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Huddersfield Business School

International Business (Top-up) BA(Hons)

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Start Dates

21 September 2026

Duration

Up to 10 months full-time


Recent Awards For Excellence

AACSB
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About this course

Overview

Why choose Huddersfield for this course?

  • Explore how international markets work and what drives business across borders.
  • Study strategy and management while gaining insight into how culture shapes business decisions.
  • Choose optional modules that match your interests and career goals – from sustainability to strategic management.

Accreditation and Professional Links

Recognised connections to give you an extra edge when you graduate. Read More

Business is becoming truly global. This one-year top-up course is designed to help you understand the global factors driving business today. You will explore international business activities and strategies and the organisational, cultural and institutional factors that shape them.

Management studies was ranked in the top quart in England in 2025 for organisation and management. (National Student Survey 2025).**

If you’ve already studied a business subject to diploma level and you want to understand the world of HR, then this course could be ideal for you.

This top-up degree course will help you build a greater understanding of how commerce operates and give you an opportunity to explore in-depth the issues that affect it, with a particular focus on the international markets.

The top five job titles advertised in the UK for graduate roles associated with International Business BA(Hons) are Project Managers, Human Resources Advisors, Marketing Executives, Data Analysts and Data Scientists.*

How will you learn?

You will learn through practical application and delivered lectures, workshops, seminars, group work sessions and independent study.

During your studies, you will explore topics such as international business, strategic management, business responsibility and sustainability to help you develop knowledge and practical skills that can be applied in any sector or industry.

What subjects will you cover?

Your programme of studies will include three core modules: International Business, Managing Across Cultures, and Strategy in Context.

As your studies progress, you will also be able to choose from a wide range of optional modules where you will have an opportunity to develop specialised knowledge in particular areas of business and management according with your personal and professional interests.

*Lightcast data extracted from Graduate Career Explorer – job postings from Dec 2023 to Nov 2024 showing jobs advertised associated with a selection of relevant graduate.

**(Top quart in England £100m+ - All modes, all levels, taught, using England £100m+, limited to quartile = 1 and more than 10 institutions, shows rank within quartile also ")

Career opportunities after the course *

Project Managers

Marketing Executives

Human Resources Advisors

Data Analysts

Data Science Managers

*Lightcast

Who can apply?

Entry Requirements

Entry requirements for this course are normally one of the following:

  • Higher National Diploma in Business.
  • Overseas equivalents such as two years post baccalaureate at 55% average.
  • Successful completion of two years of Higher Education with 120 ECTS credits (or equivalent).

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.0 overall with no element lower than 5.5, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our International Entry Requirements page.

What will you learn?

Course Details

This module considers the fundamental issue of competitiveness and helps you consider strategic business responses to globalisation. You’ll explore the different types of international business operations (international trade and foreign direct investment activities) and the factors that shape these operations (organisational resources and cultural and institutional environments in different national markets). You’ll also learn to make practical strategic decisions as international managers.

In this module you’ll gain an understanding of how organisations develop their strategies in relation to different aspects of their environment. You’ll study how both the internal context (e.g. organisational structure, routines and resources) and external context (e.g. institutional systems, industry structures and competition) shape organisational activities and the strategic decisions that individual managers make.

In this module, you'll explore how culture affects business and management. You'll learn the essential knowledge and theories in cross-cultural management, which will enable you to compare cultures systematically. You'll also investigate the latest developments in cross cultural research, which will develop your capability in understanding and analysing cross cultural scenarios. You are encouraged to develop an open-minded approach to cultural differences and an understanding of culture’s influence on business and management.

Choose from a list which may include:

This module examines contemporary and policy issues in Monetary Theory, Monetary Policy and International Finance. You’ll have the opportunity to analyse the impact of different types of risk and uncertainty in money and finance and use appropriate theory to help decide the financial methods to avoid or reduce risk.

Marketing is important, entrepreneurship is vital, and 95% of businesses anywhere in the world are small. When large organisations seek to improve performance – they often turn to the young dynamic small businesses as their role model. We weave these themes together into what can be called entrepreneurial marketing

In this module, you'll explore entrepreneurship for large and small businesses in both national and international settings. This module considers the theory and practice of entrepreneurship from different academic perspectives (economic, organisational, behavioural, etc.) and in the current world business climate. The teaching and learning approach on this module makes extensive use of practical case studies.

The module is designed to offer you an advanced course in leadership. Building on the themes from the second-year module ‘Leadership: Theory and Practice’, this module invites you to engage with critical and contemporary perspectives and debates shaping the current academic field of leadership studies. We will consider the challenges of leading effectively and ethically in complex 21st century organisational settings.

