Business Entrepreneurship

On the BA (Hons) Business Entrepreneurship, you'll explore what it means to think and act like an entrepreneur while gaining a solid understanding of how businesses operate. You'll examine the entrepreneurial mindset, learning how creativity, resilience, curiosity and problem‑solving shape successful entrepreneurial thinking. 

Through your studies, you'll be introduced to the full entrepreneurial journey: identifying opportunities, researching markets, evaluating viability, developing business models, planning finances and translating ideas into action. You’ll also explore the broader contexts that shape modern entrepreneurship, such as sustainability, ethics, digital transformation, equity and inclusion. 

Alongside this, you’ll build your understanding of how organisations function—looking at culture, people, marketing, operations, digital technologies, finance and decision‑making—and explore how businesses interact with society, communities and the wider environment.

You’ll gain key professional skills including critical and creative thinking, project management, data literacy, negotiation, communication and leadership. You'll also develop your ability to reflect on your personal and professional growth, articulate your goals, and build your own entrepreneurial identity and personal brand.

Year one
In your first year, you'll gain an understanding of how business interacts with the external world and what it means to think like an entrepreneur.

You’ll explore how organisations make decisions, how they respond to ethical and sustainability challenges, and how people, culture and core business functions shape organisational success.

At the same time, you’ll begin developing your entrepreneurial mindset—learning about creativity, opportunity recognition, resilience and your own professional strengths. You’ll also build essential skills in data analysis, negotiation, communication and creative problem‑solving. 

Year two
In your second year, you’ll deepen your understanding of entrepreneurship by applying the skills and concepts you’ve learned to a real project. You’ll explore how creativity drives innovation in organisations, learning to generate, evaluate and refine ideas that respond to real‑world opportunities. You’ll also develop your ability to manage projects effectively—from planning and budgeting to working with stakeholders and delivering outcomes.

You’ll continue building your entrepreneurial expertise by learning how to translate ideas into viable business concepts through market research, business modelling and financial planning. Alongside this, you'll examine how digital technologies shape modern marketing and consumer behaviour, gaining hands‑on experience with tools and strategies used by today’s businesses.

A key part of this year is your work placement, where you’ll gain meaningful professional experience, develop confidence in workplace settings, and begin shaping your career goals. 

Year three

In your final year, you'll enhance and refine your entrepreneurial abilities and develop the professional confidence needed to take your next steps beyond university. You'll focus on higher level entrepreneurial skills and knowledge, such as understanding the funding landscape, negotiating with a range of stakeholders, and developing and pitching your personal brand. 

You’ll explore what ethical and sustainable business practice looks like in the real world, learning how organisations navigate complex challenges and how responsible leadership shapes decision‑making. 

A major focus of this year is your extended project—either a research‑driven study or an enterprise project —which will challenge you to apply your knowledge and skills gained throughout the programme. Optional modules allow you to tailor your learning further, whether you’re interested in leadership, strategy or creating positive community impact through events.

By the end of the year, you’ll have advanced analytical, creative and communication skills, a clear sense of your entrepreneurial identity, and the confidence to turn your ideas and ambitions into meaningful action.

You'll be assessed using a range of different assessment formats, with an emphasis on reflecting real-world challenges and outputs.

You might be asked to create a presentation, individually or with a group of your peers, or to prepare a professional output that consists of written and visual content.

There'll be opportunities to collaborate with organisations and individuals in the real world, in addition to producing more academic formats, such as reports. Throughout your studies, you'll be challenged to conduct research independently and think creatively.     

Most modules use a mix of lectures and small group seminars and workshops. These will give you the opportunity to join discussions, work collaboratively with fellow students and apply knowledge to practical tasks and challenges.

In addition, you may also be offered the opportunity to attend tutorials with academics, to ask questions or discuss feedback.

To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our information on Your Learning and Teaching at BSU.

As part of your degree, you could study abroad at one of Bath Spa’s partner universities.

Across the Business School, depending on the modules you study, you can gain accreditation by professional bodies and get exemption from professional exams. Please note, this is currently under development for this course.

You'll be encouraged to engage with the additional learning opportunities that the university offers. This might include field trips or attending networking events, participating in projects or completing placements.

In your second year, you'll have the opportunity to complete a Work Placement, but you can also choose to complete a Professional Placement Year or an additional Summer Placement in Level 6.               

This course can support you in developing your own business idea and prepare to launch this during or after your studies. At the same time, you'll also develop relevant skills and knowledge to prepare you for a range of roles in various organisations.

You'll have the ability to bring your creative thinking and generating new ideas to organisations, innovating from within.     

A number of previous students have set up their own businesses and social enterprises in a range of sectors. Graduates have also found roles in areas such as:

• Crowdfunding
• Fundraising
• Charity management
• Social enterprises
• Business strategy
• Income generation (funding, crowdsourcing).

If you’re a full-time undergraduate student starting your first year at Bath Spa University, you can apply for the Certificate in Global Citizenship, which you’ll study alongside your degree.

You’ll gain global awareness and add an international dimension to your student experience, and funding is available. On successful completion of the programme, you’ll be awarded a Certificate in Global Citizenship. This is in addition to your degree; it doesn’t change your degree title or results.

The Professional Placement Year (PPY) provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for, and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.

By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.

Before your PPY, you'll work to identify roles of interest and secure a placement. The Placements Team will support through timetabled sessions and 1:1 appointments.

As well as completing a minimum of 900 placement hours, you will complete two assessments demonstrating your skill development, growth in professional behaviours and how the PPY has impacted your future career aspirations.

You'll have access to excellent facilities at our Newton Park campus, as well as online resources, creating flexibility to accommodate your schedule. These include:

• Commons building
• Newton Park library
• Academic Skills support (ASk)
• Specialist resources and subject librarian
• Our Virtual Learning Environment
• Free access to courses via LinkedIn Learning
• Support from the English Language Unit if English isn't your first language
• The Studio in Bath

As a Business Entrepreneurship student, you have access to our library, which offers a range of business and management resources.

Our dedicated subject librarian can support you in making the most of these resources and undertaking independent research as you prepare for assessments.