Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Finance and Business Management

at University of Westminster - Marylebone Campus United Kingdom

Buying and renting property for professional or personal purposes is one of the most important – and expensive – decisions for a business or individual to make. Real estate offers a dynamic and exciting career requiring a skillset combining economic, interpersonal, management, planning, public policy and sales expertise.

Accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), our degree covers all aspects of real estate, including buying and selling, valuing, developing, planning, managing and investing in various property markets – commercial, industrial and residential.

Our professionally oriented course has been designed with input from major employers, capitalising on our excellent industry contacts, which include Barrett Homes, Savills and British Land. With the headquarters of many major property firms close by, our central London location enables us to invite a wide range of professionals to give guest lectures and regularly contribute to the course. They provide work placements, content for coursework and help with assessment, providing a valuable practitioner perspective.

We arrange various site visits, so you can experience real-life estate strategies and see developments from construction through to completion. In the past, for example, students visited Lendlease’s nearby Elephant Park development, part of a £2.3 billion regeneration programme on 28 acres of land in the centre of Elephant and Castle. There are also optional international field trips, which have previously included visits to Brookfield Properties and Cushman and Wakefield in New York, as well as Savills in Malaysia and Hong Kong.

The course will allow you to complete the academic requirements of membership status of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. There are opportunities to enhance your CV by attending our Employer evenings and you can choose to undertake a year’s placement after your second year.

Recent graduates have found work within large and small property companies, local authorities, developers, health trusts, investment firms, landed estates and many other property-related areas.

Construction management is integral to the success and smooth running of a construction project, from effectively tracking development and staying on budget, to improving communication across all levels of the project. Fully accredited by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and the Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE), our degree incorporates real-life professional practice from the outset with the opportunity to learn direct from industry professionals and experience projects first-hand.

You will learn about the technologies of domestic, industrial and commercial building, construction processes, planning and programming, construction health and safety, and project life cycle assessment. Our rounded curriculum means that you will also gain the knowledge of people management, leadership and the business management of construction that organisations need to succeed in this dynamic profession.

Top reasons to study with us

• Courses are professionally oriented, producing graduates capable of dealing with the technological and managerial processes associated with the production and post-construction life of buildings
• Programmes are delivered by a multicultural and international teaching body, who come from professional practice and/or regularly publish in top international journals
• Opportunities for internships and/or a placement year. For example, one student recently worked at Barratt Homes

Project management is now a well-established discipline within the construction industry, applied to projects of all sizes and levels of complexity. On this course, you’ll learn the modern management skills, techniques, and systems to successfully deliver a project from inception to completion, and how to meet a client’s requirements within the constraints of the external environment.

You'll have the chance to apply your skills and knowledge to real-life practical problems through case studies. When possible, we also visit construction sites in London, so you can see how developers overcome some of the issues associated with developing in a challenging environment like the centre of a large metropolis, such as traffic and transportation.

Whether you consider yourself an ideas person, innovator or problem-solver, our exciting degree brings together the creative and analytical aspects of marketing to offer a hands-on experience of creating, managing and measuring the impact of an online brand.

Digital marketing is fast becoming one of the most important skills demanded by employers, as business is increasingly conducted online by digital brands and traditional players alike.

Our broad curriculum pulls together the many different strands of digital marketing – understanding user channels, stages of the customer journey, how to engage customers, drive traffic to websites, search engine optimisation, paid advertising, how to build a social media following and increase conversion through email sign-up or sales.

You will have the opportunity to tailor your course by choosing specialist option modules, covering topics like user experience, brand management, mobile and social media.

You’ll learn to build, focus and measure digital marketing messages and content to achieve the greatest effect on behalf of a brand, organisation or cause, using these same skills to manage your own professional presence online. In doing so, you’ll have the opportunity to develop and present your content ideas for campaigns, websites and apps in Switch 23, a collaborative digital marketing lab, which features the same Adobe Creative Cloud applications used in top agencies.

