International Business Management BSc (Hons)

Entry Requirements 2025/26

Standard Entry

120 UCAS Tariff points

From a combination of acceptable Level 3 qualifications which may include: A-level, T Level, BTEC Diplomas/Extended Diplomas, Scottish and Irish Highers, Access to HE Diplomas, or the International Baccalaureate.

Find out how many points your qualifications are worth by using the UCAS Tariff calculator: www.ucas.com/ucas/tariff-calculator

Northumbria University is committed to supporting all individuals to achieve their ambitions. We have a range of schemes and alternative offers to make sure as many individuals as possible are given an opportunity to study at our University regardless of personal circumstances or background. To find out more, review our Northumbria Entry Requirement Essential Information page for further details www.northumbria.ac.uk/entryrequirementsinfo

Subject Requirements:

There are no specific subject requirements for this course.

GCSE Requirements:

Applicants will need Maths and English Language at minimum grade 4/C, or equivalents.

Additional Requirements:

There are no additional requirements for this course.

International Qualifications:

We welcome applicants with a range of qualifications which may not match those shown above.

If you have qualifications from outside the UK, find out what you need by visiting www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry

English Language Requirements:

International applicants should have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.0 with 5.5 in each component (or an approved equivalent*).

*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades in our English Language section: www.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications

Fees and Funding 2025/26 Entry

UK Fee in Year 1: £9,535

* The maximum tuition fee that we are permitted to charge for UK students is set by government. Tuition fees may increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, these are subject to government regulations and in line with inflation.

International Fee in Year 1: £20,950

Please see the main Funding Pages for 25/26 scholarship information.

ADDITIONAL COSTS

There are no Additional Costs

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Modules Overview 2025/26

Modules

Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.

Year one Year two Year three Year four

Year one

AF4038 -

Financial Decision Making (Core,20 Credits)

You will learn how financial information can be used to assist managers and external user groups in their decision-making processes. You will initially look at the informational needs of outside user groups, the nature of the information they are provided with, and how this information can be analysed and interpreted in order to enhance the effectiveness of their decision making.

Topic areas will include:

• The reporting frameworks and ethical principles that underpin financial reporting
• The nature of international financial reporting standards
• Format and content of the statement of profit or loss and statement of financial position
• The statement of cash flows
• Analysis and interpretation of financial statements using ratio analysis

You will then examine how financial information can facilitate managers in making operational decisions in relation to planning and control.

Topic areas will include:

• Costing (full and variable costing)
• Cost, volume, profit analysis
• Relevant costs for decision making
• Budgeting and variance analysis
• Balance scorecards
• Working capital management

Finally, you will explore the motivations for entrepreneurial activity and techniques that can be used to appraise investment decisions.

Topic areas will include:

• Investment appraisal techniques (payback, accounting rate of return, net present value and internal rate of return)
• Practical aspects of investment appraisal (inflation and capital rationing)
• Risk and uncertainty

More information

BM9403 -

Business Analysis for Decision Making (Core,20 Credits)

In this module, you will develop the knowledge and skills in applying a variety of quantitative data analysis techniques to support business decision making. You will be introduced to business modelling using appropriate analytical tools, and your learning will cover a range of techniques to help business forecasting and data presentation.
In this module you will be exposed to a range of data analysis tools and skills, including:

• Business Analysis and Modelling: management of complex and varied data sets; building spreadsheet models.
• Data Trends and Associations e.g. identifying relationships between business variables.
• Business Forecasting and Predictive Modelling – analysing factors and trends for business planning.
• Business and Dashboard reporting – consolidation, interpretation and presentation of data for professional output.
• Data distribution, data presentation and using summary statistics – handling a range of data for statistical analysis.
• Gaining an understanding of the overlap between business and research data and the selection of appropriate tools for management of both types of data.

Working with these analysis tools, you will learn to develop confidence in dealing with a wide range of data sets. You will become familiar with the role of modelling as an aid to problem solving and will build skills which enable you to interpret data and present your findings to a range of audiences. Very importantly, you will gain a good understanding of the crucial role that analysis of data and interpretation of results plays in the decision-making arena.

More information

GA4001 -

Academic Language Skills for Newcastle Business School (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.

