MBA Global Master of Business Administration
Add value to your organisation with a graduate MBA from Solent. Develop a deeper understanding of business and the challenges facing today's global economy.
BSc (Hons)International Business Management
Apply on UCAS
Starting in:Â 2025
Register your interest- 3 years
- 4 years with foundation year
- 4 years with year in industry
- 5 years with foundation and industry years
UCAS code: IBM3
Institution code: S30
UCAS points: 48Flexible entry options available
Campus: Southampton City CentreView on Google Maps
Why study international business management with a foundation year
Succeed, excel and prosper in the global marketplace with modern management skills. This accredited CMI degree is delivered by our award-winning Solent Business school.
- 0thin the sector for graduate start-ups (HESA 2023)
- 0thUK uni for sustained employment (Longitudinal Educational Outcomes 2022)
- Top0%for teaching quality, out of 131 institutions (Times Good University Guide, 2025)
- If you’re looking to study our international business management degree, but don’t have the relevant qualifications or experience, the foundation year will help you develop the core skills and knowledge to progress.
- Solent Business School, winner of the Outstanding Higher Education Training Provider of the Year at the CMI Awards 2022, holds the Small Business Charter. Solent is one of only 62 Business Schools to have this acknowledgement of excellence in working with SMEs. 
- Gain an additional Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Level 5 Management and Leadership qualification.
- Graduates from a CMI-dual accredited degree are significantly more likely to be working in high-skilled jobs 15 months after graduation compared to students on non CMI-accredited degree courses (CMI, Dual Accreditation Employability Statistics, 2024).
- Solent ranked in the top 25% of UK universities for satisfaction with assessment in business and management (out of 117 institutions) (The Guardian University Guide 2025).
- Sustainability is embedded in the curriculum. Learn about climate change, population growth, digitisations and the impact on people, planet and profit and study regenerative business practices, financial, environmental and social sustainability. 
- Deliver projects for clients including PWC, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Red Funnel, and B&Q – giving essential knowledge of business and management, and the understanding to apply that knowledge in real-world contexts. 
- Our teaching team offers a wealth of experience in varied national business and marketing environments with strong connections with a range of successful businesses. 
Course overview
This essential business and law foundation programme is ideal for those who are looking at an alternative route into higher education, or who wish to update or broaden their knowledge before progressing onto the full BSc (Hons) International Business Management.
Designed by experienced academics who’ve worked across key roles in a wide variety of industries, our Business and Law Foundation Year is designed to build your confidence, develop your capabilities and ensure you’re future-ready and ready for the competitive global marketplace.
Solent Business School offers the skills and confidence you’ll need to progress a successful career in business and international management – or even to start up your own business.
You can also graduate with an additional Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Level 5 Management and Leadership qualification.
Throughout the degree, you’ll do more than learn the theory – you’ll learn to apply it through an innovative range of assessment and ‘real-world’ live briefs. Our degrees offer the chance to engage and get hands-on experience of international business and legal challenges and contexts, as well as a variety of extra qualifications, exemptions and memberships in addition to your honour’s degree.
Through interactive learning sessions and a variety of practically-focused assessments you will hone your skills, ensuring you have not just the essential knowledge of business and management in the international arena, but the understanding to apply that knowledge in real-world contexts.
This engaging course will prepare you for the ever-changing international business environment, teaching you to analyse future trends, identify the local and broader impacts, and recommend sustainable, ethical solutions to contemporary business challenge.
Our talented teaching team offer a wealth of experience in varied national and international business environments and cultures, giving you an exceptional range of expertise to call upon.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email:Â Call:ÂAccredited by with Dual Award:
Solent Business School awarded:
Course features
Placement year
If you apply for this course with a placement year, you have the opportunity to undertake a year in industry between your second and third years
Professional accreditation
This course has been accredited by a professional body
Foundation year available
If you're not quite ready for a full undergraduate degree, there's alternative entry through one of our foundation years
Further studies
After successfully completing your studies, there's an opportunity to continue your studies at Solent
Study abroad
You have the opportunity to study abroad in one of our partner universities for a semester on this course
Who is this course for?
Solent’s Business and Law Foundation Year is ideally suited if you want to build your academic knowledge and confidence to return to studying or progress in your studies. You’ll develop strong academic and organisational skills, and prepare yourself for successful careers in a range of business industries – studying a curriculum that is not just about theory but real-world application.
International business management is ideally suited to students who want to lead, manage and make a difference in the world – taking commercial and social responsibility very seriously. You may not be sure exactly which area of international business will suit you, but all avenues are open to you - social enterprise, charity, government, big local, global business or smaller entrepreneurial firm or start-up.
Whatever your aspiration, international business management at Solent will provide you with the tools and the knowledge to help you find your place in this exciting sector – preparing you for a future that’s bright with international opportunities.
What does this course lead to?
When you graduate from this innovative and engaging course you will have a broad range of transferable skills, allowing you to pursue careers in a number of areas.
