Introducing the online BSc Business Management: A new route to a future-ready career

7 January 2026

Edinburgh Business School has launched a new online BSc Business Management, designed for people who want a credible, flexible and modern route into business and management. Built for learners balancing real life, it offers a clear pathway into higher education – even for those without traditional qualifications or A-levels – while developing the business skills employers demand in a rapidly changing world.

This degree bridges ambition and opportunity. Whether you are early in your career, aiming to move into management, planning to grow a business, or returning to study after time away, the programme has been created to help you progress on your own terms.

Flexible study designed for real lives

The BSc Business Management is delivered 100% online, allowing you to study anytime, anywhere. With no fixed start dates and self-paced progression, the degree is built for those balancing work and personal responsibilities with study.

Bryan Rodgers in a green shield with a skyscraper in the background.

Dr Bryan Rodgers, Associate Executive Dean (Online Education), explains the programme’s purpose clearly:

“The BSc Business Management is designed for learners who want to take the first step in building their careers and shaping their futures. It offers the flexibility to study around life’s commitments, making higher education accessible to those who might not otherwise have had the chance.”

Accessible entry routes that remove barriers

A central part of the programme’s design is the belief that ambition, potential, and experience should open doors – not traditional qualifications. To support this, the online BSc Business Management offers two distinct admissions pathways.

The performance-based admissions (PBA) route gives learners the opportunity to begin the degree without standard entry requirements. Instead of relying on past academic credentials, the route allows students to prove their capability through real achievement. Learners enrol directly onto one of the Stage One courses – either Business and the Global Environment and Skills for Business - and, by successfully completing it, progress into the full degree.

This approach removes long-standing barriers that hold many talented individuals back. It offers a clear, supportive pathway into higher education for people who may have left school early, taken a non-traditional route into work, or simply lacked the opportunity to study previously.

For those who do have academic or professional experience, Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) can also be applied, ensuring previous study or training contributes meaningfully towards their qualification.

Dr Bryan Rodgers underlines the importance of this inclusive approach, stating, “Whether you’re balancing work, caring responsibilities, or returning to education after time away, this programme helps you gain the skills, confidence and knowledge to achieve your ambitions.”

Career-aligned learning shaped by industry demand

The curriculum is designed to build practical, applied skills that employers value, including:

Analytical thinking
Creative problem-solving
Resilience, flexibility and agility
Leadership and social influence
Motivation and self-awareness

1 - Analytical thinking - Make better decisions using data, logic and evidence. 69% of experts predict demand for analytical thinking will grow over the next five years as it’s among the skills least affected by automation.

2 - Creative thinking - Build innovation into your management toolkit. The demand for this problem-solving skill is expected to grow quickly - with 75% of business say creative thinking will rise over the next five years.

3 - Resilience, flexibility and agility - Adapt to change with confidence - wherever your career takes you. 67% of businesses say this is a core skill, making this is the most sought after interpersonal skill.

4 - Leadership and social influence. Inspire, lead and make an impact in dynamic business environments. Four in ten businesses are expected to include a focus on leadership in their skills strategies.

5 - Motivation and self-awareness - Understand your strengths and lead with purpose. 52% of employers see motivation and self-awareness as a core skill for their workforce.

According to the WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025, these competencies are becoming essential across global business roles, with strong long-term demand for graduates.

As part of the final stage of the degree, you will complete an Industry Specialisation Certificate through Coursera, allowing you to tailor your studies to a specific area of professional interest. This certificate provides structured, job-relevant training aligned to industry needs, helping you strengthen your ability in a chosen field and prove practical capability to employers.

This blend of academic learning and focused specialisation prepares you for a wide range of career paths, including:

Project Manager (UK average salary: £52,672)
Business Analyst (UK average salary: £54,976)
Operations Manager (UK average salary: £42,688)
General Manager (UK average salary: £40,128)

This combination of skills, industry training and practical application provides a strong foundation for early-career business roles across a wide range of sectors.

Develop job-ready skills with Coursera Career Academy

You will also gain access to Coursera Career Academy. This provides the opportunity to complete professional certificates from organisations such as Google, IBM, Meta and Salesforce. These short courses focus on practical areas including project management, data analytics, digital marketing and business analytics, helping you build targeted skills alongside your degree.

The Career Academy complements the wider programme by giving you the flexibility to explore emerging digital and business skills in more depth. It can be used to broaden your capability, strengthen their CV with industry-recognised credentials, or develop job-ready skills that align with early-career roles across business and management.

Pathways to MBA and beyond

The online BSc Business Management is also designed as a stackable qualification, giving you a clear route into further study. After completing the degree, you can progress into postgraduate learning with Edinburgh Business School, including MBA Essentials, specialist MBA pathways or the flagship MBA. For those aiming for advanced professional practice or applied research, the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) offers the next stage of development.

This structured progression route allows you to build your qualifications step by step, deepening your expertise as your career evolves. Whether you want to move into senior management, specialise further or continue towards doctoral-level study, the degree provides a long-term academic pathway that grows with your ambitions.

Academic excellence backed by global reputation

Edinburgh Business School brings over 30 years of online learning expertise, a strong research foundation and a global reputation for academic rigour. Courses are designed and delivered by experienced faculty and supported by a specialist digital education team, ensuring a structured, engaging and high-quality learning experience.

Bryan highlights the School’s mission, “Edinburgh Business School has always stood for accessibility and transforming lives. Our programmes are academically rigorous, career-relevant, and built to fit real lives – empowering learners everywhere to create meaningful change.”

Through education, our students not only transform their own futures, but also contribute to the transformation of their communities and wider society.”

A degree that grows with you

The BSc Business Management is modular and stackable, allowing you to build towards specialist postgraduate study or the Edinburgh Business School MBA. It supports long-term progression, whether you want to move into management, pivot careers, or strengthen your own business.

Your future starts here.

Enrol now.