More information

HR9409 -

Preparing for Professional Practice (Core,20 Credits)

Your programme aims to ensure that you are learners for business, not just of business, upon graduation. This module starts you on this journey by supporting your professional development. It aims to increase your awareness of and sensitivity to personal and employability/entrepreneurship/enterprise skills. It does this by focusing on programme-specific graduate career opportunities that require you to work on projects similar to those that graduates within your field will undertake once in employment. You are taking an experiential, team-focussed, project/problem-based approach. The module will support you in identifying and developing the essential skills, behaviours, and understanding required to sustainably and responsibly manage organisations and their people. These might include generic areas such as leadership, project management, management, resilience, empathy and professional judgment, and discipline-specific capabilities.
You will use this understanding to evaluate, practise, develop and re-evaluate your capabilities in these skills, behaviours and acumen areas, enabling you to build your own graduate identity. This approach underpins your successful future employability, entrepreneurship or enterprise activity. In addition, the activities provide you with authentic insights into the importance and challenges of team-working within organisations as you work to address real organisations’ issues.
Learner/team-led, tutor-guided sessions aim to support you in enhancing your employability and upon building your graduate identity. During the practical development of the key attributes and behaviours central to your future success within your chosen profession within a project-based environment, you will receive support from the programme team. In addition, by documenting and reflecting upon your progress towards achieving your own team defined KPIs, you will enhance your skills, behaviours, capabilities, and understanding.
In short, at the end of this module, you will:
• Have an understanding and increased awareness of, and sensitivity to, those personal skills and attributes which are central to your future employability in your chosen profession or future entrepreneurial or enterprise activity
• Be better prepared to understand the skills and qualities required by graduates in your field to secure future employment or engage in enterprise activity
Have practical experience of working on a real-life business project appropriate to your programme area, improving your project management, research, employability and collaboration skills

More information

MK9413 -

Global Marketing and Communications (Core,20 Credits)

This module will examine a range of contemporary global marketing communication concepts within the current vibrant world trading environment. Within this module you will analyse the differences within aspects of local and international marketing planning. It will provide you with an understanding of key academic debates and marketing tools and will enable you to appreciate the multifaceted structure of global marketing and communications decisions.

This module will address a range of global marketing areas, more specifically will explore the following themes:

• Introduction to International Macro Environment
• Global trading environment: globalisation, localisation, glocalisation
• International marketing research
• Cross cultural issues
• Adaptation of marketing mix in the global context
• International marketing communication strategies
• International advertising and communication messages
• Traditional and digital media in global environment
• Ethical considerations in global marketing
• Global electronic marketing tools and strategies

More information

ML4001 -

Unilang - Languages for All - Level 4 Placeholder (Core,20 Credits)

The 20-credit yearlong Unilang modules (stages 1 – 5 depending on language) aim to encourage a positive attitude to language learning and to develop and practise the four language skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing introducing the basic/increasingly complex grammatical structures and vocabulary of the spoken and written language (depending on stage) and developing your ability to respond appropriately in spoken and written form in simple and increasingly complex everyday situations.

These modules also introduce you to the country and the culture of the country. In doing this, Unilang modules are intended to encourage and support international mobility; to enhance employability at home and abroad; to improve communication skills in the foreign language and in English as well as cultural awareness.

More information

SM9411 -

Global Business Environment (Core,20 Credits)

The module is comprised of three blocks of material. The three blocks are:

Globalisation
This block will cover topics such as the process of globalisation, barriers to globalisation, the benefits and costs of globalisation for business,
international trade, analysis of the external business environment, corporate social responsibility issues in the global economy, etc.
Economics
This block will focus on the market forces of supply and demand, supply and demand elasticity, government policy, gross domestic product (GDP),
the consumer price index, a macroeconomic theory of the open economy, etc.
Economic Competitiveness
Topics covered in this block include foreign market entry modes, process of foreign direct investment, analytical frameworks for assessing national
competitiveness, the risk assessment for business decisions, etc.

At the end of the module you will be able to:

1. Identify and describe the main features, trends & influences of the global business environment on international organisations.
2. Analyse various global and/or international business contexts and how these affect the strategic development of industries, markets and organisations.
3. Apply basic macro-economic theory in an international business environment and use economic analysis to examine major social and economic issues in the UK and beyond.

More information

Year two

ML5001 -

Unilang - Languages for all - Level 5 Placeholder (Optional,20 Credits)

The 20-credit yearlong Unilang modules (stages 1 – 5 depending on language) aim to encourage a positive attitude to language learning and to develop and practise the four language skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing introducing the basic/increasingly complex grammatical structures and vocabulary of the spoken and written language (depending on stage) and developing your ability to respond appropriately in the foreign language in spoken and written form in simple and increasingly complex everyday situations.

