Business Management and Entrepreneurship

Business management and entrepreneurship is a degree that takes the core disciplines of management and adds a specific focus on the creation, development, and scaling of new ventures. Where conventional business education prepares you to manage established organisations, entrepreneurship education asks what it takes to build something from scratch: to identify opportunities, take calculated risks, secure resources, and turn an idea into a functioning business. Together they provide a rounded commercial education with an emphasis on innovation and initiative.

At the University of Derby, this three-year full-time degree was developed in close consultation with the Chartered Management Institute and includes a foundation year, a sandwich year, a year abroad, and work placement opportunities. The foundation year provides a smooth and well-supported entry into degree-level study, particularly for students who would benefit from additional preparation before tackling the full academic and commercial curriculum. In the main programme you will study business strategy, marketing, financial management, operations, and organisational behaviour alongside entrepreneurship, innovation theory, business planning, and venture development.

The international dimension of the year abroad and the extended professional experience of the sandwich and placement elements give you a genuinely global and practically grounded education.

You will develop commercial acumen, the ability to think strategically and creatively, strong communication and leadership skills, and the practical knowledge to plan and manage a business venture. Employers across the private and public sectors value these capabilities, as do investors and the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Graduates from business management and entrepreneurship programmes go on to found their own ventures, join fast-growing startups, pursue management roles in established businesses, enter consultancy, or move into sectors such as technology, media, and social enterprise. Many graduates also pursue postgraduate study in business, management, or entrepreneurship, or professional development through management qualifications.