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Introduction
Why choose this course?
Overview
This degree enables you to gain an understanding of both business management and geography, drawing on expertise from both the Business School and the School of Law and Social Sciences.
The course combines study of the fundamentals of both subjects with the opportunity to focus on individual areas of interest through specialist option modules. Students will also develop their employability and personal self-awareness.
An integral part of the programme is the opportunity to undertake a work placement, and in the final year of study, students have the opportunity to complete an interdisciplinary dissertation. Geographical fieldwork is undertaken locally in the first year, and on a residential trip (typically overseas) in the second year of the programme.
Graduates of this course will have a broad and interdisciplinary education, equipping them for a wide range of careers, combining knowledge of the practices of business and management, with geographical understanding of contemporary world issues such as environmental change, globalisation, urbanisation, and sustainability.
Wherever possible we make our conditional offers using the UCAS Tariff. The combination of A-level grades listed here would be just one way of achieving the UCAS Tariff points for this course.
Standard offer
UCAS Tariff Points: 112
A Level: BBC
IB Points: 30
BTEC: DMM
Contextual offer
UCAS Tariff Points: 88
A Level: CCD
IB Points: 27
BTEC: MMM
Further offer details
Applications are also welcomed for consideration from applicants with European qualifications, international qualifications or recognised foundation courses.
If you don’t achieve the required tariff points you can apply to join a foundation course, like Foundation in Business or an international foundation course to help to reach the required level for entry onto this degree.
Modules
Year 1
Compulsory modules
Accounting and Financial Information
This module demonstrates the importance of accounting and finance in the context of new and small businesses. In this module you will learn how to prepare and analyse simple financial statements as well as how to apply management accounting techniques in the areas of planning, budgeting and short term decision making.
In these sessions, you’ll learn financial principles and techniques for different business situations, and apply these to a combination of both in-class mini case examples and extended case examples.
Introduction to Business and Management
This module will introduce you to the internal and external factors that both shape business and that business seeks to influence. You will initially be introduced to basic understandings on the form and functions of business organisations and their environmental context followed by discussion and application of key management understandings to authentic business scenarios. Building on factual knowledge, you’ll evaluate business and management challenges within different contexts. These challenges traverse both an internal perspective encompassing aspects of organisational purpose and the various issues that lie within.
Key academic literacies of information sourcing, referencing, academic group work as well as cognitive skills of academic argument, analysis and evaluation are emphasised throughout the module. Your employability skills are developed through an assessment centre exercise designed and orchestrated by final year students.
Introduction to Human Geography
What can geography tell us about what it means to be human and how we relate to the natural world? How can we understand the complexity of human identity and culture? In this module, you’ll gain an understanding of human geography, as you investigate key themes of space and place, environment and society. You’ll gain core analytical skills for your degree, as you consider how society and culture shape our landscapes, and how spatial differences and inequalities are generated. You’ll consider how approaches in human geography can shed light on pressing political issues today.
Introduction to Physical Geography
In this module you’ll examine key themes and topics in physical geography, using climate change as an overarching context. You’ll gain a geographical grounding in climate change science and examine core areas that relate to climate change in physical geography, including environmental processes, systems and management linked to climate change. You’ll explore recent and future developments in physical geography.
Introduction to Geographic Skills and Techniques
In this module, you’ll be introduced to the techniques most widely used in human and physical geographical research, including:
 mapping
 surveying
 observational recording
 focus groups, interviews and questionnaires.
The module introduces practical geographical techniques and broader academic techniques such as literature work, citations and referencing. Although the module is largely theoretical, in preparation for the year 2 module ‘Advanced Research Skills for Geographers’, you’ll also undertake local field-based exercises, designed to demonstrate the techniques in action. You’ll be involved in tasks such as:
 making detailed, empirical geographical observations using widely employed geographical equipment
 locating and exploring geographical databases and archives
 using basic digital mapping programmes to investigate the physical and human environment.