These modules also introduce you to the country and the culture of the country. In doing this, Unilang modules are intended to encourage and support international mobility; to enhance employability at home and abroad; to improve communication skills in the foreign language as well as English; to improve cultural awareness and, at the higher stages, to encourage access to foreign sources.

More information

MO9529 -

International Operations Management (Optional,20 Credits)

Your learning on this module captures global contemporary operations and supply chain challenges and issues, its contribution to organisational strategies and the development of competency in related tools. You will develop as an active learner and your learning on this module is three-fold:

1. This module provides you with an underpinning knowledge about international operations management, your learning underpinned by investigating the ongoing developments in both related theory and practice set in the global context. You will learn strategic theories and gain knowledge associated with common operations and supply chain management themes during interactive weekly lectures and seminars. The key themes include:
• Introduction to operations management
• Process, product and service design
• Global supply chain management
• Operations planning
• Global operations sustainability
• Quality management
• Resource and capacity planning
• Global procurement management
• Lean management
• Global location management
• Global logistics management
• Global supply chain risk management

2. This module will seek to develop your practical problem solving skills related to the global operations and supply chain context by analysing contemporary issues through interactive case study analysis that are central to weekly seminars. You will have opportunity to analyse cases relevant to each theoretical theme above and be able discuss these with your fellow learners with facilitation by your seminar tutor.

3. This research-informed module also aims at developing your research skills. You will have opportunity to learn more about critical reading and writing of the peer reviewed academic journal articles that enable you to develop the necessary and significant skills required to execute your research–intensive assessment tasks in this module and other modules as you progress through your programme.

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NX9527 -

Newcastle Business School Study Abroad Semester (Optional,60 Credits)

The Study Abroad Semester module is a semester long 60 credit module which is available on degree courses which include the option to study abroad in Semester 2 of Year 2. You will undertake a semester abroad at a partner university equivalent to 60 UK credits.

The study abroad placement is an important element of your course structure and gives you access to modules from your discipline taught in a different learning culture and so broadens your overall experience of learning.

When taken and passed the study abroad semester will be recognised in your transcript as a 60 credit Study Abroad Module. The learning and teaching on your study abroad placement will be dependent on the partner and will be recorded in the learning agreement signed by you, the host University, and the University.

More information

SM9532 -

Strategic Frameworks and Cultural Contexts in International Management (Core,20 Credits)

This module aims to provide you with an understanding of and an introduction to the application of key strategic decision making aspects and their interface with cultural contexts. The module extends and develops your learnings from Level 4 (in Global Business Environment). The introduction to global forces shaping international business and the macro business environments at level 4- are taken forward to engage strategic frameworks that businesses may deploy to inform international business.

1. Key cultural paradigms in relation to international business
2. Cultural differences as the Big C in CAGE framework and its application
3. International market entry and growth
4. Introduction to IB strategy frameworks such as Porter’s national diamond, CAGE framework (extending the analytical perspective provided by the Big C, triple A framework and the Bartlett and Ghoshal continuums of choices. Porter’s five forces and generic strategies also put in context)
5. Communicating across cultures
6. Identify and evaluate the issues relating to the management of internationally mobile employees
7. International business protocol
8. Ethics and Responsible Business in context of growth, localised contexts of international markets and managing the value chain in international business

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SM9533 -

International Business: Growth Strategies and Resourcing (Core,20 Credits)

On this module you will consider the management issues in relation to growth and resourcing for international business management. It is designed from a real world relevant point of view, and examines practical situations, with topical cases being used in seminars to highlight issues.

This module develops many of the concepts you were introduced to on the level 4 core modules “Financial Decision Making” and “International Business Environment”. In particular you will study:

• Mergers and Acquisitions including valuation issues in an international M&A context.
• Alliances, Joint Ventures and IB Networks
• Organic growth : coordination, coopetition and concentration premises
• Choosing and designing an appropriate growth strategy
• Investing in growth (investment decisions) and raising international finance
• Financial goals and corporate governance
• Investment environment volatility and international business currency
• Working capital management
• Professional and business ethical behaviour in an international financial management context.

This module will complement your studies in “Global and International Business Context” and “Performance Management”. Both of which are co-requisites of this module.

