Entrepreneurship with Foundation Year

At least 3 GCSEs including

• GCSE Maths, Grade C or Grade 4 or above. 

• GCSE English, Grade C or Grade 4 or above. 

If you don't hold GCSEs, we accept 45 credits at Level 2 or equivalent.

If your qualifications are older than 3 years we also ask to see a professional CV.

We strive to support students to succeed, whatever their background, and we encourage you to apply to study with us even if you don’t meet the academic requirements.

We view all applications holistically – and will consider a minimum of 12 months professional work experience (evidenced with a CV and reference) if you don't meet the academic entry requirements.

You'll also be required to submit a motivation letter that outlines:

• your motivations for choosing this course

• how your work experience has prepared you for the Foundation Year course

• how the course aligns with your career goals.

Thinking of transferring institutions or have you studied before? Your prior learning could mean you're exempt from some modules, bringing you closer to your goals.

Unlock the value of your past learning and experience with our recognition of prior learning process. Simply consult with our Study Advisers, and submit a recognition of prior learning form alongside your application.

If you’re a mature student and you don’t meet our entry criteria, you may be eligible to enrol through our mature student process.

You may be required to submit a CV and a short supporting statement of 500 to 600 words. This should set out why you want to study this programme and how it will support your career plans.

We also consider a variety of qualifications including A levels with EPQ, International Baccalaureate, BTECs, T-levels, Cambridge Pre-U subjects, Irish Leaving Certificate, Scottish Highers, Welsh Baccalaureate and other international qualifications.

Overseas qualifications may be accepted, and will be subject to evidence of equivalency normally verified through ECCTIS (UK ENIC). 

If you’re a non-native English speaker, you’ll be asked to provide proof of your English language proficiency in one of the following forms.

Alternatively, you may be accepted if you have previously studied in English at an appropriate level and attended a recognised institution.

IELTS grade of 6.0 overall or above, with no element below 5.5.

An online English test is offered (SPEEXX) if IELTS not available. 

TOEFL minimum 80 points.

Trinity College ISE – ISE III at minimum pass. Please note that Trinity College ISE academic results are only valid for two years.

Duolingo English test minimum 95 points. Take Duolingo’s online English test. It takes just 45 to 60 minutes, and you’ll receive your results within two days. You can then send your certificate to us.

Cambridge Certificate minimum B grade overall.

• Foundations of learning

  In this module, you’ll explore various learning strategies, effective communication skills, time management, and goal-setting essential for academic success.

• Academic integrity and writing for business

  Learn about academic work demands, avoiding plagiarism, referencing skills, and developing strong business communication tailored for different stakeholders.

• Personal career plan

  Prepare for your future career by identifying core strengths and competencies and understanding various job search processes and personal branding.

• Elective: Foundation Year: (see Electives: Foundation Year)

• Applied learning strategies

  Enhance your learning strategies, communication, and presentation skills, along with the ability to reflect and overcome academic challenges.

• Developing a business mindset* – business-related track

  Explore the attributes required for a business mindset, including financial literacy, sustainability, diversity, and learning from failure.

• Business ethics – business-related track

  This module introduces ethical principles in business practices, social justice, sustainability, and helps you develop informed moral judgment.

• Project: innovation and investigation

  In this project-based module, you’ll integrate your learning from earlier modules into a comprehensive subject-area project.

*Please note, this elective will be available to study from April 2025.

• Principles of management

  In this module, you'll learn the fundamental principles of management, including planning, organizing, leading, and controlling, critical for today’s dynamic business environment.

• International marketing

  This module covers strategic international marketing, cultural influences, market research, strategic planning, and ethical aspects in a global context.

• Management accounting

  Understand management accounting concepts vital for efficient organisation operations, focusing on financial analysis, cost accounting, and budgeting.

• Entrepreneurship and innovation

  Learn about the entrepreneurial process, innovation development, and how to apply entrepreneurial knowledge to real-life economic or societal problems.

