NCI Course Details

Through the expert lecturers in our School of Business, you will obtain a great understanding of how business works and in which part of the business world you would like to make your career. The advantage of this full-time degree is that it is very flexible and opens up a large number of career paths. You gain a broad business foundation, and can then focus on the particular area you most enjoy through your choice of specialisation and a range of elective modules throughout the course.

This degree also gives you many options to progress to masters' courses or postgraduate study later on. If you are looking for a broad-based degree, a great start in business and plenty of career options, then this course will definitely appeal to you.

You may also be able to take advantage of an opportunity to engage in a year-long, accredited work placement between years two and three. This placement will be credit-bearing and comprises an extra year in the degree. Access to such placements will be limited and highly competitive.

As a graduate of this course you will:

• Have a fantastic foundation in all aspects of the modern business world. 
• Understand how to analyse and solve business problems. 
• Benefit from a range of employment opportunities in areas such as management, marketing, industrial relations, economics and international trade.

The course is ideal if you know you want a business qualification but aren’t sure which area you wish to specialise in, or if you would like to develop a fully-formed understanding of business. The course is for school leavers, mature students and graduates of QQI level 5/6 programmes, who wish to embark on a course of full-time study.

Graduates of the BA (Honours) in Business course will be eligible to apply for a variety of career options in both general management and specialised management functions. An analysis of recent graduates has identified career paths within accounting and finance, financial services, pensions, marketing, human resource management, recruitment, management, business development and enterprise (starting your own business).

Recent graduates from the BA (Honours) in Business are employed with LinkedIn, Accenture, AIB, Arvato, Citi, Bord Gáis, Deutsche Bank, IBM, State Street, Willis Towers Watson and UPS.

Read more about the career pathways of NCI business students.

This undergraduate business course is a three-year honours degree (four years with the option of a placement*). The main course is run over six semesters with continuous assessment held throughout the course and examinations at the end of each semester.

In each year of the degree, any student with an overall average of 70+ will win a Dean's Award.

On completion, you will receive a QQI BA (Honours) Degree in Business at level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications.

*Students who complete the Career Management Skills module and meet set grade criteria are eligible (subject to availability) to complete a work placement on year three of the programme and graduate after 4 years with 240 ECTS credits.

Upon successful completion of the BA (Honours) in Business, graduates who have acquired the appropriate entry requirements can progress to postgraduate business courses at level 9 on the National Framework of Qualifications such as: MSc in Management, MSc in International Business or MA in HRM at National College of Ireland.

Work placements are highly regarded by graduate recruiters and offer many advantages to students including valuable work-based skills and experience, the opportunity to make contacts in industry, assisting in developing personal and professional confidence and an opportunity to boost your employability prospects when you graduate.

In years two and three, there are extra choices available for high achieving students (averaging 60% plus)

• Between year two and three – a year-long work placement
• In your final year – a capstone project in your chosen business specialism

Minimum entry requirements are a grade H5 and above in two higher level subjects together with a minimum of O6/H7 in four other subjects. A minimum of grade O6/ H7 must be obtained in English. A grade O6/H7 must be obtained in Mathematics.

For applicants whose first language is not English, please note the English language entry requirements.

Mature applicants, applicants with a disability or those applying through the DARE or HEAR access schemes can find out more information on the application process.

Please note that exams can be scheduled during the morning, afternoon or evening, Monday to Saturday.

NCI strongly advises that all students should have access to a suitable laptop for their course. A student Laptop Loan Scheme may be available for certain eligible students.

The College recommends the following laptop requirements for students joining this course:

Processor:

Intel 7th (or higher) generation processors (Core i-3, i-5, i-7,i-9-7x)
or AMD Ryzen 3rd generation processors, running at 2.0GHz and above (Intel Atom/Celeron or AMD Athlon/Sempron Processors may cost less, but may not meet your requirements)

Random Access Memory (RAM):
8 GB minimum

Solid State Drive (SSD) Capacity:
256 GB minimum

Wireless Card:
802.11 a/b/g/n compliant with Bluetooth Capability (incompatibilities have been noted with the Qualcomm Atheros Wireless Adapters and software device drivers)

Graphics Card:
Direct X9 or later

Supported Operating Systems:
Windows 10 Home/Pro

Year 1

Before selecting your specialisation you will study a broad range of subjects in first year.

• Managing Your Learning
• Economics of the World
• Financial Accounting
• Human Resource Management
• Marketing in a Digital Age
• Quantitative Methods
• Individual Organisational Behaviour
• Fundamentals of Irish law

Year 2 & 3

Common subjects in second and third year:

• Business Economics
• Entrepreneurship
• Technologies for Business
• Economic and Social Policy
• Global Business Environment
• Management
• Social and Organisational Behaviour
• Financial Management
• Business Statistics and Analytics
• Marketing Management
• Strategic Management
• Project Management

For more information on the electives and specialisations of this course, please download the BA (Honours) in Business brochure.

For information on the modules taught on this course view our module descriptors.

This course qualifies under the Free Fees Initiative and Student Grant Scheme.

Did you know you can apply for a Sports Scholarship at NCI?

Watch this video to hear from our current sports scholars Stephen Achukwu (basketball) and Adam Leonard (football):

The points for this course in 2022 were 300.
The CAO course code is NC009.

Students must obtain a minimum of 3 distinctions and a full award and meet the CAO points requirements to apply for this Level 8 course. 

Visit our QQI Applicants page for further information.

The fees for this course for international students is €10,000 per year.

For domestic students applying through the CAO, this course applies under the free fees initiative.