Work, Employment and Globalisation
To give you an understanding of the complex and dynamic challenges of contemporary global labour markets, you’ll explore contemporary issues about work, employment and global labour markets throughout this module. And you’ll investigate the changing nature and organisation of work, inequalities at work, migration and labour mobility, identity at work, and the digital economy. These issues will be examined using a variety of institutional, organisational and individual theoretical perspectives.
From exploring post-industrial work and society within different institutional contexts, you’ll gain a key understanding of issues of diversity and inclusion at work, while gaining the intellectual skills required to critically research and review literature.
Optional modules
Digital Technology Maths for Business
The module introduces foundations of business information management to understand the potential of digital technologies. You will gain essential numerical, modelling and IT-skills, and will learn to manipulate data in order to create meaningful and user-friendly management information. These skills are taught in a business and problem-oriented way, using simplified business problems, combining several skills for each problem.
Foundations of Marketing
This module provides you with an understanding of core marketing principles, including an introduction to key marketing content in the context of the micro and macro-business environments. You will gain a solid grounding in the different marketing concepts, equipping you for your further studies.
Sustainability and Development
How can we build sustainable environments in which we can live, work and relax? In this module, you’ll learn about sustainability and the three overlapping issues of sustainable development - environmental, social and economic. You’ll examine how infrastructure and resource-use affect the sustainability of England’s built and natural environment.
You’ll gain knowledge of the land-use planning system in England, and how it can help to deliver a more sustainable environment. You'll explore sustainable development through a broad focus, to consider biophysical components (land, water, biodiversity, buildings), social issues (such as quality of life and equity) and economic issues (such as how to understand the value the environment brings to a sustainable economy).
Year 2
Compulsory modules
Business Strategy for Competitive Advantage
You will develop knowledge and critical understanding of the classical principles of business strategy in exploring the question 'How should organisations compete to achieve sustainable, competitive advantage in today's global business environment?’ In answering this question, the potential of an organisation to create value through effective exploitation and development of internal resources and capabilities is examined using well-established analytical tools.
On successful completion of this module, you will be able to analyse and evaluate the relative impact of the international industrial and competitive environment on organisations and the strategic choices they face, apply decision-making criteria and weigh risks appropriately.
Developing Professional Practice
This module will help you develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for making effective career decisions and managing your future career development, including transitions into graduate employment, self-employment or further study (including professional training courses) whether in the UK or overseas. This module will support you in taking an informed and critical view of the current and future world of work and consider your future role and responsibility, not only to yourself but also to others. This module will raise your awareness of the services and support offered by the Careers Service and OBBS WAVES team. The aim is to encourage you to further develop your career by engaging in placements, internships, volunteering and other extracurricular activities offered by the University.
Organisational Behaviour and Management
This module focuses on contemporary debates in the field of organisational studies, enhancing your ability to understand and apply organisational behaviour concepts to real-world problems. The module covers core topics, and you will distinguish between individual, group and organisational levels to analyse complex organisational issues. You will also develop an awareness of diverse perspectives, cultures, and values. Additionally, the module facilitates learning in adaptive and collaborative environments, helping you develop independent and self-motivated learning strategies.
After completing the module, you will be well-equipped with the skills and knowledge required to analyse evidence critically and stay up-to-date with the latest trends and developments in the field of organisational behaviour and management.
Advanced Research Skills for Geographers
Field work is at the heart of our geography course and this module helps you develop the practical and research skills you’ll need. During this module you will develop essential knowledge and skills in research methods and data analysis. With guidance, you’ll undertake a substantive piece of research, which you’ll conduct during the residential field trip. The research capabilities you build will be invaluable, both for your dissertation and your career after Oxford Brookes.
Placement Search and Preparation (compulsory for sandwich mode)
This module is designed to provide practical guidance and support in undertaking a placement search, preparing for the placement experience, and succeeding in the modern workplace. Throughout the module, you will develop critical self-awareness and personal literacy skills, enabling you to self-reflect on your own strengths and weaknesses and target your placement search effectively. Additionally, you will also explore methods of effective and targeted placement search, increasing your chances of securing a placement.