• Introduction to user research

  This module introduces user research techniques for understanding user requirements through qualitative and quantitative research methods.

• Start-up financing

  Understand the importance of start-up financing, different financing options, liquidity management, and investor relations critical for new businesses.

• Managerial economics

  Analyse economic relationships concerning various markets, consumer behaviour, and entrepreneurial decisions through economic theories and practical applications.

• Introduction to artificial intelligence

  Explore AI’s historical developments, reinforcement learning, natural language processing, and computer vision to understand AI’s role and potential.

• Introduction to academic work

  Students will grasp academic research fundamentals, literature use, and techniques for producing strong scientific papers.

• Agile project management

  This module offers insights into agile project management principles, differentiating it from plan-driven approaches, and applying agile methods in projects.

• Corporate governance and strategy

  Learn about corporate governance frameworks and strategy formulation influenced by legal and regulatory factors in an international business context.

• Innovation management

  This module covers elements and methods of innovation management, analysing and applying them to real-life corporate environments.

• Project: sustainable entrepreneurship

  Develop a market-oriented sustainable business idea, relate it to global frameworks, and design marketing measures for sustainable impact.

• Digital business models

  Understand business model definitions, historical development, digital business model evaluation, and their relevance to corporate success.

• Elective A (see electives A section below)

• Elective A (see electives A section below)

• Leadership 4.0

  Explore contemporary leadership techniques, design organisational structures, and evaluate leadership methods from an ethical perspective.

• Seminar: current topics in digitalization

  Conduct independent research on digitalisation topics, synthesize findings into a scientific paper, and showcase advanced academic skills.

• Elective B (see Electives B section below)

• Elective B (see Electives B section below)

• Elective C (see Electives C section below)

• Elective C (see Electives C section below)

• Undergraduate (bachelor) thesis

  Apply your comprehensive Entrepreneurship knowledge to tackle a theoretical or empirical problem, presenting your findings in an academic dissertation.

• Foundations of academic English

  Focus on correct and concise academic writing, reviewing grammar, sentence types, punctuation, and academic integrity. Compulsory for international students.

• Skills for business

  Learn to apply business language and skills, including business communication, presentations, and understanding organizational structure.

• Maths foundations

  Revisit essential math concepts, problem-solving, and effective independent study, preparing your for more complex math in future modules.

• Digital skills

  This module explores digital changes in various professions, understanding digital transformation’s impact on society, and equipping you with essential digital skills.

• Project: digital entrepreneurship

  Develop a digital start-up idea, apply digital business models, conduct market tests, and create business plans.

• Project: development of business ideas

  Identify problems, develop business ideas, conduct market analysis, formulate a unique selling proposition, and present business ideas.

• Project: AI excellence with creative prompting techniques

  Engage in hands-on AI content creation, design effective prompts, and apply ethical considerations in AI systems.

• Fundamentals of product management

  Focus on market analysis, product strategy development, market tests, and successful product management post-launch.

• Change management

  Understand change management needs, procedures, and techniques to implement necessary business changes and manage resistance.

• Sustainability

  Grasp key aspects of sustainability, examine it in ethical and economic terms, and learn to apply international frameworks and reporting models to real-life cases.

• Intercultural and ethical decision-making

  Explore intercultural competencies, cultural and ethical interdependencies, and systematically plan and implement learning processes for effective decision-making.

• Self-arranged internship I (*)

  Develop your practical and analytical skills by doing an internship and improving your employability. In several preparation tutorials, you’ll consider the working environment and the overall goal of your placement.

• Self-arranged internship II (*)

  As with the first internship, this is an opportunity to apply your skills and knowledge in a business environment. Develop your communication style, problem solving ability and time management.

  
  

*You'll be responsible for arranging a suitable internship for your field of study. Once arranged, please complete an application to the internship module via myCampus, to make sure your internship can be recognised and credited towards your course requirements.