Meet the team
Sally Holland
Course Leader
Harjinder Virdee
Senior Lecturer
Lynsey Watt
Senior Lecturer
Dr Jarutas Andritsch
Lecturer
Michelle Merry
Lecturer
Audrey Emery
Senior Lecturer
Dr Whysnianti Basuki
Associate Professor
Dr Richard Scullion
Associate Professor
Akash Puranik
Senior Lecturer
Mark Joyce
Senior Lecturer
Matt Sanger
Lecturer
Dr Ajab Khan
Senior Lecturer
Uje Daniel Apeji
Lecturer
Paula Elliott
Lecturer
The University cannot guarantee any particular members of staff will teach specific aspects of the course in the future, but will endeavour to ensure the teaching team maintains their balance of experience and qualifications.
Facilities
Our vibrant campus brings state-of-the-art facilities to enhance your learning and elevate your student experience. Our award-winning teaching building, The Spark is centred around students and offers a stimulating study environment with flexible learning spaces.
Away from studying, why not try out the gyms, fitness studios and sports halls in our £28 million Sports Complex, or watch a blockbuster film at our student-run cinema with Dolby Atmos audio.
International opportunities
Broaden your horizons by adding an international dimension to your CV – essential to achieving success in today’s fast-changing, global environment.
Studying, working or volunteering in another country could be the experience of a lifetime. Enhance your degree by developing important global skills such as knowledge of other countries, language skills, intercultural awareness, adaptability and confidence.
For more information, please email international.mobility@solent.ac.uk.
What you'll study
Core modules
Academic and Personal Development
As a future business, finance, marketing, maritime or law professional, awareness of personal strengths and development areas is essential to your success. This module teaches you critical academic and communication skills, and introduces the living CV concept.
Introduction to Business
Understanding the business environment is vital for running a business. Learn about the various forms, purposes, types of ownership and governance structures across different sectors and scales, explore strategy and its implementation, and look at measurement and environmental modelling.
Introduction to Marketing and Consumer Law
Effective marketing allows businesses to develop sustainable and valuable relationships with their audiences. Exploring real-world case studies, this module covers introductory marketing theories alongside branding, customer insight and data, GDPR, consumer rights and the latest innovations.
Introduction to Law
Understand the nature and sources of law and key concepts underlying legal systems. This module will look at the English legal system, consider the different courts and their functions, legal personnel and the legislative process.
Understanding Finance
Understanding finance requirements is key to ensuring a business thrives. You will learn fundamental terms and concepts, such as key performance indicators (KPIs), regulation, cashflow, financial statements and accountability – ensuring you are an asset to your team.
Business or Law Project
Study the value and social impact of enterprise, working as a group to analyse local organisations and provide valuable insights – and developing vital skills that employers are looking for, from research and teamwork to effective communication.
How you will learn and be assessed
You will learn by:
You may be assessed by a combination of:
- Business simulations
- Research reports
- Group presentations
- Individual presentations
- Blogs
- Coursework
Solent’s curriculum framework builds on our unique, creative and applied approach to teaching. The transformation of students’ lives is at the heart of our mission as a university, and our curriculum – informed by the latest theory – reflects this shared educational vision.
Find out more
Study support
The student achievement team are on hand to help you succeed during your studies at Solent. They aim to contact you at key times during your time here with personalised information, advice and guidance, by email or phone.
The disability advice team provides information, advice and guidance for disabled students.
All students can access Succeed@Solent, Solent's online guide to getting better grades. It offers extensive, practical information and advice on topics such as academic writing, research and presentations.
Why choose the industry?
International business is the engine of global prosperity that drives innovation, development and success. Business offers unique opportunities to make an impact at local, regional, national and global levels – Solent Business School supports students to pursue specialist knowledge, equipping them for a fast-paced business landscape.Â
Our local and wider global business connections ensure that the course is current, relevant and informed by the latest thinking. Our network of trusted and valued business partners offer you live briefs which address real business challenges, and we use strategic games to simulate the market and economic movements that firms and organisations have to respond to in the real world.
You could earn:
Business development manager
Typical salary: £30,000 to £60,000
Salaries are affected by regional variances, and pay is generally higher in London and the South East UK, and is also dependent on the sector you work in. It's common for bonuses to be paid and some jobs will be advertised with 'uncapped commission', or advertised with a basic salary and a higher on-target earnings.
Sales promotion account executive
Typical salary: £25,000 to £38,000
You would generally start on a salary in the region of £18,000 to £24,000. With experience it is possible to progress to account manager or senior account executive level, where salaries can range from £25,000 to £38,000 depending on your level of experience. Salaries for account directors/senior account directors are around £40,000 to £75,000+. The higher end of this scale is likely to be for the most senior positions with large agencies.
Project manager
Starting salary:  £20,000 to £35,000
Experienced project managers can earn between £40,000 and £80,000, depending on the sector. Freelance project managers will negotiate a daily rate for the duration of their contract, with average rates between £300 and £500 a day.
The stated salaries are published on prospects.ac.uk.
Solent Futures
The Solent Careers team is committed to getting students into great careers.
