Program Overview

An International Foundation Year at our International Study Centre prepares you for your degree at Lancaster University. You will focus on English language, university-level study skills, and academic modules that relate to your degree subject.

Supporting your progression to the University
At the International Study Centre, we take every measure to ensure you are supported in your academic journey. Our programmes allow for increased time spent learning, researching and developing your skills. By studying with us, you will benefit from:

• Formal assessments at the end of each term.
• An improved English language module, Academic English Skills, providing greater opportunity for informal assessments and feedback.
• Combining and reducing the number of module assessments allowing more time to prepare.
• A personal tutorial system with a focus on your academic progress at key points of the academic year, creating action plans based on your performance and progession options.

Business and Management Studies
An International Foundation Year in Business and Management Studies leads to a choice of degrees at Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) – one of the top 100 business schools in the world. To prepare for your degree, you will study subject modules and core English language modules. Degree options include Accounting, Business Studies, and International Business Management.
You will learn how businesses operate, and how to prepare and interpret financial accounts. Other areas of study include economic policies, and international trade. Throughout the course, you will develop analysis and evaluation skills, and apply your knowledge to real-world situations.

Management and Human Resources
What are the key management ideas and practices that shape contemporary work?  What is the role of technology? How are societal dimensions implicated in management practices? Can the interests of employees and of organisations co-exist? What is the impact of the ‘gig economy’ on employee relations? What are the drivers behind communication, change and motivation? So much can be uncovered by delving into management ideas, people’s behaviours and their interactions with organisations and society.

Studying Management and Human Resources at Lancaster helps to develop an understanding of many current and critical questions about the changing nature of organisations, work and management practices. From managing change to organisational design, organisational behaviour to human resource management and corporate social responsibility and technology and ethics, Management and Human Resources is crucial to an organisation’s success. Such knowledge provides a solid basis for skilled professionals to design and implement meaningful and appropriate management interventions.

This degree focuses on understanding people – the way we work and how our behaviour can be influenced through management practices. We primarily adopt social and psychological perspectives to understand management (rather than primarily maths and statistical understandings).

Our teaching approach blends academic material with practical insights and exercises. We place a strong emphasis on collaborative working, that support your personal development as well as your academic skills. You will be taught by academics who are tackling the big questions of the day such as business ethics, sustainability, artificial intelligence, ethnic and cultural diversity, and the implications of technology in society.

 In your first year you study Management and Organisational Behaviour, selecting two more subjects from either Social Sciences or the Management School.

In your second year you will study Human Resources Management and deepen your understanding by choosing from topics such as Managing People or Business Ethics.

The final year sees you selecting from options such as International Human Resource Management, Ethics and Sustainability, and Organisational Change.

This degree will give you a critical understanding of the complex world of work and organisations. If you are interested in how understanding the role of management in creating a happy, socially responsible and efficient workforce, this is the degree for you. It can put you on the path to a career in management broadly  and / or human resource management.