Study business studies and graduate with a university degree

Year 1

Highers BBBB.
A-levels BBC.
IB Diploma with a total of 32 points.

HNC or HND with Bs in graded units.
Access courses and other UK/EU and international qualifications are also welcomed.

Year 2

A-levels or Advanced Highers ABB to include Business Studies/Management.
HND in related subject with Bs in graded units.

Year 3

Applicants with an HND in Business will be considered on an individual basis with a good academic profile.

General entry requirements apply.

International students can study our Undergraduate Certificate if they do not possess the necessary entrance requirements to be admitted directly to the first year of an undergraduate degree course.

Other information

If examinations are taken over two sittings, or there are repeats or upgrades, the entrance requirements may be higher.

Required subjects

English at Standard Grade (2), Intermediate 2 (C) or GCSE (C) or equivalent.
Mathematics at Standard Grade (3), Intermediate 2 (C) or GCSE (C) or equivalent.
Applicants with English Standard Grade (3) will also be considered, although alternative entry conditions may be made in this case.

Information on possible sources of funding

You will take three subjects in  Year 1.

Semesters 1 - 3

You are introduced to the main areas of management and consider the ways in which the behavioural sciences help our understanding of business behaviour and people at work. You are also given a grounding in the analytical techniques that underpin business activity and management.

In addition, students who intend to specialise in Business Studies are encouraged to take modules in related subject areas such as Accountancy, Business Law, Computing Science, Economics, Psychology or Sociology.

Semesters 4 - 8

You will take core advanced modules in Organisational Behaviour, International Business, Information Technology, Management Strategy and Organisational Research plus at least one from Human Resource Management and Management Science. You may then pursue one of these areas in more depth or choose from the broader range of options available.

Option modules include:

• Business and Society in Europe
• Business in East Asia
• New Public Management
• Growing your own Business
• Launching a New Venture
• People Management
• Employment Relations
• Learning and Development
• Management and the Environment
• Project Management
• Business Improvement
• Public Management and Administration
• Leisure Management
• The Business Challenge

View full module descriptions

Teaching is by lectures, tutorials, seminars and practical 'hands-on' sessions. In the advanced modules, great emphasis is placed on the acquisition of skills as well as knowledge. You will deliver presentations in varying formats and formality, helping you to acquire the skills to present yourself as a competent and accomplished individual. Essays and reports help you develop effective written communication skills and the ability to argue a point of view effectively. A variety of seminar formats and projects also allow you to perfect your ability to work in teams.

Finally, the dissertation in the final year lets you conduct research in a business or public sector organisation and apply your academic knowledge to a problem encountered there.

(For a Combined Honours degree the higher entrance requirements of the subjects usually apply.)

Where are our graduates now?

Business Studies graduates are currently working in 20 countries around the world including: Norway, Kenya, Canada, Singapore, Australia, USA, Germany and Hong Kong. They are contributing to the performance of a range of private, public and third sector organisations including:

• Tesco
• HM Revenue & Customs
• Natural History Museum
• Royal Bank of Scotland
• Kimberley-Clark Professional
• Land Rover
• Scottish Government
• Lloyds Banking Group
• Gillette UK Ltd
• EMI Music Publishing
• Diageo
• Ernst & Young
• NHS
• Local authorities across the UK
• Unilever

Recent graduates from Stirling’s Business Studies degree started their careers in the following roles:

• IT Co-ordinator, Component Sense 24
• Sales & Marketing Executive, Grants Foods Ltd
• Operational Management Trainee, Radisson Blu Hotel
• Recruitment Consultant, Inspired Edge Limited
• Business Development Executive, 2e2
• Customer Advisor, Bank of Scotland

Graduates who left Stirling up to ten years ago have now forged careers in the following areas:

• Teachers (either primary or Business Studies)
• Key Account Manager, Sitekit Solutions Ltd
• HR Business Partner, Forth Valley College
• Information Security Manager, Kwik-Fit Financial Services
• National Marketing Manager, BT
• Partner Relationship Manager, Hewlett-Packard
• Leasing Manager, The Brandspace Group
• International Recruitment Consultant. Solutions Driven 

The grounding that a Business Studies degree provides you with in demonstrated in the wide range of professions that some of our more established graduates are currently working in:

• MD/CEO of own firm
• Business Analyst, Inveresk plc
• Head of Business Support, Stirling Council
• Strategy Manager, Britannia
• Finance Manager, Proctor & Gamble
• Head of Individual Fundraising, Natural History Museum
• Retail Operations Manager, Bass Leisure Retail
• Information Policy Manager, The National Archives