BA (Hons) International Business with Communications Studies

Key information

Degree

Types of study

Full time

Duration

Three or four years depending on entry qualifications

Start date

September 2025

Faculty

Nottingham University Business School China

Study model

4+0

About the study model: For the 2+2 study model courses, the student will spend the last two years at our UK campus. For the 4+0 study model courses, the student will spend the entire degree programme in Ningbo, China with 'study abroad' opportunities from year three.

Introductory video

VZan

566609

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for our programmes vary depending on your school qualifications, which determine your entry into either the preliminary year (Year 1) or qualifying year (Year 2). Please visit here for more detailed information.

*Entry for Mainland Chinese students is through the National Higher Education Entrance Examination, commonly known as Gaokao.

Course overview

This interdisciplinary programme offers students a comprehensive education in both business management and communication, with a particular focus on international business, language, and communication. It is designed to equip students with a deep understanding of how organisations operate effectively in today’s communication-driven global environment.

Students will undertake core business modules in organisational behaviour, strategic management, marketing, finance, and international business, alongside communication-focused studies in language, culture, media, and digital technologies. The programme emphasises the integration of business acumen with communication literacy, developing intercultural awareness, critical thinking, and a global mindset.

Graduates of this programme benefit from strong interdisciplinary training that prepares them for a wide range of careers in international corporations, global media organisations, public relations and consultancy, creative industries, and public sectors.

Special features

A combined degree that aims at preparing students for doing business effectively in a communications-dominated world
A wider range of career options in the business sector and the media.

Course structure

The degree is offered as a three or four-year programme depending on your entry qualification.

For domestic students the course structure follows the Chinese higher education system and is based on a four-year program. For international students, with relevant qualifications, the course structure follows the UK higher education system and is based on a three-year programme.

Preliminary year modules

+

The preliminary year is designed to help you develop your English language skills so that you can make the most of your degree programme.

This special English language programme designed by the English for Academic Purposes experts at the University's Centre for English Language Education is carefully integrated with academic content modules so that you are prepared fully for years two to four of your degree programme.

*Note:

This year is not compulsory for students with appropriate qualifications for year two entry.

Compulsory

Students (excluding International students) must take all modules in this group

Code	Title	Credits	Taught
CELEN048	Reading and Writing in Academic Contexts	20	Autumn
CELEN069	Oral Communication Skills A	10	Autumn
CELEN041	Introduction to Business & Management	20	Autumn
CELEN121	Critical, Creative, and Reflective Thinking	10	Autumn
CELEN125	Introduction to Statistics for Business	10	Spring
CELEN124	Introduction to Calculus and Linear Algebra for Business	10	Spring
CELEN082	Oral Communication Skills B	10	Spring
CELEN051	English in Specific Academic Contexts a (Arts & Social Science Pathways)	20	Spring
CELEF002	Introduction to Information Technology For Business	10	Spring
	Credit Total	120

International students must take all modules in this group

Code	Title	Credits	Taught
CELEN041	Introduction to Business & Management	20	Autumn
CELEF008	Introduction to Academic Skills	10	Autumn
CELEN107	Introduction to Mathematics for Business and Economics A	10	Autumn
CELEN109	Introduction to Statistics for Business and Economics A	10	Autumn
CELEN121	Critical, Creative, and Reflective Thinking	10	Autumn
CELEN042	Introduction to Business Economics	20	Spring
CELEF002	Introduction to Information Technology For Business	10	Spring
CELEF007	English for Specific Academic Purposes: Business and Economics	10	Spring
CELEN108	Introduction to Mathematics for Business and Economics B	10	Spring
CELEN110	Introduction to Statistics for Business and Economics B	10	Spring
	Credit Total	120

Qualifying year modules

+

Compulsory

Students must take all modules in this group

Code	Title	Credits	Taught
BUSI1114	Business Economics	20	Full Year
BUSI1088	Future of Work	10	Autumn
INCM1032	Communication and Technology	20	Autumn
BUSI1086	Organisational Behaviour	10	Spring
BUSI1130	Principles of Marketing	10	Spring
BUSI1116	Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice	20	Full Year
INCM1030	Communication and Culture	20	Spring
	Credit Total	110

