This programme is designed to equip you to be successful in International Business, with an exceptional knowledge and understanding of both its operations and its economic, political and social context. It will deliver a learning experience that provides students with confidence and the trajectory to add value to employers immediately on graduating.
Study Information
At a Glance
Learning Mode
On Campus Learning
Degree Qualification
MBus
Duration
60 months
Study Mode
Full Time
Start Month
September
UCAS Code
N125
The University of Aberdeen draws on both ancient heritage and globally-recognised excellence in research and teaching to challenge students academically and to connect them with the world of practice. There is an option to study a modern language throughout the programme.
The programmes provide a broadly-based education in International Business through a five year programme. Students will take part in specialist courses in International Business can specialise in at least one of the following; economics, real estate, accounting, finance and business management. Study abroad and internship options are integrated with flexible language learning to accommodate individual study needs, skills and aspirations. MBus students take year 4 abroad (Professional Practice placement either abroad or in the UK as agreed with the Business School through medium of chosen language or English if no language options taken.)
The programmes are designed to develop the international business leaders of the future.
This compulsory evaluation is designed to find out if your academic writing is of a sufficient standard to enable you to succeed at university and, if you need it, to provide support to improve. It is completed on-line via MyAberdeen with clear instructions to guide you through it. If you pass the evaluation at the first assessment it will not take much of your time. If you do not, you will be provided with resources to help you improve. This evaluation does not carry credits but if you do not complete it this will be recorded on your degree transcript.
This course, which is prescribed for level 1 undergraduate students and articulating students who are in their first year at the University, is studied entirely online, is studied entirely online, takes approximately 2-3 hours to complete and can be taken in one sitting, or spread across the first 4 weeks of term.
Topics include University orientation overview, equality & diversity, MySkills, health, safety and cyber security, and academic integrity.Successful completion of this course will be recorded on your Transcript as ‘Achieved’.
Using Economics as a viewpoint, this course investigates the big issues and key questions facing international business in a global economy and seeks explanations using a variety of real world tools, models and concepts. Issues covered include technology and automation, innovation and the networked economy, scarcity and choice, globalisation, inequality, the firm (its owners, managers, employees and customers), markets and public policy, financial instability and environmental issues.
The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the external global context in which businesses operate. It explores the political, economic, sociocultural, technological, ethical and market influences on business. It also explores how businesses interact to the global environment through innovation, strategy, operations and marketing.
This course introduces the theoretical and contextual foundation of accounting. It does not involve any technical aspects of accounting or bookkeeping but provides an introduction to the political, economic, institutional, professional and managerial context of accounting. The main content includes:
Socio-political and economic mechanisms of accountability; theories of accountability.
Constitution of organisations and the role of accounting within organisations.
Constitution of accounting as a business function: how accounting is organised within organisations.
Constitution of Accountancy as a Profession: how accountancy is organised as a profession.
Sustainability and accounting: how accounting is reorganised to address sustainability issues.
This course is an introductory course in microeconomics where we study the decision making of individual actors (consumers, employees, firms, governments, etc.) in an economy. Actors must make decisions about behaviours because they face scarce resources, but often they find that trading with other actors in markets can increase the wellbeing of all parties. This course models and examines the nature of these interactions, highlighting when they work well and when they fail to increase wellbeing and what might be the solution to these failures.
This is an introduction to accounting which aims to provide an understanding of how organisations – particularly small and medium sized businesses – capture, create and use accounting information both to guide their activities internally within the management function and to communicate their financial performance and position to external users of the accounts. This course allows students to develop practical and analytical skills through a problem-solving approach to accounting-related aspects of business performance reporting and control, particularly in relation to bookkeeping, accounts preparation, budgeting and management accounting.
This course is an introductory course in macroeconomics where we study the behaviour of the economy as a whole. Whereas microeconomics focuses on individual markets, macroeconomics addresses the “big issues” such as unemployment, inflation, economic growth, and financial crises. Macroeconomics is a lively subject, full of discussion and debate, as economists and policymakers take different views on macroeconomic issues, their causes and appropriate policy responses. Issues such as: Is the economy growing? What causes unemployment and how can we reduce it? How can we avoid recessions? When is inflation a problem? Are banks lending too much?