Top reasons to study with us

• Access to our dedicated digital marketing lab, Switch 23, using the same Adobe Creative Cloud applications used in top agencies
• Emphasis on real-world learning – you’ll engage with industry, working on real problems set in partnership with businesses and marketing agencies
• Focus on practice-based assessment with flexible final project of a dissertation or consultancy report that plays to your strengths and interests
• Optional placement or international year to gain valuable work experience. For example, one previous marketing student spent six months working as a podcast assistant for MailOnline, while another worked at IBM
• Hear from experts and mingle with marketing students by joining the student-run Westminster Marketing Society or gain experience working for the student-run Westminster Business Consultants (WBC)

Digital transformation is one of the most important strategic challenges facing businesses. Creating new ways to connect, collaborate and conduct business, digital technologies have the power to transform the delivery of existing products and services and inspire new. By combining digital business with general management, our degree prepares you to guide businesses through digital evolution.

We offer an all-round business education, deepening your understanding of business essentials including accounting, business management, data analysis, marketing, HR and supply chain. At the same time, you’ll explore how to take advantage of technology and effectively manage business functions from both traditional and digital perspectives: the business process; the supply chain; systems integration; and the management of information, quality, demand, capacity and resources.

You’ll develop the skills and knowledge to analyse the role of digital business models based on disruptive technologies, digital and social media marketing, digital transformation and project management. We’ll look at current digital trends, emerging technologies and their implication for business practice, such as the importance of developing a holistic approach, including big data, blockchain and mobile computing.

Developing a mix of business and technical skills, you’ll gain hands-on experience of problem-solving within the digital business area, solving real-world business problems with 21st century technology. We’ll also look at best practice in existing digitally-powered and disruptive businesses like Uber and Amazon, with the opportunity to attend guest lecturers and field trips within the degree programme.

Taught by academics with professional experience, there is an emphasis on learning through practice, so you graduate with the breadth of knowledge and capabilities to respond proactively and creatively to contemporary business issues and challenges. Throughout the course, you’ll also develop a range of transferrable skills highly prized by employers, such as critical evaluation, self-direction, professional presentation, team working, leadership, communication and problem solving.

There is a global shortage of digital skills, so the demand for graduates who possess them is high.

Our course was designed with input from a range of industry professionals from industry sectors including– retail, public relations, marketing, pharmaceuticals, government and the NHS. Students are prepared for problem-solving disciplines, such as digital analytics, web analytics, business analysis and consultancy.

Informed by our extensive commercial and professional partnerships within the property sector, this practical Master’s course will prepare you to adapt and excel within the complex and ever-changing real estate market – from valuation and appraisal to the strategic management and development of commercial and residential property assets.

Accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), it aims to provide a challenging, stimulating and professionally relevant course of study that is directly related to the valuation, management and development of real estate property. Capitalising on our excellent industry contacts, course content is informed by leading firms such as Barratt Homes and British Land, as well as Savills and Cushman and Wakefield, who regularly send their own staff to train with us.

Taught by staff who will share their own experiences as surveyors and planners, you'll gain a detailed understanding of the property development and appraisal process, encompassing the financial, physical, legal and social aspects. You’ll also develop the latest management skills and techniques to successfully deliver projects to meet client expectations taking account of any external constraints.

Globalisation has enabled companies to become better connected, able to target international customers, develop a worldwide supply chain and attract a multicultural workforce. Our degree will prepare you to respond proactively and creatively to the opportunities and risks presented by international business and the challenges of the global business environment – from cultural, legal and economic perspectives.

Today, almost all companies, involved in anything from the sale of physical goods to services such as finance, marketing and construction, are affected by global events and competition. Exciting opportunities exist for graduates with a cross-cultural perspective who can operate with confidence, adapt and successfully negotiate increasingly complex internal and external global environments.

On our course, you’ll have a truly global learning experience, studying alongside staff and students from all over the world. We also try to provide as many opportunities as possible for you to hear direct from our alumni, who have established successful international careers in sectors as diverse as human resources, IT, law and finance.

You’ll be studying in the heart of London, one of the world’s major cities and international business hubs, and can also choose to spend a year living, studying and/or working abroad at one of our partner institutions in Europe, Asia, Australia or the USA. This will give you a valuable insight into another country’s learning experience and broader cultural environment.

