Higher National Certificate (HNC) in Business

Course duration: One year Start dates: October, January, April Awarding body: Edexcel

Entry requirements

Entry is likely to include at least one of the following:

• A level 3 qualification, such as a BTEC National Diploma in business
• At least one GCE A level
• Other equivalent level 3 qualifications
• An Access to Higher Education Certificate

Students who do not have a formal level 3 qualification, but who have related work experience, will be required to prepare and submit an APEL application to the admissions department. Applicants will be invited for an interview to ensure they can cope with a level 4 course. In some cases, they may be offered a set of units in the first year of the course to provide further development to higher education.

Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning

London School of Science & Technology recognises that many students come to the college with a wide range of expertise, skills and knowledge that has never been formally assessed. This may have been gained through a variety of personal situations including work, family life, community role, volunteering, leisure activities and life events. If you do not have the relevant qualifications for your chosen course, you will be required to provide details of your previous learning experiences that are of the same level as the entry qualifications for your chosen course. The forms are available to download on the application section and can also be collected from the Admissions office.

Course overview

The success of all businesses depends upon having people who are well qualified and experienced to run them. This course combines practical and vocational learning, with the academic theory needed to understand the basis of different aspects of business. In essence, it provides a solid foundation to the subject.

Units studied

• Business environment
• Business strategy
• Marketing principles
• Managing financial resources
• Aspects of contracts and negligence for business
• Business decision-making
• Organisational behaviour
• Marketing intelligence

Further study

Successful completion of this course allows students to gain direct entry to the second year of the HND business course at LSST.

Higher National Diploma (HND) in Business

Course duration: Two years

Start dates: September, November, February, May

Awarding body: Edexcel

Entry requirements

Entry is likely to include at least one of the following:

• A level 3 qualification, such as a BTEC National Diploma in business
• At least one GCE A-level
• Other equivalent level 3 qualifications
• An Access to Higher Education Certificate

Students who do not have a formal level 3 qualification, but who have related work experience, will be offered an interview to ensure they can cope with a level 4 course. In some cases, they may be offered a set of units in the first year of the course to provide further development to higher education

Students who have successfully completed an HNC in business can proceed directly to the second year of this HND course.

Course overview

This qualification prepares learners for employment in the sector and is suitable for those who have already decided that they wish to enter this area of work. Some adult learners may wish to make the commitment required by this qualification in order to enter a specialist area of employment in the sector or progress into higher education. Other learners may want to extend the specialism that they followed on the BTEC Higher National Certificate programme. Progression from this qualification may well be into or within employment in the sector where learners may work towards professional membership or study for professional body examinations.

Units studied

For year one, see the units studied on the HNC course above.

Year Two Units:

• Project management for business
• Financial systems and auditing
• Human resources development
• Operations management in business
• Personal and professional development
• Marketing planning
• Business ethics
• Research project

Further study

Students who gain a good profile on the HND course can gain entry to the final year of an undergraduate degree course at many universities in the UK which accept Edexcel qualifications. Whilst LSST can help in searching for appropriate degree courses, it is the responsibility of the individual student to check they have the relevant qualifications and make their own application direct to their chosen institution.