This foundation course in finance, risk and investment is the requisite for several degree programmes and for level 2 real estate and finance courses. The module considers the nature and operation of investment markets, focusing on three asset classes; shares, bonds and real estate. It looks at the characteristics of these investment options in terms of their risks and returns. The module introduces basic financial mathematics: time value of money, calculation of present values and investment rates of return. Finally, it considers the role of financial institutions and regulatory bodies in personal finance, where consumers and financial markets interact.
This course introduces students to the world of the built environment, professional surveying practice and the construction industry. The first section of the course discusses the different types and characteristics of property in the UK and the different legal interests that can exist in property, why people invest in property and why and how property is developed; the second section focuses on the design and construction of buildings, the identification of defects as well their impact on the environment and relevant sustainability issues.
The course provides an understanding of how organisations, particularly small businesses, capture, create and use accounting information both to guide their own activities and to communicate their financial performance and financial position to parties external to themselves. It develops knowledge and understanding of accounting, accounting techniques and accounting information, so that students become informed users of accounting data and information, not creators of that data and information.
This course uses four interrelated topics as foci to study 0perations in international business and management. It starts addressing the value chain then it covers energy security and sustainability, the knowledge economy and the underpinnings of big data analyses.
This course will provide an introduction to data analytics and machine learning (often summarised as Big Data) and its applications in international business. The course will explore recent trends in green finance and FINTECH, which are based on data analytics and recent advances in machine learning.
This course, which is designed for level 2 students and above, is studied entirely online. Topics include career planning, finding work experience and articulating your skills and experiences in applications and interviews. Successful completion of this course will be recorded on your Enhanced Transcript as ‘Achieved’. The course takes approximately 5-6 hours to complete and can be taken in one sitting, or spread across a number of weeks.
This course extends the operational tools and techniques introduced in level 1 Accountancy courses. It develops more complex problem-solving techniques in the planning, control and decision-making process. It shows how quantitative methods and analytical techniques can be applied in management accounting solutions to management problems. It also emphasises the diverse industrial, commercial and not-for-profit settings in which management accountants work. It seeks to develop in students an understanding of the organisational context as well as the nature of management accounting information. The focus is to enhance students' problem-solving and communication skills, and develop their ability to select and apply appropriate techniques in specific contexts.
The main aim of this course is to develop a sound understanding of fundamental principles underlying the theory and practice of finance, thereby providing a strong basis for further study of advanced finance theory and cognate disciplines. The course introduces students to important concepts in finance: principles of assets pricing, concept of risk and return, theory of interest rates and pricing fixed income securities, evaluation of investment project with a focus on embedded real options. It equips students with good analytical skills in order to understand the implications of financial decisions by understanding the fundamentals that govern them.
The objective of FA2 is to build upon material introduced in first year in order to develop students' technical skills in financial statement preparation. Students will gain an appreciation of the regulatory framework for financial reporting. They will examine the usefulness of financial statement information, by looking at the form and content of accounts produced by public limited companies. Students will explore how to account for basic transactions through the implementation of current accounting standards and apply their knowledge in both the manual and the computerised environment, the latter through the SAGE accounting package.
This course aims to provide students with an understanding of statistical concepts and methods relevant to accounting, management, finance, real estate and economics. The course is intended to enable students
i) To understand the principles of descriptive statistics, index construction, statistical inference, correlation, regression and time series analysis
ii) To apply statistical techniques to the analysis of accounting, business and economic issues and interpret findings
iii) To identify important sources of data in accounting, business and economics
This course builds on and is a natural extension of EC 1006. By examining in a more rigorous way concepts introduced in EC 1006 students will develop further their analytical skills and they will obtain a better understanding of consumers and producers behaviour, market structure as well as the effectiveness of economic policy. The course is designed to appeal to all students interested in economics. This includes students who may wish not to enter into any further studies of economics, as well as students who may wish to continue studying economics at the honours level.
