BSc Food Business and Marketing with International Foundation Year - January entry

Compulsory modules

Mathematics Foundation

Gain a fundamental understanding of the role of basic mathematics in biological and chemical sciences.

An Introduction to Business Management

Enhance your ability to think critically, organise your thoughts logically, and argue persuasively in business and management contexts. You'll learn basic business and management theory, including entrepreneurship, business planning, marketing, human resource management, finance, and accounting.

Foundation Economics - Microeconomics

Discover how individuals and companies allocate and utilise resources. You'll learn the neoclassical model of demand and supply, markets failures and the behaviour of firms.

Foundation Economics - Macroeconomics

Learn models and theories used by economists to understand the performance of the economy. You'll develop basic mathematical and statistical skills and apply these to economic decision making.

Plus:

Foundation in Academic Skills (UK students)

Develop academic skills essential for success both on the Foundation Year and as an undergraduate.

Academic Skills (International students)

You'll work through group activities and individual study tasks to develop the confidence, academic writing, and communication skills required to succeed on your degree course.

Compulsory modules

Consumer Psychology

Explore basic concepts, methods, and theories in psychology and psychological processes pertinent to the consumption of goods and services by different consumer groups. You'll draw on traditional areas of psychology, learn about the key perspectives in the psychology of marketing, discuss examples of how psychological research has been used in marketing, and gain experience in conducting and reporting consumer psychology research studies.

Global Sustainability: Challenges and Prospects

Explore key ecological and eco-social challenges of our time, their causes, proposals to address them and associated debate across several disciplines. 

The Economic Environment

Explore key microeconomic and macroeconomic concepts and the relevance they have to some of the most critical challenges facing individuals, businesses, and societies across the globe.  

Research and Professional Skills for Business and Marketing

Discover the main research and professional skills used by consumer researchers, applied economists, and business managers, and develop them in a practical research project. You’ll be introduced to professional qualitative and quantitative research methods and underlying theoretical frameworks in consumer research and applied economics.  

The Fundamentals of Management and Marketing

Explore key concepts of marketing and management as you critically relate them to contemporary practice. You’ll study contemporary and traditional approaches to marketing and management, alongside issues that arise in practice.  

Optional modules

Agricultural Production Systems 

Explore the exciting and complex process of primary food production. You'll familiarise yourself with key biological principles in crop and livestock science along with an international perspective on crop and livestock production.  

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/25 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.

Compulsory modules    

Applied Marketing and Management 

Gain a key understanding of the concepts of marketing and management and how their functional activities are essential to a successful marketing manager. You’ll learn how organisations respond to the marketing environment and how strategies are developed and implemented.

Research Methods and Data Analysis

Explore research processes with an emphasis on conclusive research design, techniques for primary data collection, and tools for exploratory data analysis. You’ll learn to use statistical software as you gain knowledge on statistical techniques and their applications in consumer and market research environments. 

Practice of Entrepreneurship

Explore the key concepts of business start-ups such as entrepreneurial management, design thinking, business model creation, entrepreneurial finance, and marketing. You'll understand the basic entrepreneurial skills required to start and manage a new venture and learn and apply standard business practices such as organising meetings, business planning, opportunity evaluation, marketing and finance.

Optional modules

Consumer Attitudes and Behaviour

Explore the theoretical perspectives and psychological factors that influence consumer demand for goods and services. You’ll explore the relevance of understanding consumer attitudes and behaviours in terms of achieving business objectives. 

Digital Marketing

Study the insights and competencies that enable companies to get the most out of digital media and achieve marketing goals. You’ll explore the role and place of digital marketing within the traditional marketing framework and learn to analyse the online environment to achieve competitive advantage.  

Farm Business Management

Understand the elements of financial management, decision-making, business planning and entrepreneurship through visits to rural businesses, in-class interactive lectures and real-world scenario assessments. You'll be exposed to a range of farming systems and structures, and have the opportunity to learn about farm management practices, and financial management in the context of a business enterprise.

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/25 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading. 

Compulsory modules    

Marketing Strategy

Develop a sophisticated understanding of the increasingly ‘glocal’ context within which businesses operate. You’ll diagnose marketing problems and create effective marketing strategies as you’re exposed to the theoretical frameworks and practical considerations driving effective strategic marketing decision making. 

Contemporary Issues in Consumer Behaviour and Marketing 

Consider the concepts of ethics, globalisation and consumerism and how they’ve shaped the new regulatory state in the UK. You’ll develop an awareness of how changes in the theory and practice of regulation affect consumer markets, as well as how consumers are empowered and protected in different sectors.  

Plus one or both of:

Independent Research Project

Build on you’re the skills, knowledge and experience you’ve gained throughout your studies as you embark on your own research project. You’ll identify a suitable topic, develop a hypothesis, and conduct your project using your critical skillset. 

Applied Marketing Project

Discover the role of marketing consultants and entrepreneurs as you apply knowledge and skills relevant to addressing real-world marketing problems. You’ll develop your own marketing solution that addresses consumer engagement using  digital and offline marketing strategies.  

Optional modules

International Human Resource Management

Learn the key concepts for understanding international human resource management. You'll explore the practice of managing human resources in international businesses and consider variations in the practice of managing human resources in different countries and cultures. 

Digital Entrepreneurship

Understand how digital entrepreneurial ventures make use of the tensions and opportunities arising from current technological change. You'll learn about different approaches, methods and strategies employed by digital companies in validating and developing products, gaining market and customer traction, and competing for scale in hyper-competitive markets. Additionally, you'll be introduced to entrepreneurial marketing methods and data-driven decision-making processes.

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/2025 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods. 

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. 

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.