subject sheets

business and finance

The range of management, business and finance courses in the United Kingdom (UK) is
huge. There are also hundreds of institutions teaching office skills, business
administration, shorthand, finance, business management, business law, European
business and economics. You can focus on an area such as decision-making, marketing,
managing change or dealing with customer queries, and your course can be specialist
or broad-based. For more information on specific subjects please refer to Accountancy,
Management and MBAs in this series.

Checklist: Why study business and finance in the United Kingdom?

• you will study in English, the language of international business

• UK management, business and finance qualifications can lead to a wide range of
career options when you return home
• technical and career-based qualifications can lead to jobs in finance, business
administration, sales and marketing, personnel and management
• undergraduate and postgraduate courses can lead to careers in accountancy,
banking, marketing, insurance, consultancy or general management.

1. What can I study?

What career-based courses are available?

• GNVQs/GSVQs (General National Vocational Qualifications/General Scottish

Vocational Qualifications) in business or retail and distributive services, lasting one
or two years
• vocational A-levels in business or retail and distributive services, lasting one or two
years
• BTEC/Edexcel National Diplomas in a range of business-related subjects, usually
lasting two years
• BTEC/Edexcel Higher National Diplomas (HNDs) in a range of business-related
subjects, usually lasting two years.

What are the benefits of doing a career-based course?

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You would gain work experience and also do case studies, teamwork, problem-solving
and essay-writing. More advanced business courses can lead to degree studies. For
more information, refer to Choosing a career-based training course in this series.

How long are undergraduate courses and what qualifications can I gain?

Degree courses can last three to four years, or longer if work experience is included.
Placements are usually for six months or one year. Professional qualifications can be
gained in accountancy, banking and insurance.

What subjects can I study at first degree level?

Subjects that can be studied include:

• business management (and international business management)
• financial services management
• business administration
• accounting and finance
• business computer systems.

Also available are:

• foundation in business or access to business courses, leading to a place on a degree
course
• Higher National Diplomas (HND) in business studies (two years)
• foundation degrees, usually lasting two years, in subjects including business, e-
commerce, finance and law, and the organisation of business. For more information,
refer to www.foundationdegree.org.uk.

For more information, refer to Choosing your degree course and institution in this
series.

How long are postgraduate courses and what qualifications can I gain?

You can do a one year taught Master’s (MA, MSc, MBA) or a two year research degree
(MPhil). There are also postgraduate certificates and diplomas in fields such as:
• education management
• total quality and innovation management
• international business
• human resource management.

For more information on MBAs, refer to MBAs in this series.

How long will it take me to study for a PhD and what is involved?

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You will usually need to allow at least three years. You decide on a subject for research
and produce a thesis under supervision. For more information, refer to Choosing your
research topic and institution in this series.

Where can I gain professional qualifications?

These are offered by the professional bodies that cover management, banking and
insurance.

Business and finance – the major professional bodies and qualifications

Financial Banking Insurance Management

Services
Starting Society of Chartered Chartered Chartered
points Financial Institute of Insurance Management
Advisors (part Banking (CIB), Institute (CII),
Institute
of the www.cib.org.uk. www.cii.co.uk (formerly
Chartered The CIB is the Institute of
Insurance parent body of Management
Institute (CII)),the Institute of (IM)),
www.sofa.org Financial www.managers.
Services (IFS) org.uk
Main Fellowship of Associateship Fellowship of Fellowship of
qualification the Society of and the CII, the IM
Financial BSc(Hons) in entitling the (FIMgt), based
Advisers Financial holder to on academic
(FSFA); Services from become a achievement
Associateship UMIST, the chartered and experience;
of the Society University of insurer or Diploma in
of Financial Manchester chartered Management
Advisers Institute of insurance (Operations);
Science and practitioner; Diploma in
Technology; Associateship Project
Institute of of the CII Management;
Financial (industry Postgraduate
Services; standard) Diploma in
Diploma In Management
Financial (Strategic)
Services
Management
(DipFSM) from
IFS
Other Certificates in: Certificates Certificates Certificates in:

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 qualifications Advanced and/or diplomas in/of: Supervisory
Financial in: Bank Card Insurance Management;
Planning; Management; Practice; Management;
Financial Professional Insurance Management
Planning; Investment Foundation; (Operations);
International for Financial Information Management
Certificate for Advisers; Technology (Strategic);
Mortgage Certified (IT) for Management
Advisers; Documentary Insurance (Business
Mortgage Credit Professionals Start-up);
Advice Specialist; Management
Qualification Trust and (Owner
Estate Manager);
Practice Project
Financial Management;
Services Management
Management; Holdings;
Mortgage Managing
Lending; Energy;
Financial Managing
Services Quality
Practice

It may be possible to take the exams for some of the qualifications listed here at your
local British Council office. Contact your local office for more information or go to
www.britishcouncil.org/education/exams/index.htm.

