
- International Business (FHEQ LEVEL 6 Direct Entry)
BSc (Hons) — 2026 entry International Business (FHEQ LEVEL 6 Direct Entry)
This innovative one-year direct entry degree builds on the skills and qualifications you’ve already gained to put you ahead in the global jobs market by gaining a full honours BSc degree in International Business.
Why choose
this course?
- Our bachelor's honours degree in International Business will prepare you to realise your ambitions and develop rewarding careers in international business. The programme enables eligible students to join in third year (Level 6).
- Note: If you wish to join in the second year, we also offer International Business (FHEQ LEVEL 5 Direct Entry).
- You’ll get to study at Surrey Business School which is double-accredited by both the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and the Association of MBAs (AMBA). Internationally, only six per cent of the world’s leading business schools achieve the AACSB accreditation.
- At Surrey Business School, we’re renowned for our excellent research, dynamic learning environment and strong links with industry.
- You’ll be part of a supportive, international, and friendly community as you gain in-depth knowledge and an understanding of the core theories, practices and techniques of international business.
- Our academics are innovative in delivering engaging learning sessions that bring together theory and practice, supported by real-life global case studies for your intellectual and professional development.
Read our FHEQ FAQs to find out more about our FHEQ Level 5 and 6 direct entry degrees.
Statistics
Number 1 for safety
Ranked the safest university town in England and Wales by The Complete University Guide, Feb 2025
World-leading
Ranked top 50 in the world for business administration and top 100 for management in the Shanghai Global Rankings 2024
Career prospects
94% of Surrey Business School graduates go on to employment or further study (Graduate Outcomes 2025, HESA)
What you will study
The programme integrates the latest developments in international business with modules such Working in a Global Context, Global and Contemporary Human Resource Management, and Global Trade and International Markets.
Our International Business BSc combines theoretical and practical insights applied to real-world business scenarios. Additionally, it hones essential business skills to help you secure your ideal roles across various industries.
Surrey Business School is recognised for its outstanding research and a vibrant learning environment, enhancing the overall academic experience.
The academic year is divided into two semesters of 15 weeks each. In each semester, you will study four modules worth 15 credits each. Each semester consists of a period of teaching, revision/directed learning and assessment.
The structure of our programmes follow clear educational aims that are tailored to each programme. These are all outlined in the programme specifications which include further details such as the learning outcomes.
Modules
Modules listed are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. Modules are subject to teaching availability, student demand and/or class size caps.
The University operates a credit framework for all taught programmes based on a 15-credit tariff.
Course options
Year 3 - BSc (Hons)
Semester 1
Compulsory
The module provides students with a theoretical and practical understanding of how business strategy can be formulated in the light of environmental and internal conditions with a particular emphasis on the international context of strategy making. The module equips students with a framework for understanding international business strategy as an interdisciplinary activity within the context of international and competitive markets, leading to corporate decision-making. The module is built on 3 key issues – who is strategy done for, how is strategy formulated and implemented, is strategy driven by organisations or environments.
View full module detailsThis research-led module will introduce different approaches to Leadership to students through which many leadership theories will be discussed and taught throughout the module. The module will provide students an insight of a wide range of leadership practices in the extant literature. The module will cover from the fundamental notions of leadership frameworks/concepts to contemporary views of leadership practices. The module offers a good number of theories and practices (including adopted real case studies in organisations) to allow students understand how importance the leadership style can make an impact to individual wellbeing as well as organisational performance. The module will consist of lectures and some seminars, in which students will be given opportunities to present their work and get actively involved in some in-class exercises.
View full module detailsThis module builds on the knowledge and skills students gained as part of the previous HRM pathway modules (e.g. OBA, HRM) to explore a range of cutting-edge issues in human resource management and human resource development. The content reflects contemporary themes and priorities. It is likely to include contributions from staff and/or invited speakers that are based on relevant special interests informed by research and/or professional engagement. There is a cohering theme of managing and enhancing employee performance, including both prescribed job performance and other desirable work behaviours such as organisational citizenship and innovative contributions. The module includes an international perspective and emphasises critical consideration of the practical implications of recent studies.
View full module detailsThis module is intended to introduce students to the study of banking and money. The material of the course covers two broader areas. The first encompasses the microeconomic and managerial aspects of banking, such as, the structure of incentives, bank risk management, competition, and performance. The second area covers the macroeconomic elements of banking instability, the role of banks in the monetary transmission mechanism, the interplay between banks, regulators and policy makers and the role of banks in setting interest rates as well as regulatory developments in banking.
View full module detailsSemester 2
Compulsory
Projects provide an efficient and effective means of delivering corporate strategy for both public and private sector organisations. Fundamental to this is robust project sponsorship and management. This module is focused at FHEQ Level 6 students that wish to develop, plan, manage and control projects successfully in a business environment. This requires an awareness of general project management principles, methodologies and the tools and techniques as applied within multi-disciplined projects. Within this module students will receive a robust grounding in the theory and practice of project management delivered by lectures and by using project management software (MS Project) in a computer laboratory setting
View full module detailsThis module provides students with both a theoretical and practical understanding of global trade and international markets, considered from an international business, political economy (IPE) and management perspectives. This is done through the analysis and assessment of global trade and international markets from different angles, predominantly from the state's perspective, the international trade regime perspective (the GATT and WTO) as well as from the perspectives of regional cooperation and of business and industry.