In summary, this module is an essential component of your employability journey. By integrating with co-curricular activities, the module provides a holistic approach to employability, ensuring that you'll have a broad range of skills and experiences to draw upon in your future careers.
Optional modules
Applied Financial Skills
Building on from first year accounting study, this module allows you to critically evaluate the financial results of strategic and financial decisions as reported by different companies. You’ll develop desirable skills of financial analysis and management accounting to support the needs of future managers and marketing professionals.
This module will also allow you to develop the confidence to use financial information both independently, and collaboratively with financial specialists.
Cities: Geographies of the Urban Experience
In Cities: Geographies of the Urban Experience, you will be introduced to urban geography. Throughout the module, you will explore a range of ways in which cities shape, and are shaped by people. From the modern architectural movement, to protest and public space, you will learn about the central role that cities play in politics and everyday life. Central to the module is understanding the ways in which inequality is built into urban life, and what we can do to challenge it.
Environmentally Sustainable Business
The module discusses key environmental issues such as global warming, pollution, biodiversity loss and freshwater depletion and the role of business in causing as well as responding to such issues. The module includes macro (economic, policy, governance) as well as micro (organisational and individual) perspectives. You will be introduced to a variety of stakeholder perspectives and frameworks for evaluating business responses.
On successful completion of this module, you will be able to recognise and evaluate the extent of business impacts on the natural environment, explain the economic drivers behind the unsustainable business and consumer behaviour and use and interpret complex information using digital media.
International Markets & Competition
In this module, you’ll consider the different exchange rate regimes, both in theory and in practice. You’ll also explore theory of international trade, the costs and benefits of protectionism, national and international measures to encourage competition. You’ll also be able to understand how to prevent anti-competitive behaviour and their rationale, and study the international organisations that control and regulate free trade.
You’ll be able to analyse international data from a variety of sources, and explain international trade patterns including trading blocks and the role of MNCs and FDI.
Introduction to People Management
This module is designed to introduce you to the operational role and functions of people management and how it supports organisations to manage their diverse workforce in an international context. People management is an essential tool for all line managers as it provides them with the skills, knowledge and competencies that equip you to be effective in how you recruit, motivate and reward your staff. This module offers you an operational ‘toolbox’ that covers all the core, fundamental features of people management.
On successful completion of this module, you will be able to identify the essential components of viable people management policies whilst also illustrating their effectiveness and engage in appropriate and accurate communications amongst different business contexts.
Environmental Hazard Management
In this module you will develop an understanding of the way that environmental processes can become potential hazards. You will study how hazards sometimes become disasters and the measures used to manage disasters and mitigate risk. You will explore contemporary approaches to environmental hazard / disaster management including: the efficacy of Aid; the role of the military in disaster relief; whether forecasting really saves lives; and the role of the mass media and new technology in disaster management. You will get to investigate real case studies and present your work individually and as part of a team.
Earth Systems
In this module, you’ll gain an understanding of The Earth as a global system. You’ll consider it in terms of spheres: the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere, each interacting in different scales of time and space.
You’ll gain core information you need to succeed in physical geography, as you understand how these spheres underpin the character and behaviour of the global system that we observe. You’ll explore each of these spheres in detail, gaining a whole picture of the global system. To do this you will engage with a range of disciplines, including:
 geology
 hydrology
 micro- and macro-ecology
 atmospheric chemistry
 physics
 computer modelling.
Political Geography: Place and Power
What are the connections between place and power? This module introduces you to political geography and geopolitics. You’ll look at both historical and ongoing debates to enable you to understand the spatial and material relations of political power, including territory, borders, mobility, security, nations, nationalism, sovereignty and environmental politics. You’ll interrogate and challenge common assumptions about geopolitics and explore geographical ideas in the light of current events, emphasising the relevance and real-world application of political geographical thought.