Completion of the course will ensure that you have the required knowledge to progress your studies in international business management.

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SM9536 -

Creativity and Innovation (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module you will gain a comprehensive understanding of the nature and practice of creativity and innovation and how it can be applied, whether within the context of a new venture or an existing organisation. The module will cover theories relating to innovation and its management within a strategic management context. This will be combined with an introduction to processes of stimulating creativity in a variety of business contexts. The module will seek to facilitate the development of practical skills to promote creative thinking through practice-based elements in which real world problems are introduced for the testing of creative teamworking techniques.
Specific topics will include:

Innovation in a strategic context:
What is innovation, innovation and industrial dynamics, innovation strategy, disruptive innovation

The process of innovation and creativity:
Models of innovation process, sources of innovation, open innovation, innovation management, creativity, design thinking.

The creative environment:
The creative organisation, creative industries, creative class, creative places

Innovation and creativity policy:
Innovation systems and clusters, promoting creative places

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SM9537 -

Born Global Enterprise (Optional,20 Credits)

Some enterprises are ‘born global’ – they operate internationally from the start. Such companies stand out because of the way, speed and scale they gain presence, revenues and market share in several countries simultaneously. They differ not only in their strategic and operational ambition, but also in the way their founders learn, make decisions and use networks creating powerful alliances.

This module will help you gain knowledge and understanding of ‘born global’ firms, their key characteristics, how they are launched and developed. Using case studies, you will also learn about internationalization strategies and learning processes of born globals. You will use your learning to develop a launch plan for a born global startup in your chosen industry.

The topics you will study will draw from the following themes:
• Born global firms: definitions, examples, characteristics, types
• Born global firms: case studies
• International Entrepreneurship: speed, scale and patterns
• Strategies for international success
• Thinking differently: learning processes of born global and their founders
• Use of networks and alliances
• Dilemmas: rapid growth vs control trade-off
• Planning to launch a ‘born global’ startup

More information

SM9538 -

Business Research and Analysis (Core,20 Credits)

This module focuses on ways to conduct independent research, together with the key academic skills of analysis, synthesis and criticality. You will be able to learn about processes and practices of conducting research from the initial idea to reporting results as well as understand the purpose of the research projects. The module examines the principles of research design before progressing to a more detailed treatment of data collection and analysis. You will be challenged to develop research ideas and critique existing literature primarily from academic sources. You will gain an understanding of various means of undertaking a research enquiry specifically to provide insights to solving a relevant problem, including activities as defining hypothesis/research questions, designing research objectives and research design that involves also budgetary limitations, primary and secondary data collection, research methods, and structuring of the final results.

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SM9542 -

International Digital Economy (Optional,20 Credits)

This module aims to provide you with the knowledge and skills to understand how the emergence of the digital economy has created opportunities and challenges for international business. The module is delivered through lectures and seminars.

The module will cover the following issues:

• The scale and scope of electronic commerce
• Digital infrastructures
• Digitalisation and international business
• International institutions and the digital economy
• Transnational businesses and national governance structures
• International digital platforms

Through this module you will gain skills enabling you to analyse the growth and developing of the international digital economy. On completing the module, you will appreciate the scale, scope and dynamism of the international digital economy.

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SM9546 -

Managing People Across Borders (Core,20 Credits)

This module will teach you about challenges that face firms which operate in global and multi-cultural business environments. Global firms need to understand the vast differences in the environments in which they operate. In this module, you will learn how to assess and overcome these challenges in order to run a successful firm. To aid in this exploration, you will learn about theories and frameworks that explain cultural and institutional differences between countries, and the impact of these differences on individuals, teams, and firms’ behaviour. You will examine the strategies and structures that can be used by multinational enterprises to address these challenges and how an effective international human resource approach can be developed. You will explore the challenges of managing people across borders in the context of decision-making, leading and motivating culturally diverse employees, and knowledge transfer across national boundaries. Through these subjects, you will also have the opportunity to build your employability skills supported by activities and discussion tailored to international business management. Finally, the ethical issues arising from operating in multi-cultural environments will be examined.

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SM9547 -

Finance and International Business (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module you will be exploring the field of finance in international business and builds on the basic level of knowledge of finance from your foundation level finance module. It is important to understand the rationale behind the globalisation process and this module will expose you to the financial drivers in that process. Starting with a refresher on basic finance, you will engage with imperatives in international project decisions, capital raising in international markets, capital deployment and management by multinational enterprises, banking aspects in international markets and country and multilateral participation in driving international finance. Topic areas will be as follows.

