International Business, Finance and Economics (3 Years) [BSc]

This interdisciplinary course offers you the opportunity to study a wide range of course units across finance, accounting, economics, business analysis, innovation, strategy and political economy. You will study the technical tools and techniques required to measure and assess business performance, while also emphasising the importance of changing economic contexts. You will also have the opportunity to learn a foreign language as part of your degree.

This course aims to offer you an inter-disciplinary social science perspective on business that is strongly informed by leading contemporary research and which introduces you to competing and complementary perspectives on business issues.

• Join one of the UK's longest established centres for the study of economics.
• Optional language study in years 2 and 3 - choose from 20 different languages at varying levels
• Selected course units grant exemptions from professional accountancy exams, including 1 ICAEW ACA paper, 7 ACCA papers and 7 CIMA papers

You will normally study four or five course units per semester. Each week there are usually two hours of lectures for each course unit and a one hour workshop in alternate weeks, although this varies slightly. You are expected to double this in private study. Group work and group or individual presentations will form a regular part of your assignments.

Essays, multiple choice tests, project reports and presentations, in-class tests and weekly assignments constitute the coursework component of assessment, although the nature and proportion of coursework varies across course units. The remainder of assessment is by unseen examination. Depending on the degree course, in your final year you can choose to do a research-based dissertation or project. We aim to strike a balance between examinations and assessed coursework as well as providing opportunities for feedback on progress through non-assessed work.

Your first year begins with a broad introduction to the study of business, finance and economics, enabling you to make an informed choice of areas to study later in the course. You will learn the technical skills of macro, micro and managerial economics and financial reporting.

You will study core course units in finance, managerial economics and business strategy and choose options from accounting and finance, economics and contexts for international business. You will gain practical report writing, financial and competitor analysis and database skills through a core unit in international business strategy, using a real-life case study. Current IBFE students are analysing the performance of global earthmoving machinery giant, Caterpillar Inc.

The IBFE degree places an emphasis on the international context within which business operates. It is also geared to those students who may wish to work in a foreign country. As such, in your second year you are given the option to learn a language (which can be continued into your third year). You can choose from 20 different languages at varying levels - visit the Language Centre  for more details.

As well as compulsory course units in international finance, managerial economics and international business analysis, there are options in accounting and finance, contexts for international business, economics and modern languages. You will choose 60 credits of optional course units, enabling you to specialise.

The International Business Analysis Project allows you to critically analyse contemporary business practice from a social and political perspective. You will question the classical strategy tradition by exploring how the pressure to deliver shareholder value complicates the job of management. You will explore these ideas through real-life case studies, including a recently collapsed bank (Lehman Brothers or Bear Stearns) and GlaxoSmithKline.

The Manchester Bursary is available to any student who is registered on an eligible first undergraduate degree course at Manchester and who has had a full financial assessment carried out by Student Finance. Visit our student finance pages for more detailed information.

In addition to this support, Alliance Manchester Business School will be awarding five Undergraduate Scholarships for Social Responsibility worth £2,000 p.a. across three years of study to UK students achieving AAA at A-level (or equivalent) who are able to demonstrate a significant contribution and commitment to social responsibility. We will also be awarding this scholarship to an international (non-EU) student. Find out more about our Undergraduate Scholarships for Social Responsibility .

'I've always been quite a numerical and analytical person, so the finance-related course units stood out for me the most. International Finance, Financial Derivatives and Financial Markets and Institutions helped me to understand the underlying problems that were the catalyst for the financial crisis. I enjoyed learning about this in greater depth than just reading what was published in newspapers.

I've accepted a job offer from KPMG and plan to study for the CFA qualification, for which they fund me. I would like to travel the world, working in various places such as LA, New York, Sydney and Tokyo, but I would also like to see what it's like working at a Hedge Fund at some point.'

- Sean Crowther

'IBFE offers a unique combination of the three disciplines I was most interested in. In a few months I am going to Los Angeles to represent MBS at a business case competition. There is no shortage of societies, sports clubs and various activities to get involved in. I learned about stock markets and investing at the trading and investing society, played business games and learned about career options with the AKPsi fraternity, climbed rocks, discussed philosophy, played poker...'

- Artem Bocharov

More current students share their experience of studying BA (Hons) International Business, Finance and Economics on our YouTube channel

John Rylands University Library is renowned as one of the most extensive libraries in the world. This is complemented by our specialist business and management Precinct Library which provides a dedicated service to Alliance Manchester Business School undergraduates. There is increasing provision of information via various web-based services and much of your reading material will be available through e-journals. These and other standard computing services, such as access to the internet and word processing, are available through computer clusters across campus in departmental buildings, libraries and halls of residence. Many buildings in and around the campus are also equipped with free wifi access.

Personal development plans

PDPs are aimed at helping you develop awareness of generic transferable and subject-specific skills, improve independent learning and provide a record of your academic learning and achievement.

Academic advisors

All new Alliance Manchester Business School students are allocated an academic advisor who you will meet in regular sessions as part of a first-year course unit. Where possible, you will keep the same academic advisor throughout your time here. Your advisor will support you throughout your studies on matters of an academic nature, from providing feedback on a practice essay in preparation for your `formal' assessment at the end of each semester to discussing your PDP or writing you a reference. We also have a dedicated undergraduate assessment and student support centre within the School, who will be your first point of contact for any ill health or other personal problems which are affecting your work.

Student mentoring

We operate a peer mentoring scheme which aims to provide you with a second or final year 'mentor' to provide practical assistance with orientation and induction as well as advice and information on any aspect of student life.

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email:  dass@manchester.ac.uk