This course focuses on macroeconomic policy in a global economy. The first part builds an open-economy Keynesian model to investigate what determines the effectiveness of fiscal and monetary policies, and how exchange rate regimes and capital mobility impact on policy effectiveness. The second part investigates what determines the level of macroeconomic activity and its growth over time. The final part looks at what determines inflation and unemployment. This intermediate level course uses live lectures to develop your analytical skills evaluating economic policy in a rigorous and technical way to equip you with the skills needed for honours level study.
This course provides students with an understanding of the financial system, primarily from a UK perspective, introducing students to the reasons for, and nature of, financial markets and institutions before moving on to explore the need and importance of financial regulation, and investigating the causes and consequences of the recent global financial crisis. The course will introduce students to a variety of topics including the role of wholesale and retail banks, non-bank financial institutions, the debt and equity markets, and the derivative markets; market efficiency, UK and international regulation, consumer protection and market abuse.
The course will facilitate greater understanding of real estate and land markets and of the linkages between supply, demand and price. It will provide explanations of market behaviour and discuss activity patterns and outcomes with reference to specific property markets. Students will gain an understanding of the institutions that govern land use and real estate transactions and will develop skills to identify and interpret property market data in order to analyze market sectors and property types. Students will also make critical economic assessments of land use and planning policy and the methods of policy delivery.
This course considers the different legal relationships which can exist with regard to rights in land and to outline the implications of these relationships. This course is intended to enable participants:
To understand the place of land tenure in society.
To explain the concept of ownership and its implications.
To describe the principal forms of subordinate right that can be carved out of land ownership.
To identify and explain the principal restrictions on land ownership, including planning law and land reform.
This course deals with the detail of why property requires to be valued and how the valuation process operates by way of the implementation of the RICS “Red Book”. The five property valuation methods are discussed via a series of lectures supplemented by tutorials/workshops in which valuation problem-solving tasks are discussed, with a focus on the investment method and the critique of traditional approaches. Practical valuation exercises are undertaken, which include the inspection and measurement of property and the analysis of comparable evidence.
This course provides the theoretical structure to bring together the learning of 1st and 2nd year courses placing the students as International Manager. Being an International Manager I looks in depth into the theoretical concepts of international business and prepares them to the more experiential subsequent course entitled Being an International Manager II.
This course uses four interrelated topics to illustrate how to be an International Manager. The course integrates the concepts covered in Being an International Manager I from the viewpoint of the manager and the challenge she/he faces as well as the implication for the manager, taking a more applied and embodied viewpoint. In other words, while Being an International Manager I addresses what is international business, Being an International Manager II responds to how to be an International Manager.
Plus 30 credit points from level 3 courses of choice to gain a total of 120 credits.
Economics
60 credits from EC courses of choice
Plus 30 credit points from level 3 courses of choice to gain a total of 120 credits.
Finance
Corporate Financial Theory (FI3009)
Applied Corporate Finance (FI3008)
Plus 30 credit points from level 3 courses of choice to gain a total of 120 credits.
Real Estate
Applied Valuation (PO3006)
Real Estate Development and International Investment (PO3513)
Plus 30 credit points from level 3 courses of choice to gain a total of 120 credits
General degree (no specialism)
Research Methods for Business (MS3553)
30 level 3 credits from AC, EC, FI, MS and PO courses of choice
Plus 30 credit points from level 3 courses of choice to gain a total of 120 credits.
Students need to follow a specialism through years 1 and 2 to ensure that they have sufficient prerequisites to follow courses in years 3 and 5 (with or without a specialism at that stage).
This course builds upon AC2530 Financial Accounting 2. The aim is to further develop practical and analytical accounting skills through the knowledge and understanding of controversial financial accounting and reporting issues, facilitating the ability to critically appraise current financial and non-financial reporting practice.
