Skip to main content
Go to Solent.ac.uk
  • Accessibility
Solent Centres Logo
  • Study
    • Study
    • All courses
    • Blended learning
    • Important dates
  • Apply
    • Apply now
    • Entry requirements
    • Finance
  • Student support
  • About us
    • About us
    • Articles
    • Locations
    • Policies
  • Contact us
  • Prospectus
  • Centres
  • Pathway
  • Study
    • All courses
    • Blended learning
    • Important dates
    • Apply now
  • Apply
    • Entry requirements
    • Finance
  • Student support
  • About us
    • Articles
    • Locations
    • Policies
  • Contact us
  • Prospectus
  • Solent Centres News & Blogs
  • Accessibility Tools
  • Home
  • /
  • Course
  • /
  • Foundation Degree in Business Management

(FdSc)

Foundation Degree in Business Management

Apply today Make an enquiry
  • Course Overview

  • About the course

  • Entry requirements

  • Careers

  • Tuition fees

  • Apply online

Course overview

Kickstart your career with our Foundation Degree (FdSc) in Business Management.

This course is specifically designed to support you on your journey into the field of Business and is equivalent to the first two years of an honour’s degree, with the opportunity to “top up” to a full degree at the end of the course.

A foundation degree offers a distinctive route into higher education, where it combines academic study with practical learning that is relevant to your experience, work and interests. As well as this, foundation degrees are highly valued by industry for their flexibility, accessibility, and emphasis on real-world application, which makes them an ideal choice for those seeking to enhance their career prospects or progress to further study.

On this foundation degree in Business Management, you will learn how to apply theory to practice and have the chance to gain real-world insights alongside your studies. Throughout the programme, you will be offered additional support to enhance your academic skills and enable you to confidently progress into employment or onto Year 3 (Level 6) of your chosen degree, allowing you to gain a full Honours Degree.

You will gain a well-rounded understanding of core business, management, and marketing principles, develop essential digital skills needed in the modern-day business environment, and strengthen your personal and professional capabilities. You will explore a variety of topics covering areas such as project management, marketing, entrepreneurship, finance, data analysis, innovation, and more to give you a sense of which potential career paths in the field of business align with your interests.

  • Gain access to Solent’s virtual learning environment, with quick online access to assignments, lecture notes, suggested reading and more.
  • Balance your full-time studies with your personal life with flexible study options, such as evenings and weekends.

What you will gain on the Foundation degree:

  • The opportunity to gain hands-on experience.
  • Knowledge of a variety of topics such as project management, marketing, entrepreneurship, finance, data analysis, innovation, and more.
  • The ability to enhance your personal, professional and technical skills to increase your job prospects
  • Additional support so that you can confidently progress into employment or onto Year 3 (Level 6) of your chosen degree.

This course is delivered as part of a partnership between QA Higher Education and Solent University. The programme is validated by the University and delivered by QA Higher Education.

Ready to go?

Apply today

Want to find out more?

Download brochure

Teaching and assessment

  • Lectures and seminars: 12 hours per week
  • Independent study: 26 hours per week
  • Assessment: Range of different assessment types which will allow you to demonstrate relevant industry skills and knowledge.

Blended learning

The future is becoming more and more digital. Our blended learning approach allows you to develop all necessary skills to thrive in the digital era. You’ll get the best of both worlds with a balance of face-to-face and online teaching, building your confidence ready for success in the digital workplace.

Receiving the same number of live contact hours as face-to-face programmes, a typical timetable may include:

Daytime students – If you are a daytime student, you will typically have 2 days of tuition per week – your sessions will be on-campus for 1 of those days and the other day will take place live online.

Evening and weekend students – Evening and weekend blended timetables will typically follow one of the below patterns each week:

  • 2 evenings live online and 1 weekend day face-to-face on-campus, or
  • 2 evenings face-to-face on-campus and 1 weekend day live online

Please note that the blended timetable pattern will be decided by the scheduling team.

Visit our blended learning page for further information.

Modules

All units are core and are worth 20 credits, unless specified.

Year 1

Positive Psychology for Success

This module lays strong foundations for study and employment success. You will build your academic, employability and independent learning skills, and put together a personal professional development (PPD) plan to stay agile, adaptable and future ready.  

