Business Management and English

Business and English will give you a range of transferable skills to succeed and open up a range of career paths upon graduating. We aim to broaden your understanding of literature and culture, while equipping you with skills and knowledge that make businesses function, to help you to fulfil your goals.  

Studying Business and English together will enhance your planning, organisational and communication skills. And studying literature from a range of cultures will enhance your multi-cultural awareness. 

We provide opportunities to study writing from different historical periods and cultures, including the work of authors from Europe, America, Africa, the Caribbean and Canada, as well as developing your knowledge of organisations, their management and the global environments in which they operate. 

We use our academic expertise to make the links between theoretical business frameworks, and the practicalities of real industries.  

Tailor your degree 

With a range of optional modules across Business Management and English (such as logistics, human resource management, marketing, and various themes and theories in literature such as crime, fantasy, gender and cultural politics) you’ll be able to tailor your studies to your area of interest and your career goals. 

Professionally approved ** 

Chartered Management Institute accreditation means the CMI has independently assessed that the course meets its own high standards and priorities. The CMI is a UK professional body dedicated to promoting excellence in management and leadership. CMI accreditation is, therefore, a sign of a high-quality degree.  

Students receive this accreditation if they pass the Business Management modules in their first year and select and pass required modules in their second year. 

Boost your employability with a placement year

Take an optional placement year to put your skills into practice in a real-world setting. We’ll support you in finding a placement and throughout your time in industry. It’s a great way to gain valuable experience for your CV, build contacts, and explore career options before you graduate.

What is a Joint Honours degree?

A Joint Honours degree offers students the opportunity to study two subjects.

A Joint Honours degree is a great option if:

• You want to study two subjects you’re passionate about
• You’ve got a specific career in mind and want to create a tailored degree to prepare you for the future
• You want to study a new subject alongside one you’re already familiar with

The modules below indicate the range of modules you may study as part of this combination, however prescribed and optional modules will vary depending on whether you choose to study both subjects equally, or choose to major or minor in a subject. To find out exactly which modules you would study as part of your chosen combination please contact jhs@derby.ac.uk.

Please note that our modules are subject to change - we review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects.

You’ll be taught through several learning and teaching methods, such as formal lectures, which will at times include expert speakers, and seminars. 

Seminars can be tutor-led or student-led and can include critical analysis of reading, presentations, group work, debates and general problem solving, interaction with real businesses, case study analysis, computer lab work, practical analysis and formative assessment.  

• Tutorials: one-to-one sessions with a tutor to discuss the development of assignments 
• Formal lectures 
• Work projects  
• Self-directed study  

In addition to direct teaching by faculty staff the University also makes use of blended learning through which students will be able to enhance and progress their learning. Through the university’s online portal; University of Derby Online (UDO) students can access the university virtual learning environment which forms an important part of the delivery of the programme and provide a facility through which tutors can supply lecture notes and presentations, links to learning resources and information and announcements pertinent to studies. 

English is a subject based upon discussion and interpretation, and your English classes will reflect this, with great emphasis placed upon student contributions and presentations in addition to lectures. 

How you are assessed 

For Business Management modules, we mostly assess you through practical coursework assignments — the sort of tasks you might undertake in a workplace. Sometimes these will be individual tasks and at other times, you will need to work in a group. Assignments could include: business reports, research and consultancy projects, presentations, design of digital materials such as videos, blogs or augmented reality posters, and computer-based assessments. 

For English modules, our assessment strategy is designed to produce confident, articulate graduates with a broad set of skills. There are no exams and forms of assessment include seminar debates, group presentations and conference papers alongside essays and longer research projects. We place great emphasis on developing your research skills, with independent projects playing a key part in the second and third year of the course. 

You’ll graduate with a range of transferrable skills in areas such as research, analysis, interpretation, argument, expression and communication which you will acquire in your course of study. All of these skills are transferable to a wide range of careers, and both Business and English graduates are consequently very well-qualified to engage with the world around them, and to find success within it.  

Our links with major employers in the area offer the students opportunities to network, build contacts and develop their confidence which adds to their employability. Students are encouraged to gain work experience through the Derby Internship Programme and offered networking opportunities at the many events through the year such as the recruitment fair, Network of Entrepreneurs, and Business Showcase. 

Roles graduates could move onto include: 

• Advertising  
• Marketing 
• Journalism  
• Publishing 
• Press and PR 
• Media  
• Broadcasting 
• Human Resource Management 
• Sales 
• Project Management 

Contextual offers may apply to students who meet certain criteria.

Further information about our fees and support you may be entitled to

Additional costs and optional extras

Additional information about your studies

You will typically study your two subjects equally at stage one, before choosing whether you want to major in one subject at stages two and three.

Teaching hours

Like most universities, we operate extended teaching hours at the University of Derby, so contact time with your lecturers and tutors could be anytime between 9am and 9pm. Your timetable will usually be available on the website 24 hours after enrolment on to your course.

Course updates

The information provided on this page is correct at the time of publication but course content, costs and other individual course details do change from time to time and are updated as often as possible, so please do check these pages again when making your final decision to apply for a course. Any updated course details will also be confirmed to you at application, enrolment and in your offer letter.

If you are thinking about transferring onto this course (into the second year for example), you should contact the programme leader for the relevant course information as modules may vary from those shown on this page.