Online and digital marketing

• Online marketing

  Analyse theories, strategies, and tactics for online marketing, customer retention, legal aspects, and evaluate online marketing programs.

• Digital methods in market research

  Explore digital quantitative and qualitative market research methods, develop research projects, and evaluate data insights.

Artificial intelligence and business intelligence

• Artificial intelligence

  Study AIs developments, reinforcement learning, NLP techniques, and applications, enhancing understanding of AI systems.

• Project: artificial intelligence

  Work on designing and developing an AI system, considering practical constraints and application requirements for a specific domain.

Supply chain management and industry 4.0

• Supply chain management I

  Analyse supply chain management frameworks, modelling processes, dynamic effects, and develop strategies for efficient supply chain coordination.

• Supply chain management II

  Study SCOR model, planning and control strategies, and practical approaches for optimizing supply chains and distribution.

Prototyping and design thinking

• Project: prototyping and validation of a business idea

  Systematically test and validate a start-up idea, develop prototypes, and present results in a comprehensive project report.

• Project: design thinking

  Receive a practical introduction to design thinking, examine procedures in detail, and apply methods in an example project.

Finance and accounting

• Accounting and balancing

  Understand financial statements, prepare financial reports, and analyse accounting concepts crucial for managerial decision-making and financial health of businesses.

• Corporate finance and investment

  Study corporate finance principles, financial markets, equity and debt financing, and analyse investment decisions and their impact on business outcomes.

Sustainability

• Sustainability and quality management

  Learn sustainability and quality management principles, corporate responsibility, and analyse real-life corporate sustainability examples.

• Sustainable technologies

  Understand sustainable technology concepts, evaluate their applications and social significance, and explore methods for objective assessment.

Human resources

• Introduction to new work

  Analyse technological and societal changes, agile work principles, leadership and HR management in modern work environments.

• Organisational behaviour

  Integrate theories and conceptual frameworks of organizational behaviour, improve performance and engagement, and manage individual and group dynamics.

Online and digital marketing

• Social media marketing

  Develop a comprehensive social media strategy, explore social media channels, and analyse their impact on marketing and innovation management.

• Project: digital methods in market research

  Delve into advanced digital market research methods, apply them to complex problems, and manage projects effectively.

Artificial intelligence and business intelligence

• Data analytics and big data

  Understand statistical methods and techniques for big data projects, analyse data mining processes, and examine legal frameworks.

• Statistical computing

  Learn statistical computing using R programming, applying descriptive, inferential, and regression analysis in practical scenarios.

Supply chain management and industry 4.0

• Product development in industry 4.0

  Study modern product development methods, digital product design tools, and the impact of industry trends on product development.

• Project: smart product solutions

  Develop and analyse smart product solutions, applying engineering methodologies and decision-making tools in practical projects.

Prototyping and design thinking

• UX prototyping

  Explore different types of prototypes, prototyping techniques, service design processes, and practical application in user experience projects.

• Project: minimum viable product

  Develop a prototype product or service, create a business plan, and present financial projections for new start-up ideas.

Finance and accounting

• Digital finance and controlling

  Evaluate digitization’s impact on finance and controlling, analyse digitization technologies, and develop strategies for digital business models.

• Corporate planning and control

  Learn corporate planning, budgeting, strategic and operational control, and analyse planning systems in real-life case studies.

Sustainability

• Circular economy

  Understand circular economy concepts, sustainable transformations, and the impact on business models and technologies.

• Project: sustainability from the consumer perspective

  Analyse sustainability in customer journeys, develop effective sustainability strategies, and differentiate target groups based on sustainability needs.

Human resources

• Digital HR

  Evaluate digitalization’s impact on HR management, assess digital technologies in HR, and explore emerging professions in the digital era.

• International HR management

  Study cross-cultural HR management, international staff deployment, and develop HR processes for multinational corporations.