This module will also develop your essential academic skills required for your further studies, including referencing, academic writing, IT skills, communication skills and presentation skills, you will be equipped with vital skills for study any workplace. 

Creative Enterprise & Innovation

Explore strategies and cultures that promote creativity, enterprise and innovation, and examine leading individuals and organisations – developing your own entrepreneurial capacity, and learning to be creative, enterprising and innovative for others.  

You will develop your skills in working collaboratively with a range of stakeholders as well as being an effective team member, which are fundamental employability skills.  

Contemporary Management Theory

Expand your understanding of key managerial concepts, including organisational purpose and structure, leadership, corporate culture, ethics, strategic decision-making, diversity and employment law – through case studies from today’s business environment.  

You will develop an understanding of how vital these are for you as future managers as well as gaining confidence using numerical data to solve problems, analyse information, and make decisions. 

Business Finance for Managers

Get to grips with finance and accounting, an essential part of any management role – exploring financial controls, budgeting, profit and loss, financial statements and more – through practical problem-based interactive sessions and real-world learning to prepare you for employment.

You will become familiar with the financial statements used to monitor the health of the business, and we will show you how to use baseline numeracy to perform your financial analysis so you can be confident in your conclusions. 

Marketing, Sales & Negotiation Skills

Discover the critical role of marketing in business, from understanding customers’ motivations to engagement to measuring effectiveness.

Learn key marketing concepts and terminology; explore digital and content marketing, and develop the skills needed to analyse a marketing strategy, identify marketing channels, evaluate customer insights and present your findings with impact. 

Data Analysis Tools & Applications

Explore how digital technology has fundamentally reshaped traditional business, and how businesses try to keep up. Learn crucial transferrable skills such as the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, and to present your findings effectively in the workplace. 

 

Year 2

Project Management in Business

Project management is a very fast-growing profession utilising a skillset much valued by employers.  

The module content is based on the Association for Project Management (APM) body of knowledge and will teach you best practice including stakeholder engagement, communications and leadership – as well as exploring contemporary challenges in project management. 

Operations Management

This module examines processes, tools and techniques which are highly prized in the real world of operations management.

You will learn to ensure customer satisfaction and analyse delivery issues, as well as apply techniques for quality management and present information and research in a professional manner. 

Global Challenges for Sustainable Growth

This module explores global business challenges and megatrends, developing your critical thinking, adaptability, strategic analysis, and decision-making skills.

You will gain insights into contemporary issues and industrial strategy, enhancing your ability to assess, respond, and lead effectively key competencies for future managers and globally-minded professionals. 

Social Enterprise

For social enterprises to be successful they require high business acumen to develop and grow, be sustainable and also impactful. This module aims to upskill you in this important area and give you the chance to work on a live social enterprise brief, which will enable you to replicate the types of skills you would require to drive successful and sustainable organisations.  

Alongside the employability skills you will develop, this will also allow you to illustrate to employers that you are socially responsible global citizen and understand ethical business practices; important areas for future values driven leaders and managers. 

This module will also explore the role, legal status and challenges of social and community enterprise – letting you show employers you are values-motivated and socially responsible and understand ethical business.  

Values Driven Leadership

To manage others, you need to reflect on self-management too. This module explores your self-management, personal values and journey, interweaving the essential management and leadership skills to successfully manage teams.  

The focus of the module on the role of recruitment, selection, equality, diversity and inclusion and staff development in supporting these areas will also boost your workplace readiness.   

Customer Experience

This module brings marketing to life! Customer experience is a dynamic, complex and challenging matter for marketers. Various sources of current research suggest that CEOs’ and CMOs’ biggest headache is delivering customer experience for competitive advantage. CE is the future of marketing. 

The module introduces models and concepts reflecting contemporary perspectives on the customer experience including the Pillars of Customer Experience and the experience economy and upskills you in applying these in real-world situations, you will practice a range of tactics that can be used including sensory marketing and experiential marketing along with more traditional approaches. 

The course information displayed on this page is correct for the academic year 2025/26. We aim to run the course as advertised however, changes may be necessary due to updates to the curriculum (due to academic or industry developments), student demand or UK compliance reasons.

