FDA Business Management Foundation degree at Darlington College
FDA Business Management at Darlington College. The qualification is nationally recognised as a UK degree-awarding body credential. The course allows you to develop practical business knowledge across core and specialist areas, such as Marketing, Finance, HR and People, Operations…
About this course
FDA Business Management is a Foundation degree (FDA) at Darlington College. It is studied part-time; duration varies by route.
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Business & Management, see the sections below.
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year 1 6 modules
- Analysing Financial Performancecore
Module details
Equips you with techniques that enable you to participate in the analysis and efficient management of the financial resources of an organisation, and cover the planning and budgeting process through to the evaluation of performance. This process includes decision-making based on financial data, preparing budgets and analysing performance against budget, and looking at ways to add value to an organisation.
- Introduction to Strategic Marketing in Businesscore
Module details
You are introduced to strategic approaches in marketing, including how fundamental principles of marketing concepts influence the changing and competitive environment. Learn about the relationship between organisations and their external environments, focusing on how adapting marketing strategies can enable businesses to compete in the global marketplace.
- Managing Human Resourcescore
Module details
You gain an understanding of the main theories of Human Resource Management (HRM) and how they are applied within the workplace. You gain theoretical and practical underpinning for the comprehension and analysis of the nature of HRM, including the formal systems devised for the management of people within an organisation.
- Personal and Professional Developmentcore
Module details
You develop your understanding of academic and subject specific skills and acquaint yourself with a range of academic conventions and practices. If you are a work-based learner, you can develop key personal skills. You reflect on your own learning and achievement is developed to assist you to proceed to the next stage of your career. It equips and prepares you to work autonomously and become independent, in preparation for employment and higher level study.
- The Organisationcore
Module details
This module looks at the nature of organisations and different approaches to managing organisations. You will also consider some of the key issues that influence people's performance in work, such as motivation management, leadership, dealing with conflict and teams.
- Work-based Studycore
Module details
Connect your learning with real-world applications, showing how theoretical models can help address business challenges. Focus on proposing strategies to enhance performance using real-life experiences and case studies.
Year 2 6 modules
- Change Managementcore
Module details
Gain a comprehensive understanding of organisational change and its impact. Explore contemporary change models, and consider how to implement and manage change from a line manager's perspective. Analyse different approaches to organisational change, including managing resistance to change.
- Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Skills for Future Venturescore
Module details
Develop the entrepreneurial skills, knowledge and processes you need to turn business ideas into reality. Explore resource management, sustainable strategies and how to navigate the legal and ethical considerations of enterprise development.
- International Business Environmentcore
Module details
Explore the complexities of the global marketplace through activities in the international business environment. Using a culturally and ethically diverse framework, conduct an in-depth analysis of today's international business landscape.
- Work-related Research Projectcore
Module details
This module builds on the learning from the Self Analysis and Career Development module. The learning takes place in the workplace, either the normal place of work or a placement appropriate to the sector of study. The module is project based, mainly. The individual should identify a significant aspect of dysfunction in the organisation, identify the underlying factors and develop proposals for how that problem can be addressed. This will be agreed between the student, the employer and the tutor
- Operations and Supply Chain Managementoptional
Module details
You study the fundamental concepts of operations management and its associated issues from a much wider and strategic supply chain perspective. You focus on real world cases and conduct independent evaluation on key supply-chain practices.
- Project Managementoptional
Module details
This module aims to introduce the fundamental concepts of project management and to build on the role of the project manager in managing teams and providing support for organisational change. It will also be a focus for understanding how to manage several projects from feasibility to post implementation stages, including risk and contingency management. The module will also introduce one of the most prominent project management software used in the industry, Microsoft Project.
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
You'll study the fundamentals of business management, moving from core concepts in Year 1 through specialist pathways and applied projects. A course like this typically begins with Introduction to Management & Organisations, Marketing Principles, and Business Economics & Data. In Year 2, you'll usually progress to Operations & Supply Chain Management, Organisational Behaviour & HRM, and Strategy. Year 3 normally introduces specialist options such as Entrepreneurship, International business, Digital business, Consulting, Marketing, or People & HR, alongside innovation and a capstone project or consultancy brief. The structure emphasises both theoretical grounding and practical application.
Who it's for
This course suits working professionals and those seeking flexible study options who want to build business management expertise without full-time commitment. It is designed for learners aiming to progress into management roles or further study in business-related fields.
Careers & job market
Across Business & Management courses nationally, 87% of graduates are in work or further study within 15 months of completing their degree. Of those working, 60% are in highly skilled roles or undertaking further study. National graduate earnings data shows starting salaries (at 15 months) typically range from £24,000 to £32,000; after three years, £21,250 to £30,000; and after five years, £26,350 to £37,200.
University & format
This FDA Business Management qualification is delivered part-time at Darlington College, a higher education college in Darlington, taught in English. The foundation degree is recognised by a UK degree-awarding body, so your qualification will be nationally recognised.
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
Part-time application dates vary by provider. UCAS dates
See and book current events. Dates can fill or change.
Opened 2 July 2026; last choice 19 October 2026. Check vacancies now. A cached page never claims a place is still available.
Entry & how to get in
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Entry is set by the university and based on your offer. Use your predicted grades to see how you compare, then check the university's stated requirements.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course. One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by Apply directly to the provider
Part-time application dates vary by provider. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Standard capped home fee at English providers (2026/27); Scotland, Wales & NI differ.
Check fees at Darlington College →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Business & Management graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
- 1Graduate / AnalystOn a scheme or first role · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / ManagerOwning an area, marketing, finance, ops · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / Head ofLeading a function and a team · 5–10 yrs
- 4Director / FounderRunning a business unit or your own company · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Business & Management nationally
National figures for Business & Management graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
Job market & outlook
How Business & Management graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine reporting and data pulls
- First-draft decks and copy
- Standard forecasts and reconciliations
- Scheduling and admin workflows
More human than ever
- Strategy and judgement under uncertainty
- Leading, negotiating and selling
- Sense-checking and owning what AI produces
- Relationships with clients and teams
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Business & Management graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Consultancies
- Corporate graduate schemes
- Retail & FMCG
- Startups & scale-ups
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Business & Management graduates.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
Business and management across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around Darlington College
2,063 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Business & Management right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to Darlington College from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is set per course by Darlington College; international fees are typically £12,000–£30,000/year for classroom subjects and higher for lab/clinical ones. You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check Darlington College’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with Darlington College and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at Darlington College
Business & Management at other universities
Common questions
What are the entry requirements?
What do graduates earn?
What will it cost me?
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