- Corporate valuation, capital budgeting, working capital concepts and cost-volume-profit and financial ratio analysis (mainly a refresher)
- Solvency concepts
- International project risks; currency risks
- Risk and regulation in country financial markets that impact multinational operation
- Banks and their role in international finance: cost, impact and regulation
- Enablers and barriers of international money movement
- Finance in international business and society

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SM9551 -

International Business Negotiation (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module you will be exploring the essence of negotiations in an international business setting. This module complements and builds on the cross-cultural management theory that you will acquire in the core module (SM9532) in semester one. The module emphasises on applying the theoretical concepts of cross-cultural management in practical and real-life scenarios. You will be introduced to the concept of balancing the tangible and intangible aspects of negotiation. After completing the module, you will be able to (1) identify, analyse, and resolve conflict situations during business negotiation; (2) identify, understand, and overcome cultural and national stereotypes; (3) improve your soft skills and interpersonal communication.

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Year three

ML5029 -

Placement Abroad (assistantship) (Optional,120 Credits)

You will focus on experiential learning to enable you to develop your linguistic and employability skills whilst immersed in the culture of the host country as an integral part of this module. The placement abroad provides you with the opportunity to develop your oral and written communicative competence in French or Spanish. Living and studying or working abroad will enable you to further develop your understanding of the business, economic, political, social and cultural environment of a French or Spanish-speaking country.

The module aims to enable you to apply your linguistic competences (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) in a working environment. You will extend your knowledge of more complex lexical and syntactical structures of the French or Spanish language appropriate to the business and social environment of a wide variety of sectors and disciplines. You will have the opportunity to apply this knowledge and skills to increasingly complex situations as well as develop as an autonomous learner.

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NX9525 -

Newcastle Business School Work Placement Year (Optional,120 Credits)

The Work Placement Year module is a full year 120 credit module available on degree courses which include a work placement year which is taken as an additional year of study between levels 5 and 6. The placement consists of 48 weeks of full time work experience in a host organisation which is relevant to your studies.

The placement is an important element of your course structure and it will provide you with the opportunity to:

• Experience the environment of a real workplace which will help you decide the type of career you would like to follow after graduation
• Develop your organisational and interpersonal skills required to enable you to work efficiently as a member of a team
• Acquire and develop relevant technical skills associated with the nature of your work
• Identify, analyse and discuss with experienced practitioners how theoretical concepts are adapted and applied to suit practical requirements
• Apply knowledge that will help you to plan and evaluate future study and career development.

This is a Pass/Fail module and so does not contribute to your degree classification. When taken and passed, however, the Placement Year is recognised in your transcript as a 120 credit Work Placement Module and on your degree certificate in the format “Degree title (with Work Placement Year)”. The learning and teaching on your placement will be recorded in the training agreement signed by you, the placement provider, and the University.

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NX9526 -

Newcastle Business School Study Abroad Year (Optional,120 Credits)

The Study Abroad Year module is a full year 120 credit module which is available on degree courses which include a study abroad year which is taken as an additional year of study between levels 5 and 6. You will undertake a year abroad at a partner university equivalent to 120 UK credits.

The study abroad placement is an important element of your course structure and gives you access to modules from your discipline taught in a different learning culture and so broadens your overall experience of learning. At the end of the module you will have adapted to and appreciated a different cultural and learning environment and developed ability. You will have developed your interpersonal and intercultural communication skills as a result of your learning in an international environment.

This is a Pass/Fail module and so does not contribute to your degree classification. When taken and passed, however, the Study Abroad Year is recognised in your transcript as a 120 credit Study Abroad Module and on your degree certificate in the format “Degree title (with Study Abroad Year)”. The learning and teaching on your study abroad placement will be dependent on the partner and will be recorded in the learning agreement signed by you, the host University, and the University.

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NX9528 -

Newcastle Business School Blended Placement Year: Work Placement Semester (Optional,60 Credits)

The Work Placement Semester module is a semester long 60 credit module which is available on degree courses which include the option to take a blended placement year of Work and Study Abroad which is taken as an additional year of study between levels 5 and 6.

On this module you will undertake a semester long work placement. The placement consists of a period of full time work experience in a host organisation equivalent to a full semester of study which is relevant to your studies.