Academic requirements

  • 48 UCAS points
  • A minimum of two completed A-levels, a BTEC Extended Diploma at PPP or BTEC Diploma at MP or equivalent.

If you have any questions regarding our entry requirements or studying with us, please contact us.

English language requirements

  • GCSE English at Grade 4/C or above.
  • Functional Skills Level 2 in English.
  • Applicants can sit the QA Higher Education English test, where 55% is required.

Please note that if your qualifications are not in English, we might need certified translations in order to proceed with your application.

Interview

Admissions Interview

Academic Interview

  • Introduce yourself
  • Tell us about why you want to study this course
  • Assessing your knowledge
  • If you don’t meet the standard entry requirements
  • If you’ve been out of education for a while

Please note: we are not currently able to sponsor international students to study this programme at Solent University Centres. If you require sponsorship to study as an international student, this course will unfortunately be unavailable to you. If you would like to discuss alternative options, please contact 020 3944 1243.

Careers

This programme has been designed with your future career prospects in mind, focusing on practical skills and knowledge as well as academic knowledge. This enables you to build your confidence and prepare you for the challenges and opportunities you may face when you enter the working world.

The modules on this programme, along with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience through skills-based learning, aim to provide you with in-demand professional and technical skills which employers are looking for, giving you an edge in today’s competitive job market.

Upon successful completion of this Foundation degree in Business Management, you can either progress into employment or onto Year 3 (Level 6) of your chosen degree to obtain your full undergraduate degree.

Tuition Fees 2025/2026

  • £9,535 per annum

Access to a laptop/PC with a microphone, speakers, webcam and a reliable internet connect is required for accessing your live online sessions.

Included in your Tuition Fees
Academic Support, including the Academic Community of Excellence (ACE) Team
Careers and Employment Service
Class hours (lectures, seminars and tutorials)
Facilities (computers, on-campus wi-fi, printers, vending machines)
Library resources, including a large online catalogue of books, journals and other more
Online resources
Social spaces (quiet study spaces, multi-faith rooms and spaces to socialise)
Student Support (Welfare Team, Finance Team and more)

Tuition fees do not include the cost of course books you may choose to purchase, stationery, printing, photocopying, accommodation, living expenses, travel or any other extracurricular activities.

We recommend you allow an additional £200 per annum to buy some of the course texts which are around £30 each.

READY TO APPLY?

If you are ready to apply, please complete our online application form in the links below and provide any required supporting documents (examples below):

  • Your passport personal details page
  • Copies of previous qualifications, including final certificates and transcripts, translated into English (if not in English)
  • A personal statement (more than 250 words)
  • Your CV (if required)
  • Your referee details

We will assess your application and provide you with a response. If you experience any issues, please contact home.admissions@qa.com

APPLY FOR FEBRUARY 2026

You will be directed to a QA Higher Education portal to set up an account and complete your application.

Daytime classes
London  Foundation Degree in Business Management – Apply for February
Birmingham Foundation Degree in Business Management – Apply for February
Manchester Foundation Degree in Business Management – Apply for February

 

Evening & Weekend classes
London Foundation Degree in Business Management – Apply for February
Birmingham Not Available
Manchester Not Available

Weekend classes
London Foundation Degree in Business Management – Apply for February
Birmingham Not Available
Manchester Foundation Degree in Business Management – Apply for February

WANT TO ASK US A QUESTION?

If you have any questions regarding this programme, entry requirements, or studying with us, contact us using the form below.

Key Information

Level

Level 5

Entry Requirements

48 UCAS points

Tuition Fees

2025/26: £9,535 (per annum)

Duration

2 years

Start Date

October and February

Next Application Deadline

12 January 2026

Location

London/Birmingham/Manchester

Course Overview

  • Course Overview
  • About the course
  • Entry requirements
  • Careers
  • Tuition fees
  • Apply online

Course overview

Kickstart your career with our Foundation Degree (FdSc) in Business Management.

This course is specifically designed to support you on your journey into the field of Business and is equivalent to the first two years of an honour’s degree, with the opportunity to “top up” to a full degree at the end of the course.