Building upon the material in Management Accounting 2, the course examines in greater detail behavioural, managerial, and strategic aspects of management accounting and management control. The course content includes management accounting issues pertaining to:
Strategic management accounting
Operational management issues including quality management
Performance evaluation and management systems
Management control systems, and
Advance decision making techniques such as decision-trees, learning curves and project evaluation and review techniques
This course aims to develop the students’ knowledge, understanding and critical awareness of the audit techniques, judgements and practical skills associated with a financial statement audit. The context of the course reflects both the UK and International legal, regulatory and ethical framework.
The course forms an introduction to the 4th year Audit Theory and Evolution course which goes on to explore the historical context and current professional, regulatory, ethical and societal challenges and developments facing the audit and assurance profession.
The aim of this course is to provide knowledge and understanding of the UK tax system and its administration. Students will gain an appreciation of direct taxes payable on income, profits, and other gains by both individuals and by corporations, and indirect taxes on spending. Knowledge application of the different taxes within the UK taxation system will be achieved by solving tax problems and computing tax liabilities.
This course applies the principles of valuation taught at level 2 to more complex real world examples. Topics covered include rent reviews, compulsory purchase, property investment, property development and national and local taxation. Numeracy and analytical skills are further developed along with expertise in the use of Excel. In addition, the course also covers professional surveying practice, including ethics, and stimulates students to consider their career path by requiring students to prepare a CV and prepare for a mock interview.
The course covers two key aspects of real estate, namely development and international investment. While development is an intrinsically local activity, the drivers of demand to occupy and invest in real estate are increasingly global. Thus, the course first deals with the process of development and then provides the context of globalisation of economies and real estate markets, which underlies the demand for real estate occupation and investment. The course involves a UK field trip.
This course introduces students to what is involved in undertaking research into business phenomena. It introduces philosophical issues in the theory of knowledge, ethical issues in research conduct, and considers quantitative and qualitative methods in turn, addressing issues in sampling and design, details of specific approaches, and considerations in data analysis. The course is taught through weekly lectures and an extended two hour tutorial every fortnight, with two pieces of coursework. The emphasis throughout is on understanding the conceptual underpinning of different methods, and their strengths and limitations in research.
This course uses student led learning where the lecturer will act as a guide and students will take the lead developing research projects. Below, there is a range of contemporary topics offered in the course from which students will need to choose, develop the topic and present their findings to the rest of the cohort. For example, lecture session could be used for presentations and tutorial session could be used to coach the students in their research. This course is complementary to Contemporary Issues in International Business II and it may be the case that a topic used in this course is expanded subsequently.
This course uses student led learning where the lecturer will act as a guide and students will take the lead developing research projects. Based on a range of contemporary topics students will need to choose, develop the topic and present their findings to the rest of the cohort. For example, lecture session could be used for presentations and tutorial session could be used to coach the students in their research. This course is complementary to Contemporary Issues in International Business I and it may be the case that a topic used in this course is expanded subsequently.
Sustainability, both in its ecological and social dimensions, has now become a challenge that concerns all types of organisations across the world. The media coverage has raised awareness among the general public on different aspects of sustainability and new regulations are emerging on this issue. Thus, a well-structured accountability system capable of managing and disclosing sustainability impact of organisational practices is an essential element for the successful sustainable organisation. Disclosure is an important part of the accountability process. Social and environmental accounting explores how organisations can disclose information to various stakeholders pertaining to issues such as: socially responsible investments, human rights, climate change and other environmental matters. Reporting and auditing of information on sustainability issues are a relatively new practice in the accounting field but rapidly growing in relevance. Managers will be required to deal with these issues on a frequent basis. Thus, this course will build up strong employability skills.
All Accountancy and Finance students must undertake a dissertation. Students taking a joint degree may undertake the dissertation in either discipline, but not both. It is designed to show that you are able to:
Carry out a substantial piece of research on a chosen subject without close supervision
Critically analyse and evaluate work carried out by others
Reach your own conclusions based upon your analysis and evaluation of relevant evidence, whether this is prior research only or prior research coupled with your own research.
Write-up the results of your work in a clear, coherent and logical way.
