Business HND

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Gold award

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Gold award

Our commitment to high quality teaching has been recognised with a TEF Gold rating. The University has received an overall rating of Gold, as well as securing a Gold award in the framework's two new student experience and student outcomes categories.

Why choose this course?

This course is ideal if you have a strong interest in business or wish to boost your employability by gaining a higher-level business qualification. It'll develop your analytical business skills and prepare you for the working environment.

You'll be introduced to the general business environment and the fundamentals of business. You'll examine business issues from a range of perspectives, learning to analyse management problems and find workable solutions.

This course is taught at Kingston College (validated by Kingston University), just five minutes from the University's Penrhyn Road campus. You'll be taught by staff at Kingston College. The team includes senior academics, professional practitioners with industry experience, demonstrators and technical officers.

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Where taught Attendance UCAS code Campus code Year of entry
Kingston College 2 years full time 422N K 2025
Main Location Kingston College
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Reasons to choose Kingston University

  • This HND is a pathway to a full honours degree. You can "top-up" with just one further year of study.
  • You'll be able to use Kingston University's wide range of facilities, including study skills classes, the library and the many sports and leisure options.
  • Teaching is in small groups, with a variety of methods used to support your individual learning.

What you will study

The course will comprise the following modules:

Year 1

Year 2

In Year 1, you will develop core study skills, boosting your employability. You will study the general global business environment and be introduced to the fundamentals of business. Other modules examine the world of work, how the business environment, including economics, influences business, the fundamentals of marketing and an introduction to people and organisations. At this level, you are expected to be able to describe and structure business problems. The knowledge and skills developed will prepare you for broader and deeper study of key management functions in Year 2.

Core modules

Business and Study Fundamentals

30 credits

This module focuses on building essential business, study and employability skills, and prepares you to be successful on your course and in your subsequent career in business and management. It also provides you with an opportunity to develop life-long learning and personal development skills.

The early part of the module will develop the essential study skills required to be successful on all the modules on Level 4 of the HND. It will support the learning and study taking place in those modules and ensure you are engaging with appropriate personal academic planning and monitoring. As the module develops, you will start to evidence those skills in the context of your future career and learn how to build your employability, both for your own self-awareness and for the recruitment and selection activities you may face for placements and graduate employment. You will have the opportunity to apply your learning in a practical way, working as part of a group on a business project/problem.

Business Organisations and the Wider Environment

30 credits

This module is a core requirement for students studying the Business HND. It aims to introduce you to organisations and the environment of the world of work, and to provide you with models (based on economic and business theory) to enable you to apply your learning to understand and analyse real-life scenarios.

Career and Employability Development/HRM

30 credits

This module offers you a structured and supported framework to critically reflect upon and evaluate your skills, your career motivations and your development needs. It will introduce and apply career choice and development theories as well as provide an opportunity to understand the role of HRM in recruitment and selection processes (such as CV screening, and interviewing techniques). You will develop skills such as self-reflection, career management and planning from an individual perspective as well as from the employer's viewpoint (HRM). You will also develop research skills and will have the opportunity to build upon the knowledge you have learnt in other modules regarding different business functions and environments.

Essentials of Marketing

30 credits

This module is a core requirement for students studying the HND in Business. It aims to introduce you to the marketing concept and enable you to apply the learning to simulated and/or practical situations. Further, it aims to develop transferable skills that will support you in your studying and employability. To that end, the module forms part of an integrated overall level 4 and HND structure.

In Year 2, you will develop analytical skills and suggest recommendations to business issues. You will further your knowledge of financial management, operations and project management and international business and culture, and make specific plans for employment.

Core modules

Financial and Managerial Decision Making

30 credits

This module is a core module which introduces you to accounting and financial decision making. The module has two main elements: retrospective (historical) accounting and prospective forward looking accounting. Initially you will learn retrospective accounting which consists of the basic accounting concepts and accounting standards of Financial Accounting and apply these in preparing a set of financial statements for a sole trader. You will simultaneously learn to use accounting software (SAGE). You will also learn about the regulatory and reporting requirements for different businesses. You will then progress on to prospective accounting which consists of developing management accounting techniques for decision making for the short term and long term. You will also learn how to analyse and interpret and explain basic financial information and use your analysis to make recommendations.

Introduction to Project and Operations Management

30 credits

This module is a core requirement for those studying the HND in Business. It aims to introduce you to a project management methodology that can be used to develop the plans for to a hypothetical but realistic project. You will then examine operations models and concepts that will enable you to analyse real world operations, identify operational problems and suggest appropriate improvements. You will then compare and contrast the way operations and project managers typically work.