A foundation degree offers a distinctive route into higher education, where it combines academic study with practical learning that is relevant to your experience, work and interests. As well as this, foundation degrees are highly valued by industry for their flexibility, accessibility, and emphasis on real-world application, which makes them an ideal choice for those seeking to enhance their career prospects or progress to further study.

On this foundation degree in Business Management, you will learn how to apply theory to practice and have the chance to gain real-world insights alongside your studies. Throughout the programme, you will be offered additional support to enhance your academic skills and enable you to confidently progress into employment or onto Year 3 (Level 6) of your chosen degree, allowing you to gain a full Honours Degree.

You will gain a well-rounded understanding of core business, management, and marketing principles, develop essential digital skills needed in the modern-day business environment, and strengthen your personal and professional capabilities. You will explore a variety of topics covering areas such as project management, marketing, entrepreneurship, finance, data analysis, innovation, and more to give you a sense of which potential career paths in the field of business align with your interests.

  • Gain access to Solent’s virtual learning environment, with quick online access to assignments, lecture notes, suggested reading and more.
  • Balance your full-time studies with your personal life with flexible study options, such as evenings and weekends.

What you will gain on the Foundation degree:

  • The opportunity to gain hands-on experience.
  • Knowledge of a variety of topics such as project management, marketing, entrepreneurship, finance, data analysis, innovation, and more.
  • The ability to enhance your personal, professional and technical skills to increase your job prospects
  • Additional support so that you can confidently progress into employment or onto Year 3 (Level 6) of your chosen degree.

This course is delivered as part of a partnership between QA Higher Education and Solent University. The programme is validated by the University and delivered by QA Higher Education.

Key information

Level

Level 5

Entry Requirements

48 UCAS points

Tuition Fees

2025/26: £9,535 (per annum)

Duration

2 years

Start Date

October and February

Next Application Deadline

12 January 2026

Location

London/Birmingham/Manchester

Ready to go?

Apply today

Want to find out more?

Download brochure

Teaching and assessment

  • Lectures and seminars: 12 hours per week
  • Independent study: 26 hours per week
  • Assessment: Range of different assessment types which will allow you to demonstrate relevant industry skills and knowledge.

Blended learning

The future is becoming more and more digital. Our blended learning approach allows you to develop all necessary skills to thrive in the digital era. You’ll get the best of both worlds with a balance of face-to-face and online teaching, building your confidence ready for success in the digital workplace.

Receiving the same number of live contact hours as face-to-face programmes, a typical timetable may include:

Daytime students – If you are a daytime student, you will typically have 2 days of tuition per week – your sessions will be on-campus for 1 of those days and the other day will take place live online.

Evening and weekend students – Evening and weekend blended timetables will typically follow one of the below patterns each week:

  • 2 evenings live online and 1 weekend day face-to-face on-campus, or
  • 2 evenings face-to-face on-campus and 1 weekend day live online

Please note that the blended timetable pattern will be decided by the scheduling team.

Visit our blended learning page for further information.

Modules

All units are core and are worth 20 credits, unless specified.

Year 1

Positive Psychology for Success

This module lays strong foundations for study and employment success. You will build your academic, employability and independent learning skills, and put together a personal professional development (PPD) plan to stay agile, adaptable and future ready.  

This module will also develop your essential academic skills required for your further studies, including referencing, academic writing, IT skills, communication skills and presentation skills, you will be equipped with vital skills for study any workplace. 

Creative Enterprise & Innovation

Explore strategies and cultures that promote creativity, enterprise and innovation, and examine leading individuals and organisations – developing your own entrepreneurial capacity, and learning to be creative, enterprising and innovative for others.  

You will develop your skills in working collaboratively with a range of stakeholders as well as being an effective team member, which are fundamental employability skills.  

Contemporary Management Theory

Expand your understanding of key managerial concepts, including organisational purpose and structure, leadership, corporate culture, ethics, strategic decision-making, diversity and employment law – through case studies from today’s business environment.  

You will develop an understanding of how vital these are for you as future managers as well as gaining confidence using numerical data to solve problems, analyse information, and make decisions. 

