International Foundation Programme (IFP)

This is the foundation course on which subsequent, more specialised university level courses are based.

Topics covered

• Introducing financial reporting
• Preparation of financial accounts
• Other financial accounting issues
• Interpretation of financial accounts
• Management accounting and finance

Learning outcomes

If you complete the course successfully, you should be able to:

• Identify and explain the key purposes and concepts of accounting and finance
• Use established techniques, produce financial information which will enable users of the information to make informed economic choices
• Interpret these financial statements while appreciating the inadequacies of these models

This is the foundation course on which subsequent, more specialised quantitative courses in Mathematics and Statistics are based. The course offers an overview of key mathematical methods and statistical concepts frequently applied to economics, management, finance and related areas.

Topics Covered

• Arithmetic and algebra
• Functions
• Calculus
• Financial Mathematics
• Data Exploration
• Probability
• Sampling and experimentation
• Fundamentals of regression

Learning outcomes

If you complete the course successfully, you should be able to:

• Manipulate algebraic expressions
• Graph, differentiate and integrate simple functions
• Calculate basic quantities in financial mathematics
• Interpret and summarise raw data on social science variables graphically and numerically
• Appreciate the concepts of a probability
• Distribution, modelling uncertainty and the Normal distribution
• Design and conduct surveys and experiments in a social science context
• Model a linear relationship between variables and interpret computer output to assess model adequacy

This is the foundation course on which subsequent, more specialised economics courses are based. The course offers an overview of key economic concepts and their applications to everyday situations and current economic affairs using modelling techniques.

Topics covered

• The nature and scope of economics
• Competitive markets
• Market failure and government intervention
• Managing the economy
• Development and sustainability
• The recent financial and economic crisis

Learning outcomes

If you complete the course successfully, you should be able to:

• Demonstrate familiarity with key economic concepts
• Use a range of simple microeconomic and macroeconomic models to predict market behaviour and analyse current economic affairs
• Provide reasons for and explain the implications of market failure and the impact and effectiveness of government policies
• Contrast and assess different approaches to the same economic problem
• Interpret data presented in different forms, carry out simple calculations and construct diagrams
• Describe measures of economic development
• Explain possible causes and remedies of the current financial and economic crisis

This is the foundation course on which subsequent, university level International Relations (IR) courses are based. This course offers a basic introduction to IR, its classical and contemporary theories, schools of thought and research areas.

Topics covered

• Unit One – States, nations, and countries
• Unit Two – Four models of IR
• Unit Three – Analysing regional issues
• Unit Four – Global issues in international society

Learning outcomes

If you complete the course successfully, you should be able to:

• Identify and explain key concepts and theories in IR
• Connect these concepts and theories to regional and global international issues
• Discuss major world events in the news
• Analyse these events from a number of theoretical perspectives

This Business and Management course introduces students to the different types of businesses that exist and their reasons for so doing. It looks at changes that are taking place in selected aspects of the external environment for businesses. Selected internal functions are studied to show how businesses can use resources efficiently and take informed marketing decisions to respond to changes in their environment and fulfil their aims and objectives.

Topics covered

• Unit One: What is Business?
• Unit Two: The Business Environment
• Unit Three: Managing Resources
• Unit Four: Making effective marketing decisions
• Unit Five: Choosing Appropriate Strategies

Learning outcomes

If you complete the course successfully, you should be able to:

• Describe the different types of businesses that exist and the aims and objectives that they pursue
• Identify major changes in the business environment and analyse how these may affect businesses
• Analyse ways in which businesses pursue their aims and objectives by using resources efficiently and taking informed marketing decisions
• Discuss how businesses make their choices regarding strategies and the factors that help them to be implemented successfully

* BUV is investigating adding more courses in future.

This module further develops a student’s proficiency in working with the mathematical methods of algebra and calculus. It also develops the student’s understanding of the theoretical concepts behind these methods.

Topics covered

• Logic, Proof and Sets: Mathematical statements and proof. Some basic logic. Quantifiers and proof by contradiction. Set notation and operations on sets.
• Algebra: Polynomial division. The factor and remainder theorems. Solving polynomial equations. The relationship between the roots of a polynomial and its coefficients. Partial fractions. The binomial theorem.
• Trigonometry: Trigonometric functions and the Pythagorean identities. The compound angle formulae. Using trigonometric identities to simplify and evaluate trigonometric expressions. Solving trigonometric equations.
• Calculus: Differentiating implicitly defined functions. Integration by substitution. Integration by parts. Using trigonometric identities and partial fractions in integration.
• Differential Equations: Separable and linear first-order differential equations with some applications.
• Coordinate Geometry: Conic sections. Tangents and normals. Parametric equations and using them to find gradients.
• Vectors: Vector addition and scalar multiplication. The dot product and the angle between two vectors. The vector equation of a straight line. Normal vectors and planes. The Cartesian and vector equations of a plane.

Learning outcomes

At the end of the module and having completed the essential reading and activities:

• Use the concepts, terminology and methods covered in the module to solve mathematical problems.
• Solve unseen mathematical problems involving understanding of these concepts and applications of these methods.
• See how mathematics can be used to solve problems in economics and related subjects.
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the underlying mathematical principles.

* Students must select one module from the three elective options.