In this module, you’ll learn how to organise and execute business activities and specific transactions on a variety of electronic platforms. You’ll build your understanding of the electronic economy and how the changes in the electronic landscape and technology are shaping the development and success of business. In addition to learning about e-commerce operations, you’ll consider how businesses interact with their key stakeholders, such as customer and public administration agencies, in the Internet context.

The module examines the inter-relationship between business ethics, corporate social responsibility, business sustainability and sustainable development. You'll engage in constructive debates related to theories of business ethics and ethical decision-making by business managers and examine how companies could fulfil their social responsibilities. By focusing on global sustainability issues, you'll appreciate how businesses can develop sustainable solutions to resolve grand challenges.

This module is an opportunity for you to conduct a research project in an area of business and management that relates to your personal and professional interests. You'll work one-to-one with an experienced supervisor who will help you develop and implement your research ideas. This module will not only deepen your knowledge of a particular business and management topic, but also help you build your practical research and report-writing skills.

This module aims to explore the complex relationship between business and climate change. Students will gain an understating of the political and policy context surrounding the climate crisis, and insight into debates about the changing responsibilities of business through a wide range of examples. The module will enable understanding of how the need to reduce emissions is shaping the activities of businesses, social enterprises, policy makers, NGOs and communities worldwide.

For more information on when and how we update our modules please see the ‘Legal Information’ section below.

Teaching and Assessment

Discover what to expect from your tutor contact time, assessment methods, and feedback process.

Where could this lead you?

Your Career

Previous graduates from this subject area have gone on to roles such Senior Officer, Information Analyst, Area Manager, Graduate Trainee, Stockist Marketing Co-ordinator and Executive Assistant in organisations including Bupa Arabia, SK Networks, The Health Informatics Service, Magna International, Aldi, Advanced 365, PPG Industries and UBS AG.

86.5%
of undergraduate graduates from the School of Business, Education and Law in work or further study within fifteen months of graduating

* HESA Graduate Outcomes 21/22, UK domiciled graduates, other activities excluded.

Studying a management degree gave me the chance to explore a variety of subjects and understand all aspects of business. This helped me discover my passion for people management. I believe a good manager should have a broad understanding to share skills and help a business grow.

- Amy Templeman
Studied Business Management and Leadership (BA)Hons. Currently works as Senior Business Intelligence Developer at SharkNinja

Our graduates work at some of the world's biggest companies.

DHL logo Walt Disney logo Adidas logo Arla Foods logo Enterprise logo
How much will it cost?

Fees and Finance

£9,790 per year

This information is for Home students applying to study at the University of Huddersfield in the academic year 2026/27.

Please note that tuition fees for subsequent years may rise in line with inflation (RPI-X) and/or Government policy. 

From January 2027 the UK government is launching a new student funding system for people starting university education. Read more about the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE).

For detailed information please visit https://www.hud.ac.uk/study/fees/

£17,600 per year

This information is for international students applying to study at the University of Huddersfield in the academic year 2026/27.

Please note that tuition fees for subsequent years may rise in line with inflation (RPI-X) and/or Government policy. 

For detailed information please visit https://www.hud.ac.uk/international/fees-and-funding/

Scholarships and Bursaries

Discover what additional help you may be eligible for to support your University studies.

Tuition Fee Loans

Find out more about tuition fee loans available to eligible undergraduate students.

What’s included in your fee?

We want you to understand exactly what your fees will cover and what additional costs you may need to budget for when you decide to become a student with us.

If you have any questions about Fees and Finance, please email the Student Finance Team.

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Why Hud

Explore the unique opportunities and resources that make our institution a top choice for students seeking a well-rounded and future-focused education.

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More Info

Careers support

We know you’re coming to university to study on your chosen subject, meet new people and broaden your horizons. However, we also help you to focus on life after you have graduated to ensure that your hard work pays off and you achieve your ambition.

Find out more about careers support

Student support

At the University of Huddersfield, you’ll find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies and social life. Whether you study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you’ll soon discover that you’re never far away from our dedicated staff and resources to help you to navigate through your personal student journey.

See our support services

Teaching Excellence

Great teaching is engaging and inspiring — it helps you reach your full potential and prepares you for the future. We don’t just teach well — we excel — and we have the awards and recognition to prove it.

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Inspiring Academics

Our researchers carry out world-leading work that makes a real difference to people’s lives. Staff within the Huddersfield Business School may teach you on this course.

Find out more about our staff

Research Excellence

You’ll be taught by staff who want to support your learning and share the latest knowledge and research.

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Accommodation

Looking for student accommodation? Huddersfield has you covered. HudLets has a variety of accommodation types to choose from, no matter what your preference. HudLets is the University’s approved accommodation service, run by Huddersfield Students’ Union.

Take a look at your options

Further Study

If you want to continue your learning beyond your undergraduate degree, there is a range of financial support available for postgraduate study, including discounts for Huddersfield graduates.

Discover postgraduate courses
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