Business Finance for Managers

Get to grips with finance and accounting, an essential part of any management role – exploring financial controls, budgeting, profit and loss, financial statements and more – through practical problem-based interactive sessions and real-world learning to prepare you for employment.

You will become familiar with the financial statements used to monitor the health of the business, and we will show you how to use baseline numeracy to perform your financial analysis so you can be confident in your conclusions. 

Marketing, Sales & Negotiation Skills

Discover the critical role of marketing in business, from understanding customers’ motivations to engagement to measuring effectiveness.

Learn key marketing concepts and terminology; explore digital and content marketing, and develop the skills needed to analyse a marketing strategy, identify marketing channels, evaluate customer insights and present your findings with impact. 

Data Analysis Tools & Applications

Explore how digital technology has fundamentally reshaped traditional business, and how businesses try to keep up. Learn crucial transferrable skills such as the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, and to present your findings effectively in the workplace. 

 

Year 2

Project Management in Business

Project management is a very fast-growing profession utilising a skillset much valued by employers.  

The module content is based on the Association for Project Management (APM) body of knowledge and will teach you best practice including stakeholder engagement, communications and leadership – as well as exploring contemporary challenges in project management. 

Operations Management

This module examines processes, tools and techniques which are highly prized in the real world of operations management.

You will learn to ensure customer satisfaction and analyse delivery issues, as well as apply techniques for quality management and present information and research in a professional manner. 

Global Challenges for Sustainable Growth

This module explores global business challenges and megatrends, developing your critical thinking, adaptability, strategic analysis, and decision-making skills.

You will gain insights into contemporary issues and industrial strategy, enhancing your ability to assess, respond, and lead effectively key competencies for future managers and globally-minded professionals. 

Social Enterprise

For social enterprises to be successful they require high business acumen to develop and grow, be sustainable and also impactful. This module aims to upskill you in this important area and give you the chance to work on a live social enterprise brief, which will enable you to replicate the types of skills you would require to drive successful and sustainable organisations.  

Alongside the employability skills you will develop, this will also allow you to illustrate to employers that you are socially responsible global citizen and understand ethical business practices; important areas for future values driven leaders and managers. 

This module will also explore the role, legal status and challenges of social and community enterprise – letting you show employers you are values-motivated and socially responsible and understand ethical business.  

Values Driven Leadership

To manage others, you need to reflect on self-management too. This module explores your self-management, personal values and journey, interweaving the essential management and leadership skills to successfully manage teams.  

The focus of the module on the role of recruitment, selection, equality, diversity and inclusion and staff development in supporting these areas will also boost your workplace readiness.   

Customer Experience

This module brings marketing to life! Customer experience is a dynamic, complex and challenging matter for marketers. Various sources of current research suggest that CEOs’ and CMOs’ biggest headache is delivering customer experience for competitive advantage. CE is the future of marketing. 

The module introduces models and concepts reflecting contemporary perspectives on the customer experience including the Pillars of Customer Experience and the experience economy and upskills you in applying these in real-world situations, you will practice a range of tactics that can be used including sensory marketing and experiential marketing along with more traditional approaches. 

The course information displayed on this page is correct for the academic year 2025/26. We aim to run the course as advertised however, changes may be necessary due to updates to the curriculum (due to academic or industry developments), student demand or UK compliance reasons.

Academic requirements

  • 48 UCAS points
  • A minimum of two completed A-levels, a BTEC Extended Diploma at PPP or BTEC Diploma at MP or equivalent.

If you have any questions regarding our entry requirements or studying with us, please contact us.

English language requirements

  • GCSE English at Grade 4/C or above.
  • Functional Skills Level 2 in English.
  • Applicants can sit the QA Higher Education English test, where 55% is required.

Please note that if your qualifications are not in English, we might need certified translations in order to proceed with your application.

Interview

Admissions Interview

Academic Interview

  • Introduce yourself
  • Tell us about why you want to study this course
  • Assessing your knowledge
  • If you don’t meet the standard entry requirements
  • If you’ve been out of education for a while

Please note: we are not currently able to sponsor international students to study this programme at Solent University Centres. If you require sponsorship to study as an international student, this course will unfortunately be unavailable to you. If you would like to discuss alternative options, please contact 020 3944 1243.