The dissertation presents students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge and research skills of Economics to an individual piece of research, focusing on a topic which has been chosen by the student and approved by the Dissertation coordinator and Dissertation supervisor. Over the course of the Dissertation, with guidance from the supervisor, the student will study a particular topic, conduct a literature review of relevant material, select appropriate theoretical and/or empirical methods to address the topic and write a final analysis in the form of the Dissertation of up to 10,000 words.
All Accountancy and Finance students must undertake a dissertation. Students taking a joint degree may undertake the dissertation in either discipline, but not both. It is designed to show that you are able to:
Carry out a substantial piece of research on a chosen subject without close supervision
Critically analyse and evaluate work carried out by others
Reach your own conclusions based upon your analysis and evaluation of relevant evidence, whether this is prior research only or prior research coupled with your own research.
Write-up the results of your work in a clear, coherent and logical way.
The dissertation can be a rewarding, interesting and challenging exercise, with a process that differs from taught courses. With self-directed study, you are introduced to the process of independent research starting with finding a topic that is both academically interesting and can be covered in the given time frame. In addition to utilising skills acquired during previous years of study, it is an opportunity to develop new skills useful for future employment, such as writing reports. Your dissertation will be judged on evidence of competence in independent research. The greater the degree of competence, the higher the mark awarded.
The course introduces students to concepts of portfolio management and recent developments regarding real estate investment vehicles. The course takes a financial economics viewpoint and places real estate investments within this context. The course covers such important aspects as securitization of initially illiquid real estate assets, the management of building portfolios and the use of index swap contracts for risk management purposes. The course discusses also real option theory and applies it to land development and the pricing of lease contracts.
Students in this course conduct independent research under the guidance of a supervisor. They can select their own dissertation topic or choose one of a range of topics offered by staff within Business Management. Students undertake a qualitative and/or quantitative piece of empirical research and produce a dissertation at the end of the process. This course provides them with an opportunity to develop a range of generic and research-specific skills including critical thinking, argumentation, writing, time management, review of literature, research design, and data analysis.
Students are assessed by any combination of three assessment methods:
coursework such as essays and reports completed throughout the course;
practical assessments of the skills and competencies they learn on the course; and
written examinations at the end of each course.
The exact mix of these methods differs between subject areas, years of study and individual courses.
Honours projects are typically assessed on the basis of a written dissertation.
Why Study International Business?
The University of Aberdeen was ranked 12th in the UK in the Guardian University Guide 2025 and 15th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
1st Scotland in Student Positivity for Business Studies and Management Studies in the National Student Survey 2024
Aberdeen is the main European centre for the oil and gas industry, and international accountancy firms, multinational companies and financial services all have offices in the city.
Professional training facilities, including our virtual trading floor, integrating real activity in financial markets into our students’ courses.
A Business Management programme which perfectly balances theory and practical work, with strong links to local and global businesses giving you cutting-edge insights in to the subject.
With a community of over 130 nationalities at the University of Aberdeen, students are immersed in an environment that enables international discourse creating truly global exchanges, generating deep insights that spark innovative change.
The University of Aberdeen is delighted to offer eligible self-funded international on-campus undergraduate students a £6,000 scholarship for every year of their programme.
The programme offers such a wide variety of business-related subjects to choose from like finance or real estate, that you could then specialise in later.
Albert Romppanen
Albert Romppanen
The degree also allowed me to go abroad to Korea for a semester, where I was able to learn about a completely new culture, meet new people and have unforgettable experiences. It also allowed me to gain a new perspective on international business.
Entry Requirements
Qualifications
The information below is provided as a guide only and does not guarantee entry to the University of Aberdeen.
Applicants who have achieved AABB (or better), are encouraged to apply and will be considered. Good performance in additional Highers/ Advanced Highers may be required.
Minimum: BBB
Applicants who have achieved BBB (or are on course to achieve this by the end of S5) are encouraged to apply and will be considered. Good performance in additional Highers/Advanced Highers will normally be required.
Adjusted: BB
Applicants who achieve BB over S4 and S5 and who meet one of the widening access criteria are guaranteed a conditional offer. Good performance in additional Highers/Advanced Highers will be required.
