Explore how businesses and societies can address the grand challenges of our times through ethical businesses and effective public policies
Year of entry: 2025/26
N100
Y50
4 years full-time
To achieve sustainable growth and address grand societal challenges, businesses, governments and wider society need to work together.
Our innovative BA Business and Society draws together concepts, theories and evidence from the disciplines of business and management as well as social and public policy. You will consider how the private, public, and voluntary sectors might best address current and future societal challenges, such as inclusive growth, ethical business practices, social justice and democratic decision-making.
Based in the University of York’s cross-disciplinary School for Business and Society, this course will equip you with the skills to analyse complex problems and produce creative solutions. You will learn how to apply sophisticated theoretical knowledge to the resolution of real world scenarios.
This course is outward-looking and incorporates strong links with business and policy communities. You'll also have the opportunity to undertake placements in private, public, and voluntary sector organisations while gaining an international perspective to studying issues of business and society.
There are opportunities to spend time in industry as part of this course.
In addition to the above you will also need to complete our online Academic Integrity module.
This module covers some of the essential skills and knowledge which will help you to study independently and produce work of a high academic standard which is vital for success at York.
This module will:
A year in industry gives you the opportunity to apply your academic learning to a real-life business. The average salary for placements in 2019/20 was £17,000, ranging from £14,800 to £21,500.
Our dedicated Placements Office advertise hundreds of vacancies each year. You can find placements in all sorts of industries, all over the world. If you have an idea of where you'd like to work, our team can help you find and apply for a suitable position. In recent years placements have included:
Before starting a placement that forms part of your course, you are likely to be asked by the placement provider to sign a confidentiality agreement. This is to ensure that you do not disclose any information that is confidential to the placement provider.
Before starting a placement that forms part of your course, you are likely to be asked by the placement provider to sign a confidentiality agreement. This is to ensure that you do not disclose any information that is confidential to the placement provider.
You will also study three option modules. Examples include:
Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff, and in line with Department/School academic planning.
Every course at York has been designed to provide clear and ambitious learning outcomes. These learning outcomes give you an understanding of what you will be able to do at the end of the course. We develop each course by designing modules that grow your abilities towards the learning outcomes and help you to explain what you can offer to employers. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.
| UK (home) | International and EU |
|---|---|
| £9,250 | £25,800 |
Fees for students starting in the 2025/26 academic year.
The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status.
For more information about tuition fees, any reduced fees for study abroad and work placement years, scholarships, tuition fee loans, maintenance loans and living costs see undergraduate fees and funding.
We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2025/26 throughout the year.
You can use our living costs guide to help plan your budget. It covers additional costs that are not included in your tuition fee such as expenses for accommodation and study materials.
Our teaching, learning and student experience is outstanding, recognised by a Gold rating from the Office for Students in the 2023 national assessment (Teaching Excellence Framework).
You’ll study and learn with academics who are active researchers, experts in their field and have a passion for their subjects. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.
We focus on teaching that equips you with the skills, knowledge and expertise that employers are looking for. These skills will allow you to succeed in the future worlds of work, while making a contribution to the public good. Your learning will be applied and problem-centred, combining theoretical rigour with practical relevance through case studies and hands-on examples. Our passionate tutors' research-led teaching puts you at the forefront of current issues in business, management and public policy.
We use a wide range of teaching methods to suit different learning styles, including:
We will support you to become responsible for your own learning and development. To ensure continuity of support beyond the modules you study, you will be allocated a personal supervisor who will guide you throughout your degree course.
In the UK, full-time students are expected to spend 1,200 hours a year learning. That's about 40 hours of classes and independent study each week during semesters. Everyone learns at a different rate, so the number of hours you spend on independent study will be different to other students on your course.
You will be based in the School for Business and Society on Campus West. Most of your teaching will take place in the Church Lane Building, with additional contact hours elsewhere on Campus East and Campus West.
Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can use the fast and frequent bus service. Take a campus tour.
You will be assessed using a mixture of assignments, many with an applied focus, such as reports, strategy documents, presentations, and essays.
In your final year you will have some scope to choose forms of assessment that you prefer through the selection of optional modules. To conclude your studies, you will explore a topic of your own choice in a dissertation - with an emphasis on questions of management, public policy, or their interplay.
Learning within the programme is tailored to increase your employability from the very start. We will help you to build and evidence the competencies that graduate-level employers look for. Our bespoke employability sessions help you identify and improve your skills. Our dedicated support team will help you to build an employability portfolio and to present yourself at your best for the next step of your career. This course enables students to look across different sectors, to not be focused primarily on either businesses or public policy, and therefore to gain a thorough understanding how these sectors interact and are crucial for addressing the grand challenges of our time. The course is beneficial for those who wish to keep career options open and have a wider ranging set of interests in understanding and addressing business and policy problems.
| Typical offer | |
|---|---|
| A levels | AAB |
| Access to Higher Education Diploma | 36 credits at Distinction and 9 credits at Merit or higher |
| BTEC National Extended Diploma | DDD |
| Cambridge Pre-U | D3, D3, M2 |
| European Baccalaureate | 80% overall |
| International Baccalaureate | 35 points |
| T levels | We will consider a range of T Level qualifications for entry. Please visit our dedicated T Levels page for a full list of accepted T Levels. |
| Scottish Highers / Advanced Highers | Scottish Highers - AABBB Advanced Highers - not required for entry We may also be able to consider three Advanced Highers or a combination of Highers and Advanced Highers, where an applicant does not meet the grade requirement through Highers alone. Please contact us to discuss your qualifications. |
| International foundation programme | Foundation Certificate from our International Pathway College or an appropriate alternative. |
| Other international qualifications | Equivalent qualifications from your country |
We also require GCSE Mathematics at grade 4 (C) or equivalent. We do not accept adult numeracy in lieu of GCSE Maths.
Meeting the following additional criteria may qualify you for an alternative offer.
| Criteria | Adjustment |
|---|---|
| Widening participation | If you successfully complete one of the following programmes, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to two A level grades (or equivalent) below our typical offer: Black Access Programme, Next Step York, Realising Opportunities. More about widening participation. |
| Contextual offers | If you have experience of local authority care or live in an area with low progression to university, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to two A level grades (or equivalent) below our typical offer. More about contextual offers. |
| EPQ | If you achieve B or higher at EPQ, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to one A level grade (or equivalent) below our typical offer. |
| Core Maths | If you achieve B or higher in Core Maths, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to one A level grade (or equivalent) below our typical offer. |
If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:
| Minimum requirement | |
|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6.5, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component |
| Cambridge CEFR | 176, with a minimum of 169 in each component |
| Oxford ELLT | 7, with a minimum of 6 in each component |
| Oxford Test of English Advanced | 136, with a minimum of 126 in each component |
| Duolingo | Integrated subscores: 120 overall, with a minimum of 105 in each component |
| GCSE/IGCSE/O level English Language (as a first or second language) | Grade C / Grade 4 |
| LanguageCert SELT | B2 with a minimum score of 33/50 in each component |
| LanguageCert Academic | B2 Communicator with a minimum score of 33/50 in each component |
| Kaplan Test of English Language | 478 Main Flight score with 444 in each component |
| Skills for English | B2: Merit overall, with Pass with Merit in each component |
| PTE Academic | 61, with a minimum of 55 in each component |
| TOEFL | 87 overall, with a minimum of 21 in each component |
| Trinity ISE III | Merit in all components |
| Other English language qualifications | We also accept other English Language qualifications, including various school-leaving certificates. |
For more information see our undergraduate English language requirements.
You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses. These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer.
The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements.
After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York.
We offer a range of campus accommodation to suit you and your budget, from economy to premium.
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