While you are studying, the team can help you with finding work experience or placements, link you with a mentor, check your CV, or offer one-to-one guidance.
If you're in your final year, we also have graduate job opportunities just for Solent graduates.
6th
UK uni for sustained employment
Longitudinal Educational Outcomes, 2022
Accreditations and awards
Accredited by with Dual Award:
Solent Business School awarded:
Further study
Thinking about studying further than an undergraduate degree? Alumni can get 20% off their postgraduate study.
MSc Project Management
Aligned to the Association for Project Management, this professional course will help you take your career to the next level, by studying methodologies, techniques and processes of project management.
Tuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2025/26 academic year are:
- UK, EU (settled status) and Channel Island full-time fees: £9,250 per year
- International full-time fees: £15,050 for foundation level. Fees will increase for year 1.
- International full-time fees: £17,750 per year
For further information, please visit our tuition fees page.
Extra course costs
While most course costs are covered by your tuition fees, some essential resources and optional extras may need to be paid for separately. These additional costs are listed below. For advice on budgeting and managing your money, please contact student.funding@solent.ac.uk.
The 2025/26 other costs are not yet available. For guidance, the 2024/25 other costs were:
Optional costs
Whilst the CMI qualification is included within the course fees, undertaking the Project Fundamentals Qualification for the Association of Project Management will require an exam fee to be paid, which is normally around £400.
Bursaries, scholarships and financial support
Solent University offers a range of bursaries and scholarships that provide financial assistance or waive fees for tuition or accommodation. Each bursary or scholarship has specific eligibility criteria. Check out our bursaries and scholarships pages to find out more.
Solent EU Welcome Scholarship (Fee Discount)
This scholarship is available to students from an EU country, with EU nationality, who are applying for an undergraduate course starting in September 2025. The scholarship will reduce your tuition fees to £10,500.
Find out more about the scholarship
Cost of living support
At Solent, we understand that the cost of living crisis may be of some concern. To help, we've put together some detailed information to show what support is available and how to make your money go further.
Graduation costs
There is no charge to attend graduation, but you will be required to pay for the rental of your academic gown (approximately £45 per graduate, depending on your award). You may also wish to purchase official photography packages, which range in price from £15 to £200+. Graduation is not compulsory, so if you prefer to have your award sent to you, there is no cost. Extra guest tickets will go on sale after results publication and will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis. The cost per ticket is currently £15. Please note, we do not guarantee there will be any extra tickets available to purchase.
Student finance videos
Student finance in under three minutes Student funding - the essentials Video transcript, with a description of visuals available.
Entry requirements
Please select an option below:
Key entry requirements
48 UCAS tariff points
- A minimum of two completed A-levels, a BTEC Extended Diploma at PPP or BTEC Diploma at MP or equivalent.
- We will consider mature students who haven't recently undertaken a formalised course of study at A-level or equivalent, but who can demonstrate relevant workplace or voluntary experience, indicating their ability to complete the course successfully.
- For further information about UK qualifications, please contact admissions.
Key entry requirements
As a general guide, we look for qualifications that are equivalent to the British high school A-levels.
If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
For further information about EU qualifications, please see our course entry requirements document.
Key entry requirements
As a general guide, we look for qualifications that are equivalent to the British high school A-levels.
If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
For further information about international qualifications, please see our course entry requirements document.
Note to all international students requiring a visa
All international applicants need to be aware that the English language requirements to attend Solent University, and the English language requirements to obtain a visa from the Home Office, may be different. This means that if you meet the Solent University language requirement to gain a place on the course, you may still have to meet additional requirements to be granted with a visa by the Home Office.
We strongly advise all applicants to visit the Home Office website which outlines all the requirements for a successful visa application.
48UCAS points
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email:Â Call:ÂHow to apply
Full-time
Any student applying for the first year of a full-time/sandwich undergraduate course must apply through UCAS (University and Colleges Admissions Service). This includes mature, overseas and EU students.
Nearly all schools and colleges offer their students the facility of applying electronically through the UCAS website using 'Apply'; it may also be used by those applying independently in the UK and overseas. This facility and all course information can be found on the UCAS website: www.ucas.com.
Your application should reach UCAS by 31 January if you hope to enter a course the following autumn. Early application is advised for the most popular subject areas. Late applications may be made until the end of June. The UCAS Code for the University is S30, code name SOLNT.
Find out what happens after you apply
Contextual offers
Solent endeavours to offer learning opportunities to students from all backgrounds. When we receive and review an application, we take into consideration the context and personal circumstances of applicants when making a decision, which means our advertised entry tariff could be reduced.
Language requirements
Applicants who do not have English as their first language will be required to demonstrate an approved level of proficiency in the use of the English language. The agreed minimum requirements for this course are:
-
IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each individual component
-
or equivalent.
Qualifications are checked before enrolment, and international students must bring their original certificates or certified copies when coming to study at the University.
The University also offers a pre-sessional English programme for international students who wish to improve their level of English before starting a degree course.
Make your application
- 3 years
- 4 years with foundation year
- 4 years with year in industry
- 5 years with foundation and industry years