What short courses are available?

Short courses – ranging in length from one day to several weeks – are offered by a
number of universities, state colleges and private colleges. Search for courses on the
British Council web site www.educationuk.org.

2. Entrance

Are there any special entrance requirements for business courses?

No. Academic courses in business and finance require the same entry-level
qualifications as other foundation or access courses, degrees and postgraduate
degrees.

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Are there English language requirements?

Yes. You will probably be asked for a certain level of English – International English
Language Testing System (IELTS) 6.5 or above.

3. How can I register as a professional?

Each professional body has its own professional examinations (and often a work-
experience requirement), through which you can attain membership and higher
professional qualifications. You should look at the relevant web sites.

What issues should I consider as an international student?

You must check that UK qualifications are acceptable in your own country. You should
do this with the relevant professional body (if there is one) or with your government.

4. Next steps

Checklist: Your next steps

1. Do some research in your intended field to find out which qualifications are asked
for by employees.
2. Make sure that UK qualifications are compatible with those in your own country.
3. If you want to take the academic route, research the courses on offer. A good
source of information is the British Council’s annual Guide to British Education
(available at most British Council offices), which lists institutions and courses by
type.
4. Look on the EducationUK web site (www.educationuk.org) for links to college and
university prospectuses.
5. If you want to gain a professional qualification, look at the web sites of the
professional bodies below. Most are comprehensive and include a list of course
providers. All of them will answer your queries by e-mail.

5. Where can I find more information?

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British Council Education
information
Web site www.educationuk.org
For further information, you can find
details of your nearest office at
www.britishcouncil.org/where/index.htm
, which includes links to all our country
web pages and a worldwide address
book giving contact details for all
offices.
Scottish Education + Training
Web site www.educationukscotland.org
Association of MBAs (AMBA)
15 Duncan Terrace,
London N1 8BZ
Telephone +44 (0) 20 7837 3375
Fax +44 (0) 20 7278 3634
E-mail info@mba.org.uk
Web site www.mba.org.uk
Institute of Financial Services
ISF House
4–9 Burgate Lane
Canterbury
Kent CT1 2XJ
E-mail institute@ifslearning.com
Web site www.ifslearning.com
The Chartered Institute of Bankers
in Scotland
Drumsheugh House
38b Drumsheugh Gardens
Edinburgh EH3 7SW
Telephone +44 (0) 131 473 7777
Fax +44 (0) 131 473 7788
E-mail info@ciobs.org.uk
Web site www.ciobs.org.uk
Chartered Insurance Institute
31 Hillcrest Road
South Woodford
London E18 2JP
Telephone +44 (0) 20 8989 8464
Fax +44 (0) 20 8530 3052
E-mail customer.serv@cii.co.uk
Web site www.cii.co.uk
Chartered Management Institute
(formerly Institute of Management)
Management House
Cottingham Road
Corby
Northamptonshire
Telephone (0) 1536 204222
Fax (0) 1536 201651
E-mail accreditation@managers.org.uk
Web site www.managers.org.uk

Other useful sources

British Qualifications (Kogan Page, 2001, 0 7494 3708 1) – lists every qualification on
offer in the UK by schools, colleges, universities, business schools, learned societies,
trade and professional bodies and associations.

Careers in Banking and Finance (Longson, S, 1999, Kogan Page, ISBN 0 7494 2760 4) –
comprehensive descriptions of the structure of the industry and the jobs available, and
invaluable lists of places to study, useful addresses and further reading.

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While every effort has been made to ensure that the information given here is correct
and up to date, the British Council accepts no legal liability for its accuracy, currency or
completeness.

May 2002

British Council
classification
Which course (red) 6/13

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