Business HND
Subject and course type
- Business, Management and Marketing
- Undergraduate
Want to hone your business skills and boost your employability? This Higher National Diploma (HND) in Business, taught at Kingston College, is your first step towards a full honours degree.
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Learn the skills you need to get ahead
Studying this Business HND validated by Kingston University will give you a strong foundation for a successful career in business.
You’ll develop your analytical skills, prepare for the world of work and explore the fundamentals of business. In small, expert-led classes, you’ll interrogate management problems, find workable solutions and examine business issues from a range of perspectives.
You’ll complete the course ready to succeed in the workplace. There’s even the option to make the programme a full honours degree by adding a top-up year.
Kingston College is just five minutes away from Kingston University’s Penrhyn Road campus, which means you’ll benefit from a wide range of facilities. These include study skills classes, a library and plenty of sports and leisure options.
Why choose this course
While you study, you’ll benefit from top quality teaching at Kingston College. You will explore the broader business environment and the core principles of business. By examining various business challenges from multiple viewpoints, you'll develop the skills to analyse management issues and identify practical solutions.
Throughout the course, you’ll learn from an experienced teaching team of senior academics, professional practitioners with industry experience, demonstrators and technical officers.
When you finish this HND, you’ll have a firm understanding of financial management, project management and international business and culture. Not only that, but you’ll have all the tools you need to start planning your route to successful employment.
Accreditations
Kingston Business School holds the prestigious international accreditation by the AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) in recognition of the excellence of its business education. This accreditation has been earned by just 6% of the world's business schools and recognises the high quality and standard of our business degree offerings.
Ready for business
At Kingston Business School, we believe that professional success is shaped by honing your personal capacity and skillset, supported by the academic framework of knowledge. Through vocationally rich, employer-engaged and research-informed courses, we work alongside our students to help them meet personal goals and career ambitions.
Course content
Year 1
In Year 1, you will develop core study skills, boosting your employability. You will study the general global business environment and be introduced to the fundamentals of business. Other modules examine the world of work, how the business environment, including economics, influences business, the fundamentals of marketing and an introduction to people and organisations. At this level, you are expected to be able to describe and structure business problems. The knowledge and skills developed will prepare you for broader and deeper study of key management functions in Year 2.
Core modules
30 credits
This module focuses on building essential business, study and employability skills, and prepares you to be successful on your course and in your subsequent career in business and management. It also provides you with an opportunity to develop life-long learning and personal development skills.
The early part of the module will develop the essential study skills required to be successful on all the modules on Level 4 of the HND. It will support the learning and study taking place in those modules and ensure you are engaging with appropriate personal academic planning and monitoring. As the module develops, you will start to evidence those skills in the context of your future career and learn how to build your employability, both for your own self-awareness and for the recruitment and selection activities you may face for placements and graduate employment. You will have the opportunity to apply your learning in a practical way, working as part of a group on a business project/problem.
30 credits
This module is a core requirement for students studying the Business HND. It aims to introduce you to organisations and the environment of the world of work, and to provide you with models (based on economic and business theory) to enable you to apply your learning to understand and analyse real-life scenarios.
30.00 credits
This module offers you a structured and supported framework to critically reflect upon and evaluate your skills, your career motivations and your development needs. It will introduce and apply career choice and development theories as well as provide an opportunity to understand the role of HRM in recruitment and selection processes (such as CV screening, and interviewing techniques). You will develop skills such as self-reflection, career management and planning from an individual perspective as well as from the employer's viewpoint (HRM). You will also develop research skills and will have the opportunity to build upon the knowledge you have learnt in other modules regarding different business functions and environments.
30.00 credits
This module is a core requirement for students studying the HND in Business. It aims to introduce you to the marketing concept and enable you to apply the learning to simulated and/or practical situations. Further, it aims to develop transferable skills that will support you in your studying and employability. To that end, the module forms part of an integrated overall level 4 and HND structure.
Year 2
In Year 2, you will develop analytical skills and suggest recommendations to business issues. You will further your knowledge of financial management, operations and project management and international business and culture, and make specific plans for employment.
Core modules
30 credits
This module is a core module which introduces you to accounting and financial decision making. The module has two main elements: retrospective (historical) accounting and prospective forward looking accounting. Initially you will learn retrospective accounting which consists of the basic accounting concepts and accounting standards of Financial Accounting and apply these in preparing a set of financial statements for a sole trader. You will simultaneously learn to use accounting software (SAGE). You will also learn about the regulatory and reporting requirements for different businesses. You will then progress on to prospective accounting which consists of developing management accounting techniques for decision making for the short term and long term. You will also learn how to analyse and interpret and explain basic financial information and use your analysis to make recommendations.
30 credits
This module is a core requirement for those studying the HND in Business. It aims to introduce you to a project management methodology that can be used to develop the plans for to a hypothetical but realistic project. You will then examine operations models and concepts that will enable you to analyse real world operations, identify operational problems and suggest appropriate improvements. You will then compare and contrast the way operations and project managers typically work.
30 credits
This module is a core requirement for students studying the HND in Business. It aims to introduce you to the international environment within which businesses operate and to provide you with appropriate conceptual models to enable you to apply the learning to understand and analyse real world international business decisions.
