Business and Human Resource Management with foundation year

Business management and human resource management are deeply interconnected disciplines. Understanding how organisations function, compete, and adapt requires knowing how they attract, develop, motivate, and retain the people who make them work. Combining the two at degree level gives you both the strategic and operational dimensions of management, preparing you to operate confidently at the place where business decisions and people decisions intersect.

This four-year, full-time programme at Coventry University includes a foundation year, providing a solid academic grounding before you move into the full business and HR curriculum. You will explore organisational behaviour, business strategy, marketing, and financial management alongside the specific practices of human resources: recruitment and selection, employment law, performance management, learning and development, and employee relations. The programme gives particular attention to how effective HR practices, including good recruitment, motivation strategies, and staff retention, contribute to organisational success.

A sandwich year and a year abroad are built in, and work placement opportunities are available throughout, giving you substantial professional experience in business or HR environments and the chance to apply your learning in real organisations.

Graduates move into a wide range of management and HR roles across every sector of the economy. Many enter graduate training programmes in large organisations, working in HR, people management, or general management functions. Others build careers in recruitment consultancy, employment relations, learning and development, or organisational development.

The combination of business understanding and people skills is valued in consulting, the public sector, charities, and professional services. For those drawn to a career specifically in HR, the degree provides a strong foundation for professional membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Further study at Masters level in human resources, business administration, or organisational psychology is also a common next step.