Restricted

Group 1 Business

Students must take 10 credits from this group

Code	Title	Credits	Taught
BUSI1085	Managing Operations in the Digital Enterprise	10	Autumn
BUSI1073	The Digital Economy	10	Spring
BUSI1134	Production and Operations Management	10	Spring
	Credit Total	30

Year 3 modules

+

Compulsory

Students must take all modules in this group

Code	Title	Credits	Taught
BUSI2178	Marketing Management	20	Autumn
INCM2028	Cultural Analysis	10	Autumn
INCM2029	Public Relations and Propaganda	10	Spring
BUSI2131	Marketing Analytics	10	Spring
	Credit Total	50

Restricted

Group 1 Business

Students must take a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 20 from this group.

Code	Title	Credits	Taught
BUSI2128	Analysing organisations	10	Autumn
BUSI2190	Trends in Work and Organisations	10	Spring
BUSI2181	Technology and Organisation	20	Spring
	Credit Total	40

Restricted

Group 2 Communication Studies

Students must take a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 20 from this group.

Code	Title	Credits	Taught
INCM2025	Understanding the Chinese Creative Industries	10	Autumn
INCM2032	Translating Cultures	10	Spring
	Credit Total	20

Restricted

Group 3 Management and Marketing

Students must take a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 30 from this group.

Code	Title	Credits	Taught
BUSI2179	Human Resource Management with International Perspectives	20	Autumn
BUSI2120	Corporate Entrepreneurship	10	Autumn
BUSI2183	Firm Strategy and Internationalisation	20	Spring
BUSI2132	The Consumer Psychology of Brands	10	Spring
BUSI2129	Managing Across Cultures	10	Spring
	Credit Total	70

Restricted

Group 4 Language Studies

Students must take a minimum of 0 and a maximum of 20 from this group.

Code	Title	Credits	Taught
LANG1062	General French Through Tourism 1A	10	Autumn
LANG1064	German Language and Culture 1A	10	Autumn
LANG1066	Communicative Japanese 1A	10	Autumn
LANG1068	Spanish Language and Culture 1A	10	Autumn
LANG1084	Mandarin Listening and Speaking 1A	10	Autumn
LANG1070	Korean Language and Culture 1A	10	Autumn
LANG1063	General French Through Tourism 1B	10	Spring
LANG1065	German Language and Culture 1B	10	Spring
LANG1067	Communicative Japanese 1B	10	Spring
LANG1069	Spanish Language and Culture 1B	10	Spring
LANG1085	Mandarin Listening and Speaking 1B	10	Spring
LANG1071	Korean Language and Culture 1B	10	Spring
	Credit Total	120

Language modules (from Group 4):

must be the same language if choosing both semesters’ modules
students cannot choose their mother tongue as the language module
10 credits maximum per semester
Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, German and French offered, subject to availability
language assessment test for suitability required

Additional Module Choice Information for Part I

Students must complete 120 credits with at least 90 credits at level 2 or above.

Although 60 credits per semester is the normal allocation, University rules permit 70 credits in one semester and 50 in the other. This variation from the norm requires careful consideration, and it is sensible to seek advice. Where either semester is undertaken away from UNNC on exchange, the plan for the year requires the Exchange Coordinator’s approval since exchange partners may not permit the arrangement.

In addition to the listed modules, the following modules will also be offered.

In Autumn semester:

BUSI2122 Doing Business in China A (compensatable, 10 credits, with limited capacity, aimed primarily at international students)
BUSI2219 NextGen Family Business: Innovation & Leadership_Autumn (compensatable, 10 credits, with limited capacity)

In Spring semesters:

BUSI2123 Doing Business in China B (compensatable, 10 credits, with limited capacity, aimed primarily at international students)
BUSI2220 NextGen Family Business: Innovation & Leadership_Spring (compensatable, 10 credits, with limited capacity)

Year 4 modules

+

Compulsory

Students must take all modules in this group.

Code	Title	Credits	Taught
BUSI3189	Business Ethics and Sustainability	20	Full year
BUSI3194	International Business Environment and Strategy	20	Autumn
BUSI3222	Undergraduate Dissertation	30	Full Year
	Credit Total	70

Restricted

Group 1 Communication Studies

Students must take a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 40 credits from this group.