30.00 credits
This module is intended to answer two key questions for students - What is an organisation and how do people influence how organisations work? It will also allow you the opportunity to further develop the skills you will need in order to be successful within an organisation. You will consider key aspects of organisational behaviour and apply these to case study situations.
Future Skills and career opportunities
You’ll complete this course well prepared for success in the workplace. If you choose to, you can continue to a full honours degree with a one-year top-up programme.
Every course at Kingston University teaches a range of Future Skills. From problem-solving and adaptability to digital competency, these are the attributes you’ll need to get the edge in the job market and a head start on your career.
At Kingston University, we're not just keeping up with change, we're creating it
For more information on how Kingston prepares you for the future job market, visit our Future Skills page.
Teaching and assessment
You are taught through a combination of lectures and seminars. Seminars enable you to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures in smaller groups of students. In addition, you have timetabled meetings with your personal tutor.
When not attending lectures, seminars and other timetabled sessions you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve reading, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research in the library, preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for examinations. Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities at Kingston College, including the library, the Undergraduate Centre, and our computer laboratories.
Kingston College's Academic Support Team provides help in the following areas:
- Study skills (including reading, note-taking and presentation skills)
- Written English (including punctuation and grammatical accuracy)
- Academic writing (including how to reference)
- Research skills (in conjunction with the library)
- Critical thinking and understanding arguments
- Revision, assessment and examination skills (including time management).
Year 1
- 45% of your time is spent in timetabled learning and teaching activity
- Scheduled learning and teaching: 544 hours
- Guided independent study (self-managed time): 656 hours
Year 2
- 43% of your time is spent in timetabled learning and teaching activity
- Scheduled learning and teaching: 512 hours
- Guided independent study (self-managed time): 688 hours
Assessment typically comprises exams (e.g. test or exam), practical (e.g. presentations, performance) and coursework (e.g. essays, reports, self-assessment, portfolios, dissertation). The approximate percentage for how you will be assessed on this course is as follows, though depends to some extent on the optional modules you choose:
Year 1
- 65% Coursework
- 15% Practical
- 20% Exam
Year 2
- 56% Coursework
- 20% Practical
- 24% Exam
The relatively small class sizes – a key feature of the learning environment at Kingston College – enable significant interaction and individual monitoring of students by lecturing staff.
Fees and funding
| Fee category | Fee |
|---|---|
| Home (UK students) | £8,300* |
| International | |
| Year 1 (2025/26): | £17,700 |
| Year 2 (2026/27): | £18,500 |
The tuition fee you pay depends on whether you are assessed as a 'Home' (UK), 'Islands' or 'International' student. In 2025/26 the fees for this course are above.
Please visit the Fees and Funding page for more information.
For courses with Professional Placement, the fee for the placement year can be viewed on the undergraduate fees table. The placement fee published is for the relevant academic year stated in the table. This fee is subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body.
* For full time programmes of a duration of more than one academic year, the published fee is an annual fee, payable each year, for the duration of the programme. Your annual tuition fees cover your first attempt at all of the modules necessary to complete that academic year. A re-study of any modules will incur additional charges calculated by the number of credits. Home tuition fees may be subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body. Full time taught International fees are subject to an annual increase and are published in advance for the full duration of the programme.
Eligible UK students can apply to the Government for a tuition loan, which is paid direct to the University. This has a low interest-rate which is charged from the time the first part of the loan is paid to the University until you have repaid it.
Scholarships and bursaries
For students interested in studying this course at Kingston, there are several opportunities to seek funding support.
Additional course costs
Some courses may require additional costs beyond tuition fees. When planning your studies, you’ll want to consider tuition fees, living costs, and any extra costs that might relate to your area of study.
Your tuition fees include costs for teaching, assessment and university facilities. So your access to libraries, shared IT resources and various student support services are all covered. Accommodation and general living expenses are not covered by these fees.
Where applicable, additional expenses for your course may include:
Our libraries have an extensive collection of books and journals, as well as open-access computers and laptops available to rent. However, you may want to buy your own computer or personal copies of key textbooks. Textbooks may range from £50 to £250 per year. And a personal computer can range from £100 to £3,000 depending on your course requirements.
While most coursework is submitted online, some modules may require printed copies. You may want to allocate up to £100 per year for hard-copies of your coursework. It’s worth noting that 3D printing is never compulsory. So if you choose to use our 3D printers, you’ll need to pay for the material. This ranges from 3p per gram to 40p per gram.
You’ll need to buy a specific type of calculator, which should cost between £10 and £20.
Your tuition fees don’t cover travel costs. To save on travel costs, you can use our free intersite bus service. This route links the campuses and halls of residence with local train stations - Surbiton, Kingston upon Thames, and Norbiton.
Course changes and regulations
The information on this page reflects the currently intended course structure and module details. To improve your student experience and the quality of your degree, we may review and change the material information of this course. Find out more about course changes
Programme Specifications for the course are published ahead of each academic year.
Regulations governing this course can be found on our website.
Who teaches this course
You will be taught by staff at Kingston College, who are an experienced teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The team includes senior academics, professional practitioners with industry experience, demonstrators and technical officers.