Careers

This programme has been designed with your future career prospects in mind, focusing on practical skills and knowledge as well as academic knowledge. This enables you to build your confidence and prepare you for the challenges and opportunities you may face when you enter the working world.

The modules on this programme, along with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience through skills-based learning, aim to provide you with in-demand professional and technical skills which employers are looking for, giving you an edge in today’s competitive job market.

Upon successful completion of this Foundation degree in Business Management, you can either progress into employment or onto Year 3 (Level 6) of your chosen degree to obtain your full undergraduate degree.

Tuition Fees 2025/2026

  • £9,535 per annum

Access to a laptop/PC with a microphone, speakers, webcam and a reliable internet connect is required for accessing your live online sessions.

Included in your Tuition Fees
Academic Support, including the Academic Community of Excellence (ACE) Team
Careers and Employment Service
Class hours (lectures, seminars and tutorials)
Facilities (computers, on-campus wi-fi, printers, vending machines)
Library resources, including a large online catalogue of books, journals and other more
Online resources
Social spaces (quiet study spaces, multi-faith rooms and spaces to socialise)
Student Support (Welfare Team, Finance Team and more)

Tuition fees do not include the cost of course books you may choose to purchase, stationery, printing, photocopying, accommodation, living expenses, travel or any other extracurricular activities.

We recommend you allow an additional £200 per annum to buy some of the course texts which are around £30 each.

READY TO APPLY?

If you are ready to apply, please complete our online application form in the links below and provide any required supporting documents (examples below):

  • Your passport personal details page
  • Copies of previous qualifications, including final certificates and transcripts, translated into English (if not in English)
  • A personal statement (more than 250 words)
  • Your CV (if required)
  • Your referee details

We will assess your application and provide you with a response. If you experience any issues, please contact home.admissions@qa.com

APPLY FOR FEBRUARY 2026

You will be directed to a QA Higher Education portal to set up an account and complete your application.

Daytime classes
London  Foundation Degree in Business Management – Apply for February
Birmingham Foundation Degree in Business Management – Apply for February
Manchester Foundation Degree in Business Management – Apply for February

 

Evening & Weekend classes
London Foundation Degree in Business Management – Apply for February
Birmingham Not Available
Manchester Not Available

Weekend classes
London Foundation Degree in Business Management – Apply for February
Birmingham Not Available
Manchester Foundation Degree in Business Management – Apply for February

WANT TO ASK US A QUESTION?

If you have any questions regarding this programme, entry requirements, or studying with us, contact us using the form below.

Contact us

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
Full Name: *

In future QA Higher Education would like to contact you with relevant information on our courses, facilities and events and those of our University Partners. Please confirm you are happy to receive this information by indicating how you would like us to communicate with you below:

Phone
Email
SMS

Please note, this will overwrite any previous communication preferences you may have already specified to us on our website or websites relating to our University Partners. You can change your communication preferences at any time. QA Higher Education will process your personal data as set out in our privacy notice

Hidden Fields

Loading
  • Study
    • All courses
    • Important dates
    • Blended learning
  • Useful Links
    • Student support
    • Student Finance For Solent Centres
    • How to apply
    • Entry requirements
  • About us
    • Articles
    • Locations
    • Student policies

About Us

  • Study
    • All courses
    • Important dates
    • Blended learning
  • Useful Links
    • Student support
    • Student Finance For Solent Centres
    • How to apply
    • Entry requirements
  • About us
    • Articles
    • Locations
    • Student policies

Courses

  • Study
    • All courses
    • Important dates
    • Blended learning
  • Useful Links
    • Student support
    • Student Finance For Solent Centres
    • How to apply
    • Entry requirements
  • About us
    • Articles
    • Locations
    • Student policies

Useful Links

  • Study
    • All courses
    • Important dates
    • Blended learning
  • Useful Links
    • Student support
    • Student Finance For Solent Centres
    • How to apply
    • Entry requirements
  • About us
    • Articles
    • Locations
    • Student policies
Solent Logo

© QA Higher Education

  • Solent Centres – Disclaimer
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Centres Terms & Conditions