Code	Title	Credits	Taught
INCM3047	Documentary and Reality	20	Autumn
INCM3046	Digital Games as Communication	20	Autumn
INCM3090	Intercultural Communication Competency	20	Autumn
INCM3088	Hollywood and Chinese Cinema	20	Spring
INCM3045	Media Management	20	Spring
	Credit Total	100

Restricted

Group 2 Management and Marketing

Students must take a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 30 credits from this group.

Code	Title	Credits	Taught
BUSI3188	Strategic Management: Perspective, Process and Practice	20	Full year
BUSI3211	Big Data Marketing	10	Autumn
BUSI3118	Marketing Services	10	Autumn
BUSI3101	Corporate Restructuring and Governance	10	Autumn
BUSI3213	Entrepreneurial Management	10	Autumn
BUSI3214	Performance Management and Compensation	10	Autumn
BUSI3195	Globalisation and Innovation in China	10	Autumn
BUSI3145	Digital Marketing	10	Spring
BUSI3146	Brand Management	10	Spring
BUSI3120	Strategic Innovation Management	10	Spring
BUSI3199	Managing Headquarters – Subsidiary Relationships	10	Spring
BUSI3198	International Alliances	10	Spring
	Credit Total	130

Restricted

Group 3 Language Studies

Students must take a minimum of 0 and a maximum of 20 credits from this group.

Code	Title	Credits	Taught
LANG2057	German Language and Culture 2A	10	Autumn
LANG2059	Communicative Japanese 2A	10	Autumn
LANG2061	Spanish Language and Culture 2A	10	Autumn
LANG2077	Mandarin Listening and Speaking 2A	10	Autumn
LANG2063	Korean Language and Culture 2A	10	Autumn
LANG2058	German Language and Culture 2B	10	Spring
LANG2060	Communicative Japanese 2B	10	Spring
LANG2062	Spanish Language and Culture 2B	10	Spring
LANG2078	Mandarin Listening and Speaking 2B	10	Spring
LANG2064	Korean Language and Culture 2B	10	Spring
	Credit Total	100

Language modules (from Group 3):

must be the same language if choosing both semesters’ modules
students cannot choose their mother tongue as the language module
10 credits maximum per semester
Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, German and French offered, subject to availability
language assessment test for suitability required

Additional Module Choice Information for Part II

In addition to the listed modules, the following modules will also be offered.

In Autumn semester:

BUSI3223 Global Business Engagement_Autumn (compensatable, 10 credits, with limited capacity)

In Spring semesters:

BUSI3224 Global Business Engagement_Spring (compensatable, 10 credits, with limited capacity)

Part II students must select at least 100 credits at level 3 or above within 120 credits. Over three years, students must take at least 90 INCM credits and at least 220 BUSI credits.

UG Dissertation is a non-compensatable module. A student who fails a non-compensatable module will not complete that stage without successfully undertaking re-assessment in that module.

*For the most up-to-date and detailed course structure, please refer to the online course catalogue.

Careers and further study

The majority of our graduates were employed by leading global companies such as Citi Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, The Royal Bank of Scotland, Bank of China, PwC, KPMG, Deloitte & Touche, L’oreal, Wrigley, Siemens, Mars, Ogilvy & Mather, Nestle, Neilsen, and McKinsey.

For those who pursue further study in the class of 2018, 33.3% were admitted by World Top 50 universities according to QS Ranking. Examples of further study destinations include the Australian National University, the University of Manchester and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Fees

Chinese Mainland students

100,000 RMB / year (2024 Entry)

China's Hong Kong, Macao & Taiwan students

100,000 RMB / year (2024 Entry)

International students

120,000 RMB / year

Scholarships, sponsorships and bursaries

To encourage academic excellence, we offer a comprehensive and expanding range of full and partial scholarships.

Historically nearly 30% of our undergraduate students were awarded scholarships for their entry. Once enrolled, current students are eligible for additional merit and/or performance-based scholarships and awards, which covers approximately 32.5% of our whole student body.

Please check here for scholarship types and policies for applicants from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and overseas countries. If you are a mainland Chinese student, please visit the Chinese language prospectus.