Independent Study in Business
This is your opportunity for independent study on an approved topic. It will relate to your programme learning outcomes. You’ll select and discuss a relevant topic area with your Programme Lead/Subject Co-ordinator. Your independent study may involve:
 action based learning
 be based solely on desk research
 limited primary research
 group work.
And will be self directed. Through any group work you may have a specific role and responsibilities.
Independent Study: Work and Community Related learning
In this module, you’ll have the chance to do some work experience closely linked to Geography. You might be an intern with a company, or working as a volunteer in the local community, or you might have a role in the university, for example as a student ambassador. Your tutors will advise you, but you’ll be in charge of the direction you take and the learning opportunity involved.
With careful thinking about what you want to achieve and how the work you do will support your learning, you’ll gain a better understanding of the world of work. You may also develop a stronger sense of the career you’d like after Brookes. Whatever the focus of your independent study, you’ll notice the benefits, whether it’s the satisfaction gained from volunteering, the new knowledge you’ve gained or the skills you’ve improved.
Year 3 (optional placement year)
Optional modules
Business Management
You can spend your third year on a work placement.. You will gain commercial and practical experience, and many students are offered graduate positions by their placement employer. Our students have enjoyed exciting and challenging positions at Microsoft, IBM, Aldi, BMW, Dyson, Ernst & Young, GlaxoSmithKline, Nestlé, PayPal and a host of other global organisations. We encourage you to study abroad for a semester during the course at our partner institutions in North America, Europe, Asia or Australia. During your placement there is a fee which is paid to the university. It covers the cost of your placement tutor, and the support we provide whilst looking for a placement position and during your placement role. Whilst on your placement you will still be classed as a student. You will be paid a financially sustainable salary which will vary depending on your role, company and location.
Geography
Geographers have undertaken work placements at a variety of NGOs, sometimes as part of their own research projects. These include management support roles with Oxfordshire's Wychwood Volunteers and participation in the International Citizenship Service programme with Operation Raleigh on a community project in India. The module Independent Study: Work and Community Related Learning provides opportunities for students to develop an academic programme of study alongside work experience, community work or volunteering.
Year 4 (or year 3 if no placement)
Compulsory modules
Business and Management Synoptic (Double)
You’ll apply business and management knowledge to a complex, integrative and international case study. You’ll provide an extended piece of writing to demonstrate your critical understanding and application of relevant disciplinary concepts, intellectual and research skills.
This module emphasises key academic skills of critical enquiry, analysis, evaluation and synthesis as well as knowledge about, and the development of, key employability skills.
Placement Learning - Compulsory only for sandwich mode.
In this module, you'll have the opportunity to reflect critically on your competencies and develop strategies to enhance your personal and professional development through your work experience. You'll also develop critical self-reflection as a tool for personal and professional growth, while evaluating the contribution of your job role to the success of the organisation. Through work-based learning, you'll develop a range of personal competencies, evidence your progress, and apply theory to practise in assessing organisational practice and individual contribution. Additionally, you'll gain a deep understanding of the functioning of your employing organisation, including its structure, culture, and strategy.
By the end of the module, you'll be equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to critically reflect on your own personal and professional development needs, progress, and contributions to organisational success.
Optional modules
Business Ethics
How do we do business in an ethical way? In this module, you’ll discover how to make moral decisions, both as a member of a business organisation, and as a human being. You’ll gain key analytical skills in business, as you understand, analyse and evaluate the ethical choices of others. You’ll also gain core critical skills as you evaluate the ethics of different systems of production, distribution and exchange.
Leading and Managing Change
The module aims to develop critical thinking in evaluating the application of change management theory and normative practices to challenges taking place in organisations and wider society. The literature used in the module draws on a breadth of sources including the mainstream and contemporary literature on change management. It aims to increase personal reflexivity and self-awareness.
