BA (Hons) Business (Finance) (Top-Up)

Business (Finance) (Top-Up)

BA (Hons)

Summary

Study level
Part time
1 year+
Location
Online
Faculty of Business

What makes Arden University special?

Education
Education for everyone, everywhere
Whether you're constrained by location, cost, time, or other life commitments, we're passionate about giving you access to higher education that fits into your busy, modern life.
Where to study
You decide how and where to study
We offer a wide range of flexible undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in both our online and blended study modes.
Support
Full support both online and on-site
We're also proud to offer non-standard entry, meaning your work experience and previous qualifications are taken into account when assessing your application.
Employability
Strong focus on employability
You will gain in-depth subject knowledge and transferable skills that employers from a huge range of industries will value. Many of our courses at Arden are also accredited by leading professional bodies in the UK.

Course Overview

Looking to enhance your existing qualification? Shape and accelerate your career with our business (finance) top-up degree. Suited to anyone who wants to maximise their opportunities in the world of business and finance, this specialist course will get you exactly where you need to be for a successful future in your chosen industry.
 
Good financial management is key to achieving strategic business goals. If you have previously completed a HND in Business (or equivalent) and you want to develop your skills further, then this is the next step for you. On this course, you’ll gain a wider understanding of business environments, financial decision making and strategic management – within just one year of study. 

Find out more about Business at Arden
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Career development resources
You'll have online access to a huge range of career development tools from the day you start studying.
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Professional accreditation
This course is accredited by the Chartered Management Institute, supporting your career and connecting you with likeminded professionals. 

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Course details and modules

By teaching you the fundamentals of business and finance, this course will encourage you to examine the possibilities of improving the performance of a business through sound financial decisions. Mastering skills like this will help you to take the step from confident graduate to respected professional. 

Toby Bradley

It’s a great way to study if you’re looking for flexibility. It was challenging to balance a full-time job with my degree but once I was in a routine, it was much easier to manage everything. Online learning has actually helped me become very good with time management and given me the ability to prioritise tasks.

Toby Bradley
BA (Hons) Business & Accountancy

Modules

  • Contemporary Management Issues
  • Strategic Management
  • Managing Self and Others
  • Financial Decision Making
  • Research Methods and Dissertation

How do we assess you?

The way we assess our students gives you regular opportunities to demonstrate your strengths and knowledge in a variety of ways. That’s why we choose a range of different methods to measure and track your progress. These methods include:

  • Assignments
  • Essays
  • Presentations
  • Case Studies
  • Portfolios of work

Study options

The course is also available to students as a fully online programme, which gives you the convenience of being able to study from anywhere in the UK or worldwide.

Adrian Williams

"I was already in the working world and running two businesses. Not to mention I also have a young family, so the freedom online learning offered, and the cost effectiveness of the course, was a big draw for me."

Adrian Williams
BA Business (Human Resource Management)

Online learning

How does it work?

Studying this course online gives you the ultimate in convenience. You can enrol with Arden from anywhere in the world and study your degree from the comfort of home, without the requirement to attend classes in a physical location.  

Our online students study their degree through ilearn, Arden’s university campus in the cloud. ilearn provides everything you need to study at University. It offers an integrated virtual learning experience, including your virtual classroom, lecture theatre, and access to our Library Portal. The portal includes an extensive digital library including thousands of journal titles, eBooks, and academic and industry databases which you can use to research your assignments and projects. All of these materials are provided to you free of charge, and contain all the research information you’ll need to complete your degree with us.

ilearn is also integrated with Zoom, making it easier to chat with your course tutor during your scheduled seminar sessions. You can even integrate our study materials into your Kindle, making it possible to study wherever you have you Kindle handy. 

Studying online doesn’t mean studying alone. As well as receiving regular feedback and guidance from your course tutor, you’ll be studying with likeminded students who you can meet with through our Unitu community, and you’ll have access to community message boards to discuss your course and the topics being raised within it. We’ve even set up community boards embedded into each of the course modules so you can have discussions with your tutor and classmates on the topics you’re currently learning. 

Online learning students resident in the UK can apply for a Tuition Fee loan to pay for their course. If you cannot attend your course in person because of a disability, you may also be entitled to a Maintenance Loan to cover living expenses. Please find more information on our fees and funding page. If you're a student from Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland you can find information about obtaining a student loan to cover your costs from your student finance body.

Learn more about online learning

Entry requirements

At Arden University we consider applications on a case by case basis. If you have significant work experience, have qualifications you have gained elsewhere, or a degree or qualification that isn't a clear pathway to this degree - we are more than happy to discuss your application.

Eligibility

To be eligible for this BA (Hons) Business (Finance) top-up degree, we need to see that you have:

  • A HND in Business or equivalent, provided that your prior learning is consistent with Level 5 of the functional areas of Business (Finance, Marketing, HRM and Operations Management)

English Proficiency

  • IELTS 6.0 (no less than 5.5 in any element); or TOEFL iBT 80; or equivalent

We also offer an internal English test for applicants. More information on this can be found here.