Top reasons to study with us

• Programmes are delivered by a multicultural and international teaching body, who come from professional practice and/or regularly publish in top international journals
• Participate in Westminster Working Cultures trips to understand working cultures within businesses abroad, which in the past have included Berlin, Mumbai and Washington DC
• Extend your learning and your international experience by taking part in an overseas Summer School. Past venues include ESCE, Paris, Copenhagen Business School, and Inha University, South Korea
• Option to spend one year studying abroad at one of our partner institutions or gain valuable work experience, or a combination of both, for example, one student studied at Copenhagen Business School and then worked at Volkswagen in Germany
• Opportunity to study a foreign language as an optional module in each year of study
• Access to one of the largest financial databases in our state-of-the-art Bloomberg virtual trading room
• Guest lectures from industry practitioners have previously included speakers from IBM, Tableau, Coca Cola and LinkedIn

Modern organisations increasingly rely on digital technologies, such as the Internet of Things, Big Data, blockchain, cryptocurrencies and data analytics, to improve their business processes and provide increased value to customers. However, integrating these new technologies into existing operations can prove complex and costly – it requires a unique skillset that combines business acumen and digital competence.

Open to graduates from any subject area, this course is ideal for aspiring digital business professionals who want to enhance their skills and career prospects by becoming business oriented, but with sufficient understanding of the latest technology to envisage, plan and manage digital initiatives successfully. It will prepare you to manage digital business challenges and lead at the forefront of digital transformation. 

As globalisation encourages companies to operate and trade in multiple locations, and provides more opportunities for staff to work abroad, managing and developing people has never been more critical – or complex. On our MA, you’ll learn to appreciate the unique challenges of international HRM – from the cultural, legal and economic differences to remote relationship building.

Our problem-based approach to teaching means you’ll get to apply what you learn to management problems through assignments and projects based on actual situations. We’ll draw on everyday HR issues in the news, case studies and current examples, at times addressing some of our own students’ workplace experiences. Demonstrating evidence-based HRM, you’ll learn to collect and analyse relevant data and information, developing your ability to identify, evaluate and propose the most appropriate solutions, looking at issues ranging from expatriate employment, employee engagement, managing change and reward management.

Each year, our annual HRM conference offers you the chance to hear direct from a range of guest speakers, who have previously covered issues such as immigration and labour supply, and the impact of EU legislation on employee relations post-Brexit. You’ll also have the opportunity to develop essential HR practitioner skills through a series of practical workshops in areas such as finance, employment law, interviewing, disciplinary and grievance handling, counselling and negotiating. Working in teams, you might simulate dealing with a disciplinary hearing, for example, or conducting a job evaluation exercise. When studying people resourcing, you may participate in an assessment centre or practise your interviewing skills.

Our highly flexible business degree is designed for those who want to thrive in a rapidly changing global, cultural and technological business world. You’ll develop the versatility, vision and wisdom that future business leaders and managers need.

With an emphasis on learning through practice, you will develop the breadth of knowledge, skills and capabilities to respond proactively and creatively to contemporary business issues and challenges. A large range of optional modules – covering everything from brands and business ethics to entertainment and sport – means you can tailor your studies each year.

You’ll also hear direct from industry practitioners, who will share their own experience of, for example, incorporating the principles of the circular economy in their businesses.

You will be encouraged to adopt an enquiring and critical approach to ideas and issues, developing the graduate attributes that employers value. For example, when learning how to evaluate company performance in sustainability, you will be tasked with investigating the big picture through news and contemporary journals, rather than relying solely on a company’s PR. You’ll also gain hands-on experience of common business computing and software, including Tableau Data Visualisation, FAME and the Microsoft Office suite.

All of this will help develop the necessary confidence and business acumen to set up your own business or contribute proactively to private business, public or ‘third’ sector organisations. Past graduates have found successful employment as management, marketing and advertising trainees, as trainee accountants and brand managers, recruitment consultants, retail managers and as assistants in market research, PR and global brand.