The placement is an important element of your course structure and it will provide you with the opportunity to:

• Experience the environment of a real workplace which will help you decide the type of career you would like to follow after graduation
• Develop your organisational and interpersonal skills required to enable you to work efficiently as a member of a team
• Acquire and develop relevant technical skills associated with the nature of your work
• Identify, analyse and discuss with experienced practitioners how theoretical concepts are adapted and applied to suit practical requirements
• Apply knowledge that will help you to plan and evaluate future study and career development.

This is a Pass/Fail module and so does not contribute to your degree classification. When taken and passed, however, the Placement Year is recognised in your transcript as a 60 credit Work Placement Module. The learning and teaching on your placement will be recorded in the training agreement signed by you, the placement provider, and the University. Combining this with the study abroad semester as part of the third year out of the University, this will be recognised on your degree certificate in the format “Degree title (with Study Abroad and Work Placement Year)”.

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NX9529 -

Newcastle Business School Blended Placement Year: Study Abroad Semester (Optional,60 Credits)

The Study Abroad Semester module is a semester long 60 credit module which is available on degree courses which include the option to take a blended placement year of Work and Study Abroad which is taken as an additional year of study between levels 5 and 6.

You will undertake a semester abroad at a partner university equivalent to 60 UK credits.

The study abroad placement is an important element of your course structure and gives you access to modules from your discipline taught in a different learning culture and so broadens your overall experience of learning. When taken and passed the study abroad semester will be recognised in your transcript as a 60 credit Study Abroad Module. The learning and teaching on your study abroad placement will be dependent on the partner and will be recorded in the learning agreement signed by you, the host University, and the University. Combining this with the work placement semester as part of the third year out of the University, this will be recognised on your degree certificate in the format “Degree title (with Study Abroad and Work Placement Year)”.

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Year four

NX9624 -

Management Enquiry (Optional,40 Credits)

The Management Enquiry module is a student-led individual project that enables you to undertake a significant piece of assessed work commensurate with a capstone module. The module aims to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate an authentic engagement with managers and/or professionals in your discipline, and to integrate the knowledge you have developed during your programme to explore the theory in practice. The learning on this module is experiential and problem based, where the focus is upon you discovering, probing and questioning key practice-based issues. Through the module you will be offered the opportunity to develop and enhance key transferable employability skills including; time management, project management, communication (written, aural and verbal), negotiation, persuasion and influence, discovery, initiative, problem-solving and analysis.

The module has five thematic areas; explore, review, engage, reflect and connect. These form the key elements of the assessed submission.

Part A (35%, 3,500 Words)
• Explore: Interviewing a manager and/or professional in your discipline. In this interview you will either explore a key issue which you feel the discipline is facing or, alternatively, explore with the manager or professional the key issues that they feel they are facing in practice. It is expected that you will apply appropriate interview methods and provide evidence of the interview within the submitted enquiry report (e.g. within the appendices).
• Review: Critically examining the appropriate literature to support the exploration, displaying an ability to critically assess and appraise the knowledge of your discipline related to a specific key issue arising from your exploration.

Part B (65%, 6,500 Words)
• Engage: Displaying an authentic engagement with the discipline problem/issue identified in Part A, by collecting/generating and analysing further live data (beyond the initial interview) regarding the discipline problem/issue. This live data may be primary data (e.g. further interviews with, or questionnaire to, managers and/or professionals in practice) or secondary data (e.g. industry data). Application of appropriate, ethically-considered, research methods and appropriate qualitative or quantitative data analysis.
• Reflect and Connect: Demonstrating an ability to critically evaluate and reflect on the issues arising from the Management Enquiry. Demonstrating how you have connected and fed-back to the participants of the Enquiry (usually the manager and/or participants) your key findings to provide clear prioritised, well-justified, practical and actionable recommendations for change/enhancement/improvement to existing practice to show how the recommendations would potentially affect workplace professional decision making.

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NX9625 -

Dissertation (Optional,40 Credits)

The dissertation module aims to equip you with the necessary intellectual and practical skills for undertaking an individual student-led, ethical investigation into an applied business (or the named degree) problem or issue. In addition, the dissertation aims to equip you with key transferable, employability skills, including: time management, project management, communication (written and verbal), negotiation, persuasion and influence, discovery, initiative, creativity and innovation in problem-solving, analysis.