View full module detailsThis research-led module will introduce students to the classic and contemporary theories of decision-making. The core aims of the module are to enable students to gain a deeper understanding of the processes that influence choice and behaviour, and to better understand how judgements and decisions can shape organisational life and managerial decisions. This module will draw upon material from a wide range of disciplines that include social psychology, cognitive psychology, organisational behaviour and behavioural economics, and will cover topics such as intuitive decision making, expert judgement, and risk-taking behaviour. Students will be encouraged to examine how the characteristics of the decision-maker, the environment and social world can help or hinder judgements and decisions, and to develop an informed understanding of the ability of individuals, including themselves, to make good decisions. A key feature of this module will be the emphasis placed upon helping students to recognise and discuss the relationship between theoretical perspectives and organisational practices.
View full module detailsSuccessful supply chain management is critical at creating competitive advantage both at an operational and increasingly at a strategic level. An effective national and international logistics infrastructure is essential to meeting customer expectations whilst minimising service costs. Development and operation of a global logistics infrastructure is a major challenge and opportunity for supply chain managers. Supply chain management is critical to managing the complexity that global supply networks bring including the issues of sustainability and integration.
View full module detailsTeaching and learning
On this course, each 15-credit module involves 150 hours of student work. This time will be spent in lectures, computer labs, seminars and tutorials, and includes your own study time, both individual and in small groups.
You’ll also write essays, assignments and projects, individually and in groups, that draw on your understanding of the different operational areas of multinational corporations in international business environments.
You’ll learn how to make a creative proposal for a multinational corporation to expand its international business with strategies and develop your critical analysis skills by studying up-to-date topics in the current international business environment.
Our staff members are innovative in delivering engaging learning sessions that bring together theory and practice for your intellectual and professional development.
- Lectures
- Tutorials
- Seminars
- Independent study
- Group work
- Project work
Assessment
We assess modules individually and award credits for the successful completion of each one. Assessment takes place through a combination of examination and/or coursework, practical examinations, and reports.
Check the individual module information to see full details at a module level.
General course information
Contact hours
Contact hours can vary across our modules. Full details of the contact hours for each module are available from the University of Surrey's module catalogue. See the modules section for more information.
Timetable
New students will receive their personalised timetable in Welcome Week. In later semesters, two weeks before the start of semester.
Scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week (Monday – Friday), with part-time classes normally scheduled on one or two days. Wednesday afternoons tend to be for sports and cultural activities.
View our code of practice for the scheduling of teaching and assessment (PDF) for more information.
Location
This course is based at Stag Hill campus. Stag Hill is the University's main campus and where the majority of our courses are taught.
We offer careers information, advice and guidance to all students whilst studying with us, which is extended to our alumni for three years after leaving the University.
The International Business BSc supports student with international career ambitions in various roles including marketing and sales, human resource management, finance, consulting, and operations.
Where do our students go?
We have a proven track record of graduate employment: 94% of Surrey Business School students are in employment or further study within 15 months of graduating (Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025, HESA).
Learn more about the qualifications we typically accept to study this course at Surrey.
Background requirement: Applicants should have successfully completed prior study in a relevant discipline, such as Business, Management, Marketing, Finance, Economics, Accounting, or any other general business-related field. Qualifications will be reviewed for subject material.
Evidence of two years of study equivalent to UK Higher Education Level 5 (typically the first two years of a UK bachelor's degree) with an overall grade equivalent to a UK 2:1 standard. Alternatively, a qualification deemed equivalent to a BTEC Higher National Diploma with grade Distinction overall.
Examples of other qualifications that would be accepted:
- SQA Advanced Diploma, awarded by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), with an overall average grade of B in two or three graded units, depending on the subject.
- Successful completion of a 2- to 3-year or 5-year College Diploma in China with an overall 75% or average equivalent to UK 2:1 level or above.
- Completion of three years of a four-year Chinese university Bachelor’s degree with an overall 75% or average equivalent to UK 2:1 level or above.
English language requirements
IELTS Academic: 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each element.
View the other English language qualifications that we accept.
If you do not currently meet the level required for your programme, we offer intensive pre-sessional English language courses, designed to take you to the level of English ability and skill required for your studies here.
Fees
Explore UKCISA’s website for more information if you are unsure whether you are a UK or overseas student. View the list of fees for all undergraduate courses.
Payment schedule
- Students with Tuition Fee Loan: the Student Loans Company pay fees in line with their schedule.
- Students without a Tuition Fee Loan: pay their fees either in full at the beginning of the programme or in two instalments as follows:
- 50% payable 10 days after the invoice date (expected to be early October of each academic year)
- 50% in January of the same academic year.
The exact date(s) will be on invoices. Students on part-time programmes where fees are paid on a modular basis, cannot pay fees by instalment.
- Sponsored students: must provide us with valid sponsorship information that covers the period of study.
Scholarships and bursaries
Discover what scholarships and bursaries are available to support your studies.
Apply for your chosen course online through UCAS, with the following course and institution codes.
About the University of Surrey
Need more information?
Contact our Admissions team or talk to a current University of Surrey student online.
Terms and conditions
When you accept an offer to study at the University of Surrey, you are agreeing to follow our policies and procedures, student regulations, and terms and conditions.
We provide these terms and conditions at offer stage and are shown again at registration. You will be asked to accept these terms and conditions when you accept the offer made to you.
View our generic registration terms and conditions (PDF) for the 2025/26 academic year, as a guide on what to expect.
Disclaimer
This online prospectus has been published in advance of the academic year to which it applies.
Whilst we have done everything possible to ensure this information is accurate, some changes may happen between publishing and the start of the course.
It is important to check this website for any updates before you apply for a course with us. Read our full disclaimer.