Applicants who have achieved BBBB (or better), are encouraged to apply and will be considered. Good performance in additional Highers/ Advanced Highers may be required.
Minimum: BBB
Applicants who have achieved BBB (or are on course to achieve this by the end of S5) are encouraged to apply and will be considered. Good performance in additional Highers/Advanced Highers will normally be required.
Adjusted: BB
Applicants who achieve BB over S4 and S5 and who meet one of the widening access criteria are guaranteed a conditional offer. Good performance in additional Highers/Advanced Highers will be required.
Foundation Apprenticeship: One FA is equivalent to a Higher at A. It cannot replace any required subjects.
Entry from College Advanced entry to this degree may be possible from some HNC/HND qualifications, please see www.abdn.ac.uk/study/articulation for more details.
The information displayed in this section shows a shortened summary of our entry requirements. For more information, or for full entry requirements for Arts and Social Sciences degrees, see our detailed entry requirements section.
English Language Requirements
To study for an Undergraduate degree at the University of Aberdeen it is essential that you can speak, understand, read, and write English fluently. The minimum requirements for this degree are as follows:
You will be classified as one of the fee categories below.
Fee information
Fee category
Cost
RUK
£9,535
Tuition Fees for 2025/26 Academic Year
EU / International students
£20,800
Tuition Fees for 2025/26 Academic Year
Self-funded international students commencing eligible undergraduate programmes in 2025/26 will receive a £6,000 tuition waiver for every year of their programme - See full terms and conditions
In exceptional circumstances there may be additional fees associated with specialist courses, for example field trips. Any additional fees for a course can be found in our Catalogue of Courses.
For more information about tuition fees for this programme, including payment plans and our refund policy, please visit our Tuition Fees page.
Scholarships and Funding
UK Scholarship
Students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, who pay tuition fees may be eligible for specific scholarships allowing them to receive additional funding. These are designed to provide assistance to help students support themselves during their time at Aberdeen.
Aberdeen Global Scholarship
The University of Aberdeen is delighted to offer eligible self-funded international on-campus undergraduate students a £6,000 scholarship for every year of their programme. More about this funding opportunity.
The Business School is EQUIS accredited, placing it among a select group of globally recognised institutions. Out of over 15,000 business schools worldwide, only around 200 schools across 45 countries have attained this distinction.
Our results speak for themselves with 97.9% of graduates from the University of Aberdeen Business School in employment or further study 15 months after graduation (Graduate Outcomes Survey 2024)
Our Experts
For more details on academic experts and those who will be teaching within your programme discipline please visit the People section of the Business School website.
You will be taught by a range of experts including professors, lecturers, teaching fellows and postgraduate tutors. However, these may be subject to change - see our Student Terms and Conditions page.
World Class Facilities
The University of Aberdeen, established in 1495, is Scotland’s third oldest and the UK’s fifth oldest University. The university’s ancient campus reflects its long-standing academic tradition, with historic buildings such as King's College, which dates back to the 15th century. This blend of ancient architecture and modern facilities creates a unique atmosphere where students can experience the best of both tradition and innovation.
Sir Duncan Rice Library
Sir Duncan Rice Library
The University’s award winning Sir Duncan Rice Library is listed in the “Top 20 spellbinding University libraries in the World”. It contains over a million volumes, more than 300,000 e-books and 21,000 journals.
Named Scotland's Safest University City (Unbroken Britain Survey, Provident Financial, 2018) and is in the top 10 in the UK for places to live and work (PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2018).
Affordability
Affordability
Aberdeen has been named the cheapest place for students to rent private accommodation in the UK. In 2024, StuRents reports that the average price of a student private rental property in the Granite City was just over £96 a week.
Discover Uni draws together comparable information in areas students have identified as important in making decisions about what and where to study. You can compare these and other data for different degree programmes in which you are interested.
Get in Touch
Contact Details
Address
Student Recruitment & Admissions University of Aberdeen University Office Regent Walk Aberdeen AB24 3FX