The module is student-led but you are supported by, initially, weekly lectures and seminar-workshops which provide an introduction to undertaking Business-Management research followed by one-to-one or small-group supervision meetings.
The lectures and seminar-workshops will cover the following topics:
1. Developing a research aim/question (focusing and scoping the research)
2. Developing a literature review
3. Writing a research proposal
4. Researching ethically
5. Quantitative research techniques
6. Qualitative research techniques
7. Quantitative analysis techniques
8. Qualitative analysis techniques

Upon completion of the module you will be able to:
1. Conduct independent and ethical academic research involving the application and critical evaluation of appropriate theories and models,
2. Engage critically with relevant literature to establish a framework in which to analyse and synthesise the results of your primary or secondary research
3. Generate / collect relevant primary or secondary data using an appropriate and justified method
4. Analyse your data using an appropriate and justified method of analysis
5. Recognise the ethical implications of your work
6. Critically evaluate the source of your data and the method you adopted

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NX9626 -

Undergraduate Consultancy Project (Optional,40 Credits)

The module aims to provide you with an opportunity to integrate the knowledge acquired during the programme and apply this to a consultancy project for a real organisation. This consultancy project provides a vehicle for participants to develop and demonstrate key employability skills, to relate theory to practice, and to undertake a significant piece of assessed work commensurate with a capstone module.

You will work on behalf of an external organisation, which has identified a business problem or question, requiring a solution, working in small group of typically 4 individuals (you will select their own team members), participating in group and individual activities. The host organisation will provide a project briefing, and review; students will be supported by appropriate academic input and guidance from Newcastle Business School in the form of a mentor and via the Business Clinic.

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SM9632 -

Contemporary Issues in International Business (Core,20 Credits)

This module aims to provide you with insights into contemporary issues and an ability to evaluate and critique business responses to them. Businesses work in a dynamic environment ever more so when working across the globe. The challenges imposed by and the nature of issues that they face are quite heterogeneous. This module provides a perspective on these and builds your ability to evaluate and suggest responses to address them.

1. International business and the interface with the digital environment
2. Entrepreneurship and international business
3. Contextual policy and environmental aspects and responsible business practice
4. Competitive international business strategy in emerging markets
5. Multiple stakeholder perspectives and varying units of analysis in examining contemporary issues.
6. Legislation and enforcement in the international business context

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SM9633 -

International Business and Innovation (Core,20 Credits)

This module aims to provide you with insights into some key considerations that international businesses need to be aware of. Creating and appropriating value from international business strategy, and aligning with innovation for competitive advantage, are topical aspects that you will engage with in this module.

1. Analysing and ascribing characteristic to organisations in international businesses and note how they change and emerge over time (Cultural profile, Presence and strategic structure profile: International, Multinational, Global and Transnational)
2. Key competitive advantage in international business
3. Multidimensional capabilities
4. First mover advantage in international business: from a strategy of position to that of movement
5. Managing Networks in International Business
6. Innovation and the international business context
7. Ethics and International business ‘Glocal and Global’ – a holistic perspective

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SM9649 -

Emerging Economies (Optional,20 Credits)

In this module, you will learn about emerging economies, their role in the global economy and their importance for international business management. Building on concepts, theories and techniques introduced in the previous years of your programme, you will engage with current debates in international management with a focus on emerging economies.
• You will study theoretical approaches to political and economic systems and the local and national embeddedness of business activities. You will use theoretical ideas and frameworks to critically examine the interactions between organisations and the political and administrative systems and institutions in countries with emerging economies.
• You will analyse business environments in major emerging economies in the world (including Brazil, Russia, India and China), how they differ from the West and from each other.
• You will investigate and critically discuss recent economic and political developments in emerging economies, analysing key trends relating to economic and social development.
• You will develop a broad understanding of issues managers face while operating in emerging economies, appraise business opportunities and formulate strategies for successful business management.

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SM9650 -

Business Ethics for International Management (Optional,20 Credits)

You will develop an understanding of moral philosophy and be able to apply these intellectual frameworks in the context of various contemporary issues in international business. In doing so, you will be able to identify the taken for granted assumptions and logics which shape practices in international business and critically evaluate their veracity. This will enable you to better apply you own independent critical thought in situations where conflicts arise and therefore require a degree of negotiation, for example in issues such as executive pay, philanthropy, workplace rights, climate change, privacy or modern slavery.

