DipHE Business and Law Foundation degree at the Open University
DipHE Business and Law at Open University is nationally recognised and has received Gold for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023.
About this course
DipHE Business and Law is a Foundation degree (DipHE) at the Open University. It is studied part-time; duration varies by route.
For Business and management graduates from this provider, typical earnings around £33,500. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Business & Management, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 54% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
A typical UK Business & Management degree builds from foundations to specialist options and a final project. An indicative structure:
| Stage | Module |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | Introduction to Management & Organisations How firms work: structure, culture and managerial roles. |
| Year 1 | Marketing Principles Customers, segmentation and the marketing mix in practice. |
| Year 1 | Business Economics & Data Micro/macro essentials plus data skills for business analysis. |
| Year 2 | Operations & Supply Chain Management Designing and improving processes, quality and logistics. |
| Year 2 | Organisational Behaviour & HRM Motivation, teams, leadership and managing people. |
| Year 2 | Strategy Analysing industries and competitive advantage; strategy tools applied to cases. |
| Year 3 | Specialist options Typically entrepreneurship, international business, digital business or consulting. |
| Year 3 | Innovation & Entrepreneurship From opportunity to business model, often with a live venture project. |
| Year 3 | Capstone / consultancy project A real client brief or dissertation integrating the whole degree. |
Typical structure for this subject (indicative). Modules vary by university. Check the provider's course page for the exact curriculum.
Specialisations & pathways
Tip: click a specialisation → current jobs in that area.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
This foundation degree combines business and law studies, moving from core management and economic principles to specialist pathways and applied projects. You'll usually start with foundations in management, organisations and marketing principles, alongside business economics and data skills. As you progress, you'll study operations, supply-chain management, organisational behaviour and strategy. In later stages, a course like this normally offers specialist options such as entrepreneurship, international business, digital business, consulting, marketing, or people and HR. You'll typically work towards a capstone project or consultancy brief that integrates your learning across the degree.
Who it's for
This course suits those balancing study with work or other commitments, given its part-time delivery. Many entrants already hold another higher-education qualification, 27% of accepted students came in with one. You'll need to be comfortable with self-directed learning and managing your own pace across the modules.
Careers & job market
Across Business and Management courses nationally, 87% of graduates were in work or further study 15 months after graduating. Of those working, 60% were in highly skilled roles or pursuing further study. National earnings data shows starting salaries (at 15 months) typically range from £24,000 to £32,000, rising to £26,350–£37,200 after five years.
University & format
This DipHE is studied part-time at The Open University, a public university founded in 1969. Instruction is in English. The university is a recognised UK degree-awarding body, and this course holds Gold in the Office for Students' TEF 2023 for teaching quality.
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
Part-time application dates vary by provider. UCAS dates
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
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| Other | 41% |
| another higher-education qualification | 27% |
| A-levels or equivalent | 20% |
| a previous degree | 9% |
| No / unknown prior qualifications | 2% |
| a foundation course | 1% |
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
The cap depends on the UK nation the provider sits in; the provider's page is authoritative.
Check fees at Open University →Check the finance route that applies to you
Support depends on ordinary residence, assessed fee status, course and provider nation. The provider nation is unresolved here, so no national cap or loan amount is being guessed.
Find your official student-finance route →Paying for it
- Tuition fee loan: applied for through the student-finance body for the UK nation you live in.
- Living-cost support: means-tested on household income, from your nation's student-finance body.
- Repayment: only above the income threshold set by your nation's student-finance system.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
Each UK nation runs its own student-finance system; check gov.uk for the rates that apply to you.
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.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £33,500 | £27,500 – £44,500 | 565 |
| 3 years after | £32,500 | £22,500 – £49,000 | 485 |
| 5 years after | £37,000 | £26,000 – £54,500 | 530 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Stronger evidence. Published sample: 565. Cohort 2021-22.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 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.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
continued or completed
continued into the next year or completed their qualification
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2022-23. Stronger evidence. Published sample: 565. Cohort 2021-22. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Business & Management courses at the same study level.
Compared with 3,421 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
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.
Business Director, Marketing ScienceXcedeBusiness ManagerLGPS CentralBusiness Change ManagerIGA Talent SolutionsBusiness Case ManagerPeregrineBusiness DirectorMedialab GroupBusiness Rates SurveyorW TalentIs this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
Home tuition is regulated and the cap depends on the UK nation the provider sits in; check the provider's course page for the exact figure. Eligible students can apply for a tuition fee loan and living-cost support from the student-finance body for the UK nation they live in. Repayment thresholds differ by nation.
Where graduates go
Most graduates were in work or further study, with a median salary of £33,500. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 5.4 out of 10: continued 54%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
The Open University
Business and management across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Is Business & Management right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to Open University from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is set per course by Open University; 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 Open University’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 Open University and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at Open University
Business & Management at other universities
Common questions
What are the entry requirements?
What do graduates go on to do?
What will it cost me?
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