Bachelor of Business (Hons)

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Overview

This honours degree programme provides students with the knowledge, skills, and competencies to contribute effectively to the field of business. Students will also be able to develop a specialism that will further prepare them for their future career aspirations. Specifically, students will examine the opportunities and challenges businesses face by constantly changing customer demands, technological advances, external environments, and societal concerns with sustainability and sustainable communities. They will further interrogate these opportunities and challenges beyond a general understanding through their chosen specialism

At the end of year one, students will decide on which specialism they wish to pursue and will commence their later years of study in their chosen campus. These specialisms align with regional employment needs and growth areas. Specialisms are as follows:

ATU Donegal – Business with Enterprise and Innovation
ATU Galway – Business with Digital Business
ATU Sligo – Business with Supply Chain Management

Provider Locations and Structure

Year 1 based in the following ETB locations:

FET Centre (The Business Hub), Letterkenny

Years 2, 3 & 4 based in the following ATU campuses:

ATU Donegal (Enterprise & Innovation)
ATU Galway (Digital Business)
ATU Sligo (Supply Chain Management)

Course Content – For All Years

This programme, developed and designed with relevant stakeholders, is a Bachelor of Business Honours in Business with three areas of specialism. Students will commence the degree programme within a common year one. Year one will be delivered within FET colleges, students will study modules such as:

Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship
Introduction to Marketing
Study & Interpersonal Skills
Business Mathematics & Statistics
Fundamentals of Information Technology
Introduction to Business Economics
Introduction to Finance
Introduction to Management
Sustainable Business

Embedded Awards

This tertiary degree is a comprehensive 4 year programme. The programme is designed to support academic success despite challenges that may arise. If a student has to leave the programme before completing the final year, tertiary degrees include embedded awards. Embedded awards formally recognise learning achieved during time in the programme. For this degree, the embedded awards are:

After successfully completing Year 1	NFQ level 6 Certificate in Business
After successfully completing Year 2	NFQ level 6 Higher Certificate in Business
After successfully completing Year 3	NFQ level 7 Bachelor of Business in Business with Digital Business or Bachelor of Business in Business with Supply Chain Management or Bachelor of Business in Business with Enterprise & Innovation from ATU

The final NFQ level 8 Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Business with Digital Business or Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Business with Supply Chain Management or Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Business with Enterprise & Innovation Computing is awarded by ATU.

Planned intake (number of places)

20 places per location

Entry requirements and eligibility

Leaving Certificate – Grade O6/H7 or better in five Leaving Certificate subjects. Leaving Certificate must include English or Irish and Mathematics.  Maths at F2 is acceptable to meet the minimum Maths entry requirement. Irish at F2 is acceptable to meet the minimum language requirements. (UK and International equivalents will be considered)

A Full level 5/6 QQI award

Mature applicants – (aged 23 on or before 1st January of the course commencement year). These applicants do not have to meet the minimum entry requirements listed here and are considered on an individual basis (previous education, work experience, and demonstration of competence to undertake the programme)

Access programme (LCA students can gain access to this programme following completion of an access programme)

An applicant who is a minimum of 17 years of age with at least 2 years post Junior Certificate relevant experience. All applicants must demonstrate that they would qualify for the special rate of maintenance grant under the Student Grant Scheme (SUSI) and/or are in receipt of a Department of Social Protection (DSP) long-term means-tested social welfare payment and/or be from one or more of the priority groups or from any priority group identified as part of the next National Access Plan (2022-2028). See Appendix B. Applicants must demonstrate competence to undertake the programme.

Onward Pathways

ATU Donegal: Bachelor of Business Honours in Business with Enterprise and Innovation

This award combines general business with enterprise and innovation; therefore, career opportunities exist across all sectors. It is expected that some graduates will be interested in setting up their own businesses.

Innovation & new enterprise is a vital area of employability in any sector. Many graduate opportunities now specify innovation as a key quality looked for in new hires. Indeed, many companies now highlight experience in, or ability to adapt to, innovation as important attributes of new hires. Similarly, enterprise (entrepreneurial and enterprising skills) is now a valued trait amongst companies, with one company stating in a current job advertisement that “diversity fosters innovative thinking and entrepreneurship, and that’s what we are about”.

A business degree with enterprise and innovation can lead to opportunities in a wide range of business areas and sectors. Graduate opportunities and roles may also include: Entrepreneur Intrapreneur/Corporate Entrepreneur; Business Development Manager; Innovator and Change Manager; General Business Management; Start-Up Advisor.

ATU Galway: Bachelor of Business (Honours) in Business with Digital Business

This award combines general business with digital business, and career opportunities exist both in general business and in digital business, including digital marketing, E-business opportunities and business analysis. Many business roles today require significant Information Technology and business analysis skills, and graduates of this degree will be well-placed to gain such positions.

ATU Sligo: Bachelor of Business (Honours) in Business with Supply Chain

This award combines general business with supply chain management; therefore, career opportunities exist across many sectors including, but not limited to, health care, education, engineering and manufacturing, food, pharmaceutical, shipping and freight. Graduate opportunities and roles in the supply chain field include: supply chain management; purchasing and procurement; procurement management; distribution management; supply coordination.

Lifelong learning is also an important skill for all graduates to develop so that graduates that are equipped to learn and keep up with all the changes that they will face in industry. Graduates can therefore continue their studies to postgraduate level with ATU or across the globe.