Whether developing organisational policy, representing the organisation in the media or making agreements with a range of multinational organisational stakeholders, you will be required to anticipate and plan for objections and to identify weaknesses and contradictions in your own arguments, thereby enabling you to better manage ethical conflict at work. .

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SM9690 -

Strategic Management (Core,20 Credits)

This module focuses on the strategic decisions and actions at a firm’s disposal when they operate in global and volatile competitive environments. As the cornerstone of every business, whether domestic or international, the formulation and execution of effective strategies will determine their competitiveness, performance and success. Firms who are unable to enact effective strategies are likely to be less competitive, achieve sub-optimal performance and fail. In this module, we will focus on firm strategies and will examine the theoretical concepts, tools and frameworks that are useful for framing and analysing a firm’s boundaries, while also guiding the formulation and execution of different types of strategies. We will identify and critically evaluate the essential components of a firm’s strategy in the context of resources and capabilities, competitive advantages, environmental scanning and turbulence, and the integration of internationally-orientated activities within the organisational structure. Finally, this module will provide you with the knowledge and skill-set required to critically analyse and interpret strategic decisions and actions when competing globally.

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Modules Overview 2026/27

Modules

Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.

Year one Year two Year three Year four

Year one

AF4038 -

Financial Decision Making (Core,20 Credits)

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BM9403 -

Business Analysis for Decision Making (Core,20 Credits)

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GA4001 -

Academic Language Skills for Newcastle Business School (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)

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HR9409 -

Preparing for Professional Practice (Core,20 Credits)

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MK9413 -

Global Marketing and Communications (Core,20 Credits)

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ML4001 -

Unilang - Languages for All - Level 4 Placeholder (Core,20 Credits)

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SM9411 -

Global Business Environment (Core,20 Credits)

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Year two

ML5001 -

Unilang - Languages for all - Level 5 Placeholder (Optional,20 Credits)

The 20-credit yearlong Unilang modules (stages 1 – 5 depending on language) aim to encourage a positive attitude to language learning and to develop and practise the four language skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing introducing the basic/increasingly complex grammatical structures and vocabulary of the spoken and written language (depending on stage) and developing your ability to respond appropriately in the foreign language in spoken and written form in simple and increasingly complex everyday situations.

These modules also introduce you to the country and the culture of the country. In doing this, Unilang modules are intended to encourage and support international mobility; to enhance employability at home and abroad; to improve communication skills in the foreign language as well as English; to improve cultural awareness and, at the higher stages, to encourage access to foreign sources.

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MO9529 -

International Operations Management (Optional,20 Credits)

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NX9527 -

Newcastle Business School Study Abroad Semester (Optional,60 Credits)

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SM9532 -

Strategic Frameworks and Cultural Contexts in International Management (Core,20 Credits)

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SM9533 -

International Business: Growth Strategies and Resourcing (Core,20 Credits)

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SM9536 -

Creativity and Innovation (Optional,20 Credits)

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SM9537 -

Born Global Enterprise (Optional,20 Credits)

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SM9538 -

Business Research and Analysis (Core,20 Credits)

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SM9542 -

International Digital Economy (Optional,20 Credits)

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SM9546 -

Managing People Across Borders (Core,20 Credits)

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SM9547 -

Finance and International Business (Optional,20 Credits)

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SM9551 -

International Business Negotiation (Optional,20 Credits)

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Year three

ML5029 -

Placement Abroad (assistantship) (Optional,120 Credits)

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NX9525 -

Newcastle Business School Work Placement Year (Optional,120 Credits)

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NX9526 -

Newcastle Business School Study Abroad Year (Optional,120 Credits)

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NX9528 -

Newcastle Business School Blended Placement Year: Work Placement Semester (Optional,60 Credits)

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NX9529 -

Newcastle Business School Blended Placement Year: Study Abroad Semester (Optional,60 Credits)

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Year four

NX9624 -

Management Enquiry (Optional,40 Credits)

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NX9625 -

Dissertation (Optional,40 Credits)

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NX9626 -

Undergraduate Consultancy Project (Optional,40 Credits)

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SM9632 -

Contemporary Issues in International Business (Core,20 Credits)

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SM9633 -

International Business and Innovation (Core,20 Credits)

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SM9649 -

Emerging Economies (Optional,20 Credits)

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SM9650 -

Business Ethics for International Management (Optional,20 Credits)

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SM9690 -

Strategic Management (Core,20 Credits)

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To start your application, simply select the month you would like to start your course.