Bachelor Degree with Integrated International Foundation Year (Business) BA

At Leeds, your degree isn’t just about theory — you’ll be constantly applying what you learn to real situations. From day one, you’ll be developing practical skills through projects, digital tools, and specialist facilities that mirror the professional world. Whether you’re working on live client briefs, using state-of-the-art labs, or collaborating with classmates in modern learning spaces, the focus is always on preparing you for life after university.

Here’s a taste of the hands-on experiences and resources you’ll have access to:

• Global Industry Programme – Take on real consulting projects for international client companies. You’ll work in virtual teams, research markets, and present recommendations just like a professional consultant.

• Exclusive Internships – Leeds gives you priority access to paid internships with charities, SMEs, large organisations, and even placements within the university itself. These short placements often open doors to longer-term roles.

• Digital Tools for Learning – You’ll be using platforms like Minerva (the university’s digital learning hub), Microsoft 365, Vevox for live polls, and Gradescope for quick feedback on assignments and even video work. These keep your studies interactive and collaborative.

• World-class Business School Facilities – Study in modern spaces such as the Esther Simpson Building and Maurice Keyworth Building, complete with Harvard-style lecture theatres, collaborative seminar rooms, PC clusters, trading rooms, and breakout areas for teamwork.

• Behaviour Lab and Observation Rooms – Explore how people make decisions in a specialist environment designed for behavioural studies and market research.

• Enterprise and Innovation Support – If you’re entrepreneurial, Leeds offers workshops, mentoring, and modules in enterprise skills, helping you test out your own business ideas with expert guidance.

Studying Business at Leeds opens up a wide range of career paths. Many graduates go on to become business analysts, marketing managers, financial consultants, or HR specialists. Others join graduate management schemes with big employers or step into international business roles. What makes Leeds stand out is the mix of academic knowledge and hands-on experiences, so when you graduate, employers know you’re ready to hit the ground running.

Here’s how Leeds helps you get there:

• Personalised careers support – You’ll have access to the Leeds Careers Service, which offers one-to-one guidance, CV reviews, mock interviews, employer events, and the MyCareer platform where you can browse internships and graduate jobs. If you’ve got an entrepreneurial spark, the university’s Spark team helps students launch their own start-ups with mentoring, competitions, and even office space.

• Strong employment outcomes – Within six months of graduating, almost 9 out of 10 Leeds Business School graduates are in skilled work or further study. On average, business graduates earn around £31,500 just 15 months after finishing their degree, and salaries tend to rise quickly in the years that follow.

• Connections with leading employers – More than 650 employers, including Unilever, Jaguar Land Rover and Marks & Spencer, regularly engage with Leeds students through careers fairs, talks, and placement opportunities. Many students take a year-long work placement between their second and final year, giving them real industry experience before graduating.

• Professional accreditation – Depending on your chosen business pathway, your degree may be accredited by industry bodies like the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) or the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). This makes your qualification even more valuable to future employers.

• Proven graduate success – Leeds graduates are highly sought after. Employers know that students from Leeds University Business School come with strong academic training and the confidence gained from real-world projects and placements.

Further Academic Progression:
If you decide to continue your studies, you’ll have plenty of options. Many students go on to postgraduate degrees at Leeds in areas like International Business, Marketing, Finance, or Human Resource Management. Others take the research route with a PhD, while some choose to build on their degree with professional qualifications such as ACCA, CIMA, or CIPD. Whatever direction you take, your Leeds degree gives you a strong foundation to move forward.