Business Management (Graduate Apprenticeship) - BA (Hons)

Rewarding for you as a student

A Graduate Apprenticeship enables you to study for a degree whilst in employment. This course is a practical and integrated way to launch a new career or develop expertise with your current employer, who will benefit from a more highly skilled, more motivated and ambitious employee.

How can the businesses of tomorrow function better? What is the best way for organisations to manage their resources and break into new markets? How important is the business manager in driving this success? Whatever industry you work in, and no matter how experienced you are, a Graduate Apprenticeship degree in Business Management at QMU will equip you with the skills and expertise you need to meet these challenges – and more.

Rewarding for employers

The Graduate Apprenticeship scheme has great benefits for employers as well as students. Find out more about the benefits of the Graduate Apprenticeships scheme to employers in our video.

On this course you will:

• study while continuing in employment;
• boost your professional development and employability;
• study the same core modules as full-time Business Management students, covering core management areas such as marketing, business law, digital business and strategy;
• study work-based learning modules throughout your degree, allowing you to complete projects designed to support your employer’s business goals and objectives;
• benefit from guidance, mentoring and one-to-one supervision provided by our academic staff in support with your employer mentor; and
• benefit from learning alongside other GAs, who will come from very different organisations and have a range of experience. This provides a stimulating and rewarding stage in your professional and personal development, and a unique networking opportunity.

Structure

All students enroll onto the honours degree, but you can choose to exit with an ordinary degree after three years. You will spend one day per week on campus and four days per week in the workplace.

Teaching, learning and assessment

You will be taught in lectures, seminars and practical workshops. Outside these timetabled sessions you will be expected to continue learning through self-study. You will be assessed by a range of methods such as written exams, reports, business plans, live pitch, group presentations and negotiation role play.

You will have the iterative support of Academic Development (AD) throughout your course to enable you confidently to manage the purely academic challenges of your study and address the diverse technical requirements of your assignments. AD will be available not only as a regular taught component of your study timetable, but in the form of self-study materials available via your module hubs/websites etc. and as ad-hoc one-to-one or small group sessions, which can usually be arranged at short notice.

Workplace learning

You will continue to work in your current role while you study. This will help you develop your learning into practical, real-world business expertise.

Teaching staff, class sizes and timetables

You can read more about the teaching staff on this course at the bottom of this page. Please note that the teaching staff is subject to change.

For more information, please also visit ‘How we teach and how you’ll learn’.

Year Three

You will:

• examine business and management themes at a more strategic level, choosing electives from a range of modules on offer;
• develop valuable project management skills and experience in the application of project management techniques through a client brief; and
• create a fully costed business plan for a new business venture.

Modules

• Work-Based Learning Three
• Project Management
• Advertising and Marketing Communications
• Leading and Managing Change
• New Enterprise Creation

Year Four

You will:

• deepen your understanding, and awareness, of contemporary issues and challenges facing organisations at a strategic level;
• complete an independent piece of research through a consultancy project; and
• develop a range of practical skills necessary for management roles such as negotiation, collaboration, conflict resolution and influencing skills.

Modules

• Work-Based Learning Four
• Strategy
• Negotiation Theory and Practice
• Organisational Behaviour
• Consultancy Project

NB The modules listed here are correct at time of posting (Feb 2024) but may differ slightly to those offered in 2025. Please check back here for any updates.

You will already be employed, so you won’t suddenly hit the job market like most graduates do. You will be able to take the theoretical understanding you have learnt in your degree and apply it directly to challenges in your workplace. From there, your goal will be to use your new skills to step your career up to the next level.

Entry requirements

Direct Entry:

Year Three

• HND in a related subject with CB in the graded unit

However, your application will be assessed on an individual basis, taking into account your current role and previous industry experience. If you have already completed a Foundation or Modern Apprenticeship in a related subject, this will also contribute towards meeting the entry requirements. Likewise, a business relevant HNC or HND will also be considered favourably.

You can apply if you have already completed a degree with SAAS funding, you could still do a GA, particularly if it is a career change to something new.

It is recommended that applicants submit a CV to the Programme Leader prior to applying formally through the QMU Direct Entry Application.

You will be contacted promptly, and if you are a suitable candidate, may be invited for interview, in person or using remote access.

Eligibility

The BA (Hons) Business Management (Graduate Apprenticeship) is available if you:

• are aged 16 or over (there is no maximum age limit)
• are living in Scotland and have been for three years*; and
• working in Scotland on a full-time or part-time basis.

*Students must be living (ordinarily resident) in Scotland on the day their course starts. Where ‘ordinarily resident’ means to have 'habitual and normal residence in one place'. The Scottish Government expects someone who is ordinarily resident in Scotland to have made their home in Scotland with the intention of staying and living here, and not just to undertake a course of study. More information is available from SAAS.

Am I a Widening Access student? We apply the minimum entry criteria to applicants who meet one or more contextual factors. To see if this would apply to you, please refer to the access and application page.

Disability/health conditions

If you have a disability, long-term physical or mental health condition, or learning disability, it should not stand in the way of your studying at QMU. However, if you are not sure whether your disability might be a barrier in your studies or in relation to the professional standards, please contact the disability service who will be able to have a conversation with you about reasonable adjustments and supports available to you.

How to apply

If you are a school leaver or not in employment but think that a GA could be for you, there may be employers who would consider recruiting you and making a GA degree part of the employment opportunity. Some vacancies are advertised on the Apprenticeships Scotland website. We welcome enquiries from both potential students and employers and are happy to discuss options.

Before applying for this course, please email GA@qmu.ac.uk in the first instance to discuss your application. We just need to make sure you meet the criteria and that your employer is happy for you to apply to be a Graduate Apprentice.

Terms and Conditions

• The delivery of this course is subject to the terms and conditions set out in our 2025/26 Entry Terms and Conditions (Undergraduate).
• The course information on this page is correct at the time of posting (Feb 2024) however, the course is due for re-validation in 2024 and this may result in some changes for 2025 entry. Please check the website for updates.