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International Trade and Investment (Top-up) BA(Hons)

Undergraduate Open Days
Undergraduate Open Days

Overview

Why International Trade and Investment (Top-up)?

This specialised one-year course is for you if you already have a good understanding of how business and finance work and are looking to gain a more global and in-depth perspective on trade and investment activities.

You'll learn how companies engage in international trade and investment and have the opportunity to build your knowledge of the dynamic global financial systems and international trade relations. You'll learn to identify business opportunities and threats that exist in the global business environment and develop skills necessary for taking advantage of the opportunities and addressing the threats.

How will you learn?

You will learn through practical application and delivered lectures, workshops, seminars and group work sessions.

  • You'll look at the importance of banking and finance in sustainable business operations.
  • You’ll have an opportunity to study investment analysis and portfolio management, the fundamental issue of competitiveness and a strategic perspective on globalisation.
  • You'll also explore the benefits of location and the internationalisation of business through the impact of multinationals and global supply chains.
  • You’ll also be given the chance to study strategic management and this should help make you aware of the key approaches that assist managers in delivering both short and long term aims, goals and objectives for the organisation.

What subjects will you cover?

Your programme of study will consist of six subjects: International Business, Monetary and Financial Framework, Responsible Business, Investment and Portfolio Management, Developments in International Banking and Financial Services, and Strategy in Context.

The programme of study on this course will allow you to develop both specialist and generalist knowledge. The modules on finance, investment and banking will provide you with an opportunity to deepen your theoretical knowledge and practical skills relevant to the areas of trade and investment, paying particular attention to how these activities are conducted on the international markets and across borders. Studying more generalist subjects such as business responsibility and strategy will help provide you with general management skills and also allow you to examine trade and investment activities in a variety of different business contexts.

Key Information

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for this course are normally one of the following:

  • Higher National Diploma in Business.
  • Overseas equivalents such as D.U.T. passed at 55% average.
  • Successful completion of two years of Higher Education with 120 ECTS credits (or equivalent) in a business related subject.
  • Successful completion of a foundation degree in a business related subject.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.0 overall with no element lower than 5.5, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our International Entry Requirements page.

Start dates

22 September 2025

Duration

1 year full-time

Course Detail

Core modules:

International Business

This module considers the fundamental issue of competitiveness and helps you consider strategic business responses to globalisation. You’ll explore the different types of international business operations (international trade and foreign direct investment activities) and the factors that shape these operations (organisational resources and cultural and institutional environments in different national markets). You’ll also learn to make practical strategic decisions as international managers.

Strategy in Context

In this module you’ll gain an understanding of how organisations develop their strategies in relation to different aspects of their environment. You’ll study how both the internal context (e.g. organisational structure, routines and resources) and external context (e.g. institutional systems, industry structures and competition) shape organisational activities and the strategic decisions that individual managers make.

Monetary and Financial Framework

This module examines contemporary and policy issues in Monetary Theory, Monetary Policy and International Finance. You’ll have the opportunity to analyse the impact of different types of risk and uncertainty in money and finance and use appropriate theory to help decide the financial methods to avoid or reduce risk.

Responsible Business

The module examines the inter-relationship between business ethics, corporate social responsibility, business sustainability and sustainable development. You'll engage in constructive debates related to theories of business ethics and ethical decision-making by business managers and examine how companies could fulfil their social responsibilities. By focusing on global sustainability issues, you'll appreciate how businesses can develop sustainable solutions to resolve grand challenges.

Investment and Portfolio Management

You’ll have an opportunity to study investment analysis and portfolio management using an innovative experiential learning environment – “The Portfolio Game". This provides you with the opportunity for personal development whilst building a critical appreciation of the requirements for managing a successful investment portfolio.

Developments in International Banking and Financial Services

The module examines the importance and development of international banking and financial services in a modern industrial economy. It considers how monetary and financial sectors evolve following financial crises and the roles played by financial institutions to regulate the provision of financial services. It further explores some of the economic theories that underpin modern financial systems and assesses the extent to which they reflect contemporary economic policy making measures.