After completing this module, you will have an understanding of the nature of change and key theories, frameworks, principles and practices relevant for the management and leadership of change. You'll be able to evaluate critically the actions taken by those leading change. You will be better prepared to lead and manage change in your own managerial careers and have an increased awareness of your own potential for ongoing personal development in leading and managing change.
Perspectives on International Management
This module aims to equip you with the skills and knowledge necessary to manage effectively in a globalised business environment. You’ll analyse a wide range of management practices, while also evaluating theoretical frameworks and conducting research on national cultures. You will evaluate the strategic implications of culture on business operations and HRM practices, while also developing the aptitude required to manage effectively across cultures.
Benefits to you include gaining a competitive edge in the job market by expanding knowledge about managing in a globalised world and navigating cross-cultural communication challenges. You will also broaden your horizons and increase your cultural awareness and sensitivity, enhancing your ability to work effectively with individuals from different backgrounds.
Arid Zone Environments
What is the nature and extent of arid environments and how do they interact with the global climate system? In this module you’ll gain knowledge of:
 long-term and short-term variations in climate
 the nature and extent of drylands
 the rates and types of processes operating in these environments.
You’ll also look at human impacts on drylands, including desertification, salinization (increasing salt content in soils) and deforestation, and consider the impact that future climate change may have on arid systems.
Future Cities
What will cities look like in fifty years? What did thinkers from the mid-nineteenth century to today propose about how to reconstruct and manage urban life? From global warming to ageing populations, you'll examine the trends that are shaping the cities of the future, and gain key analytical skills as you consider how cities might best adapt to these challenges. As with the Year 2 Cities module, we’ll focus on urban society as much as on city form, regarding people and place as inseparable.
Sustainable Futures
On this module, you will look at current and future global challenges that face geographers.
You will draw on academic research expertise. You will look at physical, human and environmental geographical issues related to a sustainable future.
You will explore what geographers can contribute using your geographical skills:
 the geographical imagination
 ethical subject-hood
 integrative thinking
 spatial thinking
 and a structured exploration of place
Independent Study
This module gives you the chance to carry out independent research on a topic that fascinates you. You’ll have the help of an expert tutor, as you decide on a topic based on a unique and interesting subject. You’ll gain core research and project management skills for your future career, as you create, manage and complete your own project.
Oceans and the Marine Environment
In this module you’ll explore the physical nature of oceans, from their chemical composition and circulation to the influence of oceans on the global climate system. By understanding the way in which oceans behave, we can comprehend how all of the components of the Earth’s systems fit together. You’ll explore topics ranging from the physics and biology of oceans to records of past ocean change, from marine pollution to ocean policy and governance of our marine environment.
Geography dissertation OR Interdisciplinary Dissertation (Double)
This module gives you the chance to do an independent investigation on a topic that fascinates you. Whether you’re creating a field-based, computer-based, laboratory-based or library-based topic, you’ll gain core skills for your future career and shape your project around your passions.
Learning and teaching
We have a reputation for innovative development of course content and learning takes place through a variety of means and modes of delivery, including online, and in lectures, interactive seminars and workshops, debates, case studies, group-working, problem-solving activities and fieldwork. In geography, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your research skills through involvement in laboratory analysis and field investigations.
In Years 1 and 2 you’ll have locally-based fieldwork. In Year 3 you’ll write up the results of your research and submit them to our UK-wide research journal Geoverse.
Entry Criteria
ENTRY REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Home Office Share Code
For EU students only.
IF no Qualification
Please provide CV with at least 2 years of work experience, and employee reference letter.