We are happy to consider an application from you if you can show us you have the motivation to study this business and finance course. 

We’ll ask you for a personal statement that demonstrates your ability to study the course. We may also want references and evidence of relevant experience.

Before you start studying

Whilst you can read your study materials on your smart phone or tablet, to make the most of your learning experience, you will need access to a laptop or computer (we recommend one running the latest version of Windows), and a good stable internet connection.

Course fees and funding

Find your country

Use the dropdown above to find course fees and funding information for your country. If you can’t find information for your country in the dropdown, visit our International support page.

Meet the faculty

Professor Dilshad Sheikh

Our courses in finance and accounting have been designed with the highest industry standards and forward-thinking practices in mind. We create our modules to reflect professional body standards as well as the critical techniques and skills used today in finance and accounting positions around the globe. I look forward to welcoming you to the Arden University family.

Professor Dilshad Sheikh
Dean of the Faculty of Business 

Career prospects

After graduating, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running across a wide range of sectors such as retail, manufacturing, banking, accounting, or finance. This solid grounding and understanding of business and financial management will put you at a real advantage when it comes to finding employment in our current job market.

What can a Business (Finance) top-up degree do for me?

By getting to grips with the diverse transferable skills that this degree teaches you, you’ll be geared up to start your career in a variety of exciting industries. Some of these skills include: 

  • Numerical skills
  • The ability to research, interpret and analyse business and financial data
  • The ability to express ideas and communicate information in a clear and structured manner, in both written and oral form
  • Effective problem-solving
  • Analytical and creative thinking skills
  • The ability to engage in professional debate
  • The ability to self-manage and work independently and productively
  • Time-management and organisational skills
  • Presenting information clearly in a variety of formats
  • Confident understanding of problem-solving skills

What can I do after Arden University?

By completing a finance and business top up degree, your CV is guaranteed to stand out from the rest. Not only will you have a wide range of skills to showcase, but you’ll also have the knowledge and experience to thrive in any career path of your choice. Some job roles you might consider are:

  • Business Analyst
  • Business Development Executive
  • Buying Assistant
  • Accounting Technician
  • Actuarial Analyst
  • Company Secretary
  • Stockbroker

Industry skills

Chartered Management Institute (CMI)

The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) promotes excellence in UK management and leadership. The institute aims to boost career development across the management sector and connect you with likeminded professionals across diverse sectors. 

As the CMI possesses a Royal Charter, they are the only organisation in the UK that can award Chartered Manager status to their members – the gold standard in management. They are also active in business policy making across the globe, and ensure that their more than 140,000 members are represented in policy decision making. 

As an Arden student, you’ll have free CMI Membership throughout your studies, giving you access to a range of additional resources including a mentoring service and invitations to networking events both online and offline.

Career Development Resources

Career development resources

Once you’ve enrolled with Arden, our careers centre is easily accessible directly from inside our online platform, ilearn. The careers centre is here to help you discover the areas of your academic and professional life that you find most meaningful and rewarding, and then apply this to your career pathway. 
Just a few of the career tools you’ll find in the careers centre include:

  • CV360, which analyses your CV and provides instant feedback for improvement
  • Interview360, helping you practise your interview technique in a stress-free environment and tackle some of the most common interview questions - as many times as you need to
  • Aptitude tests to help your improve your critical thinking, numeric, and logical reasoning skills
  • 100s of interactive courses focused on giving you the skills and confidence you need to excel in your professional life. 
  • My Jobs, where you can search employment vacancies, browse employer profiles by location and, or connect with other employees on LinkedIn.

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) membership.

Arden University is a member of the prestigious Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Founded in 1916, the AACSB is the oldest and largest international accreditor of business schools in the world.

This membership reflects the fact that Arden University has successfully matched the high standards required by the AACSB, and enables the sharing of ideas and the exchange best practises between global business schools. Membership also gives our faculty members access to in-depth data and research to support the development of our courses and teaching methods, ensuring that we are able to provide you with the best possible university experience.

Business Graduates Association (BGA)

The BGA is a membership and quality assurance body. As a member, Arden University have signed up to the BGA Charter, committing their institution to responsible management practices and lifelong learning, positively impacting their students, communities, and the economy. This shows our students that we are demonstrating responsible management ourselves, as well as it being a central theme that runs through our own courses.

As Arden University is a member of the Business Graduates Association (BGA), students will receive complementary BGA student and graduate membership. Through this membership, current students will have access to the BGA Career Development Centre, packed with interactive tools, e-learning content, partner discounts and the latest job opportunities. This is a lifetime access, which means students will continue to have access to these services even after they graduate.