International Business and Culture

30 credits

This module is a core requirement for students studying the HND in Business. It aims to introduce you to the international environment within which businesses operate and to provide you with appropriate conceptual models to enable you to apply the learning to understand and analyse real world international business decisions.

People and Organisations

30 credits

This module is intended to answer two key questions for students - What is an organisation and how do people influence how organisations work? It will also allow you the opportunity to further develop the skills you will need in order to be successful within an organisation. You will consider key aspects of organisational behaviour and apply these to case study situations.

Future Skills

Knowledge to give you the edge

Embedded within every course curriculum and throughout the whole Kingston experience, Future Skills will play a role in shaping you to become a future-proof graduate, providing you with the skills most valued by employers such as problem-solving, digital competency, and adaptability.

As you progress through your degree, you'll learn to navigate, explore and apply these graduate skills, learning to demonstrate and articulate to employers how future skills give you the edge.

At Kingston University, we're not just keeping up with change, we're creating it.

Learn employability-enhancing Future Skills
A female engineering student, in the engineering lab.

Kingston Business School Accreditations

Kingston Business School holds the prestigious international accreditation by the AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) in recognition of the excellence of its business education. This accreditation has been earned by just 5% of the world's business schools and recognises the high quality and standard of our business degree offerings.

Find out more about our accreditations
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Entry requirements

Typical offer 2025

  • 32 UCAS tariff points from Level 3 qualifications (e.g. two A2 subjects, BTEC Diploma)
  • Candidates are normally required to hold five GCSE subjects at grade C/4 or above, including Mathematics and English Language.

Typical offer 2024

  • 32 UCAS tariff points from Level 3 qualifications (e.g. two A2 subjects, BTEC Diploma)
  • Candidates are normally required to hold five GCSE subjects at grade C/4 or above, including Mathematics and English Language.

Additional requirements

  • Entry on to this course does not require an interview, entrance test, audition or portfolio
  • Students on this course are not eligible for a student visa. Therefore international applicants who require a visa to study in the UK should not apply

Alternative Routes

  • QAA-approved Access to Higher Education Diploma in a relevant subject with 60 credits, minimum 45 credits at Level 3 pass.
  • Candidates are normally required to hold five GCSE subjects grades A*-C including Mathematics and English Language (or comparable numeric score under the newly reformed GCSE grading).

Typical offer and UCAS points explained

Like most universities, we use the UCAS Tariff point system for our course entry requirements.

Find out more about UCAS Tariff points and see how A-level, AS level, BTEC Diploma and T-level qualifications translate to the points system.

Teaching and assessment

You are taught through a combination of lectures and seminars. Seminars enable you to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures in smaller groups of students. In addition, you have timetabled meetings with your personal tutor. 

Guided independent study (self-managed time)

When not attending lectures, seminars and other timetabled sessions you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve reading, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research in the library, preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for examinations. Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities at Kingston College, including the library, the Undergraduate Centre, and our computer laboratories.

Academic support

Kingston College's Academic Support Team provides help in the following areas:

  • Study skills (including reading, note-taking and presentation skills)
  • Written English (including punctuation and grammatical accuracy)
  • Academic writing (including how to reference)
  • Research skills (in conjunction with the library)
  • Critical thinking and understanding arguments
  • Revision, assessment and examination skills (including time management).

Your workload

Year 1

  • 45% of your time is spent in timetabled learning and teaching activity
  • Scheduled learning and teaching: 544 hours
  • Guided independent study (self-managed time): 656 hours

Year 2

  • 43% of your time is spent in timetabled learning and teaching activity      
  • Scheduled learning and teaching: 512 hours
  • Guided independent study (self-managed time): 688 hours

How you will be assessed

Assessment typically comprises exams (e.g. test or exam), practical (e.g. presentations, performance) and coursework (e.g. essays, reports, self-assessment, portfolios, dissertation). The approximate percentage for how you will be assessed on this course is as follows, though depends to some extent on the optional modules you choose:

Year 1

  • 65% Coursework
  • 15% Practical
  •  20% Exam

Year 2 

  • 56% Coursework
  • 20% Practical
  • 24% Exam

Class sizes

The relatively small class sizes – a key feature of the learning environment at Kingston College – enable significant interaction and individual monitoring of students by lecturing staff. 

