduation. Once you’ve completed your course, you’ll gain Associate Member status of the CIPD (AssocCIPD)!
Campus and facilities
You’ll mainly be studying in the Newton building, at the centre of our vibrant City Campus. As well as a range of classrooms and lecture theatres, our facilities include the Business Lab — a trading floor equipped with Bloomberg terminals, which enables you to delve into the global markets for real.
NTU’s City Campus has everything you’ll need to keep occupied between lectures. As well as the Boots Library and its beautiful roof garden, there’s our superb Students’ Union building and two-storey, 100-station gym; a whole host of cafés, bars, restaurants and food outlets catering to every taste; our much-loved Global Lounge; performance and rehearsal spaces for musicians; and so much more!
If that’s not enough, just take a few steps off campus, and you’ll find yourself in the beating heart of Nottingham — one of the UK’s top 10 student cities, and one of the top 25 in all of Europe. It’s a city stuffed with history, culture, and well-kept secrets to discover at your leisure: enjoy lush green spaces, galleries, hidden cinemas and vintage shopping by day, and an acclaimed food, drink and social scene by night.
For more details, why not take a Virtual Tour?
Entry requirements
UK students
Standard offer: 112 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications.
Contextual offer: 104 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications.
To find out what qualifications have tariff points, please use our tariff calculator.
Additional requirements for UK students
There are no additional requirements for this course.
Contextual offers
If you don’t quite meet our entry requirements, we might be able to make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (such as where you live and the school or college you attended), your experiences and your individual circumstances (you may have been in care, for example). This is called a contextual offer, and we get data from UCAS to help make these decisions. We do this because we believe everyone with the potential to succeed at NTU should have the opportunity to do so, no matter what barriers you may face.
Meeting our entry requirements
Hundreds of qualifications in the UK have UCAS Tariff points attached to specific grades, including A-levels, BTECs, T Levels and many more. You can use your grades and points from up to four different qualifications to meet our criteria. Enter your predicted or achieved grades into our Tariff calculator to find out how many points your qualifications are worth.
Other qualifications and experience
NTU welcomes applications from students with non-standard qualifications and learning backgrounds, either for year one entry or for advanced standing beyond the start of a course into year 2 or beyond.
We consider study and/or credit achieved from a similar course at another institution (otherwise known as credit transfer), vocational and professional qualifications, and broader work or life experience.
Our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy outlines the process and options available for this route. If you wish to apply via Recognition of Prior Learning, please contact the central Admissions and Enquiries Team who will be able to support you through the process.
Getting in touch
If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form.
International students
Academic entry requirements: 112 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications. We accept equivalent qualifications from all over the world. Please check your international entry requirements by country.
English language requirements: See our English language requirements page for requirements for your subject and information on alternative tests and Pre-sessional English.
Additional requirements for international students
If you need help achieving the academic entry requirements, we offer a Foundation preparation course for this degree. The course is offered through our partner Nottingham Trent International College (NTIC) based on our City Campus.
English language requirements
View our English language requirements for all courses, including alternative English language tests and country qualifications accepted by the University.
If you need help achieving the language requirements, we offer a Pre-Sessional English for Academic Purposes course on our City campus which is an intensive preparation course for academic study at NTU.
Other qualifications and experience
If you have the right level of qualifications, you may be able to start your Bachelors degree at NTU in year 2 or year 3. This is called ‘advanced standing’ entry and is decided on a case-by case basis after our assessment of your qualifications and experience.
You can view our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy which outlines the process and options available, such as recognising experiential learning and credit transfer.
Sign up for emails
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Getting in touch
If you need advice about studying at NTU as an international student or how to apply, our international webpages are a great place to start. If you have any questions about your study options, your international qualifications, experience, grades or other results, please get in touch through our enquiry form. Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world.
Policies
We strive to make our admissions procedures as fair and clear as possible. To find out more about how we make offers, visit our admissions policies page.
