Skip to main content

BA (Hons) Business with accelerator

Key information

Gain foundational knowledge in business and get prepared for degree level studies. This is an alternative route where you after your first year you will progress onto second-year study of an undergraduate degree.

UCAS code
GC21
Level
Undergraduate
Delivery type
Full Time
Degree qualification
BA (Hons)
Mode of delivery
On-Campus
Duration
4 years
Location
Edinburgh
Start date
September, January, May

The Business Bachelors Accelerator is an alternative route to begin your degree offering direct entry to second-year study across our undergraduate degrees. It provides you with foundational knowledge in business, where you can choose your courses depending on your specific interests and career aspirations.

Towards the end of your first year, you will have the opportunity to work closely with your academics to identify which undergraduate degree programme you will progress onto in second year. It can be overwhelming choosing a degree before starting university, so this approach means that you can make your decision based on your learning.  

Degree pathways

Successful completion of this programme offers a direct pathway to a wide range of professionally relevant degrees:

Your student experience

Get prepared for degree level studies with lectures, tutorials, and seminars, encouraging independent thinking and developing your academic knowledge and skills.

The intensive and focused programme will enable you to:

  • transition seamlessly into degree-level studies
  • make an informed choice about your degree
  • develop independent learning skills through our problem-based and student-centric learning approaches
  • learn to work in groups, conduct research and deliver presentations.

During your studies, you will gain important practical, hands-on experience in our heavily invested facilities. You’ll be supported throughout by friendly and helpful staff, to ensure you reap the benefits of practical work – regardless of your background or interests.  

The hands-on approach means you’ll apply your theoretical knowledge which you can use to benefit your studies, inform, and develop your academic assignments, and use for extra-curriculum and personal projects.

Outside of the classroom, you could join a variety of societies to meet likeminded people, get involved in regular social and networking events, and gain insights into career prospects. Business subject relevant societies include:  

Go Global

With Go Global, Heriot-Watt's global student programme, you can carry your studies to new places and experience new cultures, expanding your horizons on the way. You'll discover what it means to be a true global citizen and emerge prepared for wherever your career journey will take you.

Inter-Campus Transfer: Dubai

Discover new friends and places with an inter-campus transfer to Dubai.

Inter-Campus Transfer: Malaysia

Discover new friends and places with an inter-campus transfer to Malaysia.

Course content

September Intake - Edinburgh

In first year, you will take four year-long courses of 30 credits each.

Optional AY

  • Business Management
  • Academic Skills
  • Academic English and Study Skills
  • Accounting
  • Psychology
  • Economics
  • Advanced Mathematics for Science

January Intake - Edinburgh

In first year, you will take four year-long courses of 30 credits each.

Optional AY

  • Business Management
  • Psychology
  • Economics
  • Advanced Mathematics for Science
  • Academic English and Study Skills
  • Accounting
  • Academic Skills

May Intake - Edinburgh

In first year, you will take four year-long courses of 30 credits each.

Optional AY

  • Business Management
  • Psychology
  • Economics
  • Advanced Mathematics for Science
  • Accounting
  • Academic English and Study Skills
  • Academic Skills

Fees and funding

StatusFee
ScotlandPaid by SAAS
England / Wales / N Ireland / Rep of Ireland£9,250
International£19,456
  • Status: Your residency status is usually defined as the country where you have been ordinarily resident for the three years before the start of your course.
  • International: 'International' includes applicants from European Union countries who do not hold Pre-Settled or Settled status in UK. (This does not include students from the Republic of Ireland - see above).

Scholarships and bursaries

Travel Home Bursary

Available for students from England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

We appreciate that moving away from home for the first time can be daunting. Our Travel Home Bursary should allow you to return home at several points throughout the academic year. The Travel Bursary applies to your first year of study only.

Entry requirements

We have standard entry requirements for all of our courses that you will have to meet.

Academic entry requirements

  • Highers CCD + National 5 Maths and English at Grade C
  • A-Levels DEE/CD + GCSE English and Maths at C/4 is required
  • International Baccalaureate 25 points including H5 + H4 OR H4+H4+H3. S4 Maths and English
  • BTEC Extended Diploma MMP + GCSE English and Maths at C/4

International academic entry requirements

  • Bangladesh - Higher Secondary Certificate - grade average of 65%
  • China - Senior High 2 - average grade of 70% or Senior High 3 at an average of 65%
  • Ghana - West African School Certificate (WAEC) - or Senior School Certificate  in four subjects with grades 1-6 (A-C)
  • Hong Kong - Form 5 in four academic subjects (grades will be assessed on a case by case basis) or HKDSE with grades 223 in relevant subjects
  • India - Standard 10 + 1 - 70% or Standard 10 + 2 at 55%
  • Indonesia - SMU 2 - Grade 7.0 or SMU 3 Grade 6.5 (five relevant subjects required)
  • Iran - High School Diploma (3 years) - average grade of at least 14 (in relevant subjects)
  • Jordan - Tawjihi - 80% in 4 relevant subjects
  • Kazakhstan - ATTESTAT/Certificate of Secondary Education - grade average of 4
  • Kuwait - Shahadat-al-thanawia-al-a'ama - passmark of 80% in relevant subjects
  • Libya - Secondary Education Certificate - average of 80%
  • Malaysia - Form 5. Ter, 2 or Mid-Year Transcript - A-C in five relevant subjects
  • Nigeria - WAEC or SSC - grades 1-6 in four relevant subjects.
  • Pakistan - High Secondary Certificate - four passes in relevant subjects with an average of 55%
  • Qatar - Thanawaya Aam Qatari - average grade 80% in relevant subjects
  • Saudi Arabia - Tawjihi - average of 80% in relevant subjects
  • Thailand - MAW5 - GPA of 2.5 or of MAW 6 with a GPA of 2.0 in six relevant subjects
  • United Arab Emirates - Tawjihi - 80% or above in relevant subjects
  • Ukraine - ATTESTAT/11th Grade Certificate of Secondary Education - grade average of 7.0
  • Vietnam - Completion of Year 12 at Secondary School with average grade of 7.0

Why Heriot-Watt

We're the top university in Scotland for graduate outcomes which means that more of our graduates are employed or in postgraduate education than any other institution in the country and we ranked 5th in the UK.

We're also rated number one in the UK for CEO or MD roles, meaning more of our graduates go on to become CEOs or MDs than any other university in the whole of the UK. On top of that, we have beautiful campuses, across the globe, so you'll get a truly international education. Our Edinburgh Campus is home to Oriam, Scotland's National Sports Performance Centre combined with plenty of wellbeing resources, prioritising fitness and mental health for all students. Our Global Research Institutes look at solving real world issues such as climate change and saving our oceans as well as working on the next medical technological breakthrough and the future of AI and robots.

Employability

We're first in Scotland and top five in the UK for graduate employability (Graduate Outcomes Survey, 2023) and our graduates are first in the UK for CEO or MD roles (Novuna Business Cash Flow, 2023). This is thanks to our career-focused degrees and lifetime support from our careers team.

Student life

Explore facilities, and chat to staff and students

Discover Uni course data

Discover Uni provides data on each university's degree courses across a range of measures including student satisfaction, graduate jobs and salaries.

Contact our enquiries team

Contact us