Entry requirements
Specific entry requirements
GCSE: GCSE Mathematics (grade 4 or above), English (grade 4 or above). or equivalent qualifications
Our standard entry requirement is three A-levels or equivalent qualifications. In some cases, courses have specific required subjects and additional GCSE requirements. In addition to A-levels, we accept a wide range of other qualifications including:
 the Welsh Baccalaureate
 the Access to Higher Education Diploma
 a BTEC National Certificate, Diploma or Extended Diploma at a good standard and in a relevant subject
 the International Baccalaureate Diploma
 the European Baccalaureate Diploma
 Scottish qualifications – five subjects in SCE with two at Higher level or one at Advanced Higher level, or three subjects in Scottish Highers or two at Advanced Higher level
 a recognised foundation course
 T-levels*.
 * T-levels are a relatively new qualification but are already included in the UCAS tariff. We welcome prospective students who are taking this qualification to apply. For some programmes with specific required subjects, particular subject areas or occupational specialisms may be required.
English language requirements
If English is not your first language then you will need to show that your English language skills are at a high enough level to succeed in your studies.
The entry requirement for your course will be expressed as an IELTS level and refers to the IELTS Academic version of this test. We are now also accepting the IELTS Indicator test, you can find out more about the test on the IELTS Indication site. The University however does accept a wide range of additional English language qualifications, which can be found below.
The university’s English language requirements in IELTS levels are as follows:
Course IELTS level
All other undergraduate courses 6.0 overall with 6.0 in reading and writing, 5.5 in listening and speaking
Law, Architecture, Interior Architecture, English Literature (including combined honours), English Literature and Creative Writing 6.5 overall with 6.0 in reading and writing, 5.5 in listening and speaking
Health and Social Care courses 6.5 or 7.0 overall with 6.5 or 7.0 in all components (see individual entries for course details)
Nutrition BSc (Hons) 6.5 overall with a minimum of 6.0 in each component
Built Environment Foundation,
Computing Foundation,
Engineering Foundation 6.0 with 6.0 in reading and writing, 5.5 in listening and speaking
International Foundation Business and Technology,
International Foundation Arts, Humanities and Law 5.5 overall with 5.5 in all skills
International Foundation Diploma 5.0 overall with 5.0 in all skills
If you need a student visa you must take an IELTS for UKVI test.
International Foundation Diploma (Extended pathway) 4.5 overall with 4.5 in all skills
If you need a student visa you must take an IELTS for UKVI test.
Assessment
Students on this course will experience a rich variety of assessment forms designed both to evaluate and support student learning. We will usually assess you through coursework, but a few modules involve examinations. Individual coursework and small-group assignments include:
 project investigations
 working in virtual teams
 presentations
 brief papers
 project and business reports
 critical essays
 learning journals.
You will use dedicated software for data analysis such as Geographical Information Systems (GIS).
ASSESSMENT METHODS
1. INTERNAL ENGLISH TEST if you don't have an English accredited certificate
2. Academic Interview
Learning and assessment
Learning takes place through a variety of means and modes of delivery, including online, and in lectures, seminars, workshops, case studies, problem-solving activities and fieldwork.
In Year 1 your core modules introduce you to key elements of business, management and both human and physical geography, in preparation for more specialised study in years 2 and 3.
In Years 2 and 3 you can specialise further in the areas that interest you most and continue to develop your employability skills. In your final year, you will take both the business and management synoptic - which allows you to focus deeply on an area of personal interest and develops key employment skills - and either an interdisciplinary or geography dissertation. You also have a range of option modules to tailor your studies to reflect your interests or aspirations.
Career Opportunities
A degree in Business Management and Geography from Oxford Brookes will equip you with a very wide range of skills with which to enter further study or future employment.
This course will enable you to pursue a career in environmental management, conservation, leisure and tourism, consultancy, geography teaching, or secure a position in a range of settings, such as a multinational business, a major charity, education, health care or government, nationally or internationally. Many of our students go on to graduate training schemes in international companies such as Aldi, AC Nielsen, IBM, Virgin Mobile, Intel, Yell Ltd, O2 and Dell. In addition, our graduates find that their broad skills base makes them attractive candidates for posts in various professions such as advertising, banking, the Civil Service, the arts and media, and services management. Our Careers Centre will support you in finding the right job for you.
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