After this course

By choosing this HND you'll not only be prepared for success in the workplace, you'll also be able to continue to a full honours degree through a ‘top-up' programme.

Who teaches this course?

You will be taught by staff at Kingston College, who are an experienced teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The team includes senior academics, professional practitioners with industry experience, demonstrators and technical officers. 

Course fees and funding

2025/26 fees for this course

The tuition fee you pay depends on whether you are assessed as a 'Home' (UK), 'Islands' or 'International' student. In 2025/26 the fees for this course are:

 Fee category Amount
Home (UK students)

£8,300*
International

Year 1 (2025/26): £17,700
Year 2 (2026/27): £18,500

For courses with Professional Placement, the fee for the placement year can be viewed on the undergraduate fees table. The placement fee published is for the relevant academic year stated in the table. This fee is subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body.

* For full time programmes of a duration of more than one academic year, the published fee is an annual fee, payable each year, for the duration of the programme. Your annual tuition fees cover your first attempt at all of the modules necessary to complete that academic year. A re-study of any modules will incur additional charges calculated by the number of credits. Home tuition fees may be subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body. Full time taught International fees are subject to an annual increase and are published in advance for the full duration of the programme.

Eligible UK students can apply to the Government for a tuition loan, which is paid direct to the University. This has a low interest-rate which is charged from the time the first part of the loan is paid to the University until you have repaid it.

2024/25 fees for this course

The tuition fee you pay depends on whether you are assessed as a 'Home' (UK), 'Islands' or 'International' student. In 2024/25 the fees for this course are:

 Fee category Amount
Home (UK students)

£8,100*
International

Year 1 (2024/25): £16,200
Year 2 (2025/26): £16,800

For courses with Professional Placement, the fee for the placement year can be viewed on the undergraduate fees table. The placement fee published is for the relevant academic year stated in the table. This fee is subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body.

* For full time programmes of a duration of more than one academic year, the published fee is an annual fee, payable each year, for the duration of the programme. Your annual tuition fees cover your first attempt at all of the modules necessary to complete that academic year. A re-study of any modules will incur additional charges calculated by the number of credits. Home tuition fees may be subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body. Full time taught International fees are subject to an annual increase and are published in advance for the full duration of the programme.

Eligible UK students can apply to the Government for a tuition loan, which is paid direct to the University. This has a low interest-rate which is charged from the time the first part of the loan is paid to the University until you have repaid it.

Note for EU students: UK withdrawal from the European Union

The Government has announced that new students from the European Union and Swiss Nationals starting their course after August 2021 will no longer be eligible for a student loan in England for Undergraduate or Postgraduate studies from the 2021/22 academic year. This decision only applies to new EU students starting after 2021/22. If you are an existing/continuing EU student, you will continue to be funded until you graduate or withdraw from your course.

Additional costs

Depending on the programme of study, there may be extra costs that are not covered by tuition fees which students will need to consider when planning their studies. Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessment and operating University facilities such as the library, access to shared IT equipment and other support services. Accommodation and living costs are not included in our fees. 

Where a course has additional expenses, we make every effort to highlight them. These may include optional field trips, materials (e.g. art, design, engineering), security checks such as DBS, uniforms, specialist clothing or professional memberships.

Textbooks

Most of your readings will be available through the library at no extra cost to you. Our libraries are a valuable resource with an extensive collection of books and journals as well as first-class facilities and IT equipment. You may prefer to buy your own copy of key textbooks – these can cost between £50 and £250 per year.

Computer equipment

There are open-access networked computers available across the University, plus laptops available to loan. You may find it useful to have your own PC, laptop or tablet which you can use around campus and in halls of residence. Free WiFi is available on each campus. You may wish to purchase your own computer, which can cost from £100 to £3,000 depending on your course requirements.

Photocopying and printing

In the majority of cases written coursework can be submitted online. There may be instances when you will be required to submit work in a printed format. Printing, binding and photocopying costs are not included in your tuition fees, this may cost up to £100 per year.

Travel

Travel costs are not included in your tuition fees but we do have a free intersite bus service which links the campuses, Surbiton train station, Kingston-upon-Thames train station, Norbiton train station and halls of residence.

Materials

You will be advised to purchase a specific calculator at a cost of approximately £10 to £20.

Course changes and regulations

The information on this page reflects the currently intended course structure and module details. To improve your student experience and the quality of your degree, we may review and change the material information of this course. Course changes explained.

Programme Specifications for the course are published ahead of each academic year.

Regulations governing this course can be found on our website.