On average 16%* of the study time on this course is spent with your tutors (face to face or online) in lectures, seminars, workshops etc. Study and assessments will be based on your choice of modules. Your module specification/course handbook will provide full details of the assessment criteria applying to your course.

Feedback (written and/or verbal) is normally provided on all coursework submissions within three term time weeks – unless the submission was made towards the end of the session in which case feedback would be available on request after the formal publication of results. Feedback on final coursework is available on request after the publication of results.

*based on 22/23 programme specifications

  1. The University of Huddersfield has been rated Gold in all three aspects of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023. We were the only university in Yorkshire and the Humber and the North West to achieve Gold ratings in all three aspects of the TEF among those announced in September 2023. In fact only 13 Universities, out of the 96 that were announced in September 2023, were Gold in all three ratings.

  2. Our teaching staff rank first in England for the proportion with higher degrees and teaching qualifications, as well as being top five for those holding doctorates (HESA 2025). So you’ll learn from some of the best, helping you to be the best.

  3. We are second in the country for National Teaching Fellowships, which mark the UK’s best lecturers in Higher Education, winning a total of 24 since 2008 (2025 data).

  4. We won the first Global Teaching Excellence Award, recognising the University’s commitment to world-class teaching and its success in developing students as independent learners and critical thinkers (Higher Education Academy, 2017).

Visit ‘Our experts’ page where you’ll find in-depth profiles of all our academic staff

At Huddersfield, you'll study the Global Professional Award (GPA) alongside your degree* so that you gain valuable qualities and experiences that could help you to get the career you want, no matter what your field of study is. On completion of the Award, you'll receive a GPA certificate from the University of Huddersfield, alongside the specialist subject skills and knowledge you gain as part of your degree, which may help to set you apart from other graduates.

Giving students access to the Global Professional Award is one of the reasons the University won ‘Best University Employability Strategy’ award at the National Graduate Recruitment Awards 2021. Find out more on the Global Professional Award webpage.

*full-time, undergraduate first degrees with a minimum duration of three years. This does not include postgraduate, foundation, top-up, accelerated or apprenticeship degrees.

What makes us different?


Wondering what makes Huddersfield Business School different? 

It’s more than just awards and accreditations. In this video, students and staff share their experience of our supportive community, strong industry links, and hands-on projects that bring business to life. It’s not just about lectures and seminars — it’s about building real connections, gaining practical experience, and preparing for your future.

Discover more about the course

Your Career

Discover the job roles our graduates are working in now.

Professional links and accreditation

Recognised connections to give you an extra edge when you graduate.

Inspiring Graduate

Get inspired by real students and their careers.

Careers advice

Check out the personalised guidance we offer you.

Student Support

Discover all the support available so you can thrive.

Further Study

Learn about pursuing a Master’s or PhD at Huddersfield.

Research Excellence

See how our innovative research shapes what you'll learn.

Important information

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by our terms and conditions, Handbook of Regulations and associated policies. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan.

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons:

Changes to a course you have applied for but are not yet enrolled on

If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment. We may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and if you are unhappy with the change we will discuss with you other suitable courses we can transfer your application to. If you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.

Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

Changes to option modules

Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have an equivalent range of options to that advertised for the course. We will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

Major changes

We will only make major changes to non-optional modules on a course if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change is a change that substantially changes the outcomes, or a significant part of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum. For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators or a commissioning or accrediting body. We may also make changes to improve the course in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback or to ensure you are being taught current best practice. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff being unable to teach due to illness, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to pandemics, other disasters (such as fire, flood or war) or changes made by the government.

Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but may happen sooner in an emergency. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will consult with affected groups of students and any changes would only be made in accordance with our regulations. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you let us know before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for any additional tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so and you may be eligible for an exit award depending on how far through your course you are.

In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed in accordance with the student protection plan.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.

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