The business curriculum is developed to provide students with a broad understanding of business, economics and finance, while at the same time, enhancing their leadership, analytical and entrepreneurial skills.
The Bachelor of Business is based on a modular credit system, a combination of depth (specialisation of degree major) and breadth (general education modules beyond specialisation of degree major) where students have the flexibility of customising their degree programme depending on their preference and interest. It is a four-year honours degree programme, comprised of eight semesters, with students expected to acquire a minimum of 140 modular credits.
This degree is offered only on a full-time basis, with two intakes each year (January and August). Students may select from one of the following Major programmes:
Students are required to fulfil the requirements of their chosen major field, as well as enrich their learning experience during the Discovery year.
Module Classification
The Bachelor of Business involves modules that can be classified as degree core, major core, major option, compulsory breadth and breadth. These classifications are described below:
Degree Core
These are modules that must be taken by all students enrolled in the Bachelor of Business. Students must pass these modules in order to fulfil their graduation requirement.
- BB-1102 Business Statistics
- BB-1103 Information Systems Concepts
- BB-1104 Principles of Business & Management
- BE-1101 Principles of Economics
- BP-1101 Government, Business & Society
Major Core
These are modules that are compulsory for all students registered in a particular major. Students must pass these modules in order to fulfil their graduation requirement. Different majors have their own sets of requirements and modules listed as major core.
Major Option
These are non-compulsory major modules that contribute to the requirement to complete a major and count towards the depth requirements for graduation. Different majors have their own sets of requirements and modules listed as major option.
Compulsory Breadth
Similar to degree core modules, these are university-wide modules offered by other faculties, which students must pass in order to satisfy their graduation requirement.
- LE-1503 Communication Skills I: Academic Reading and Writing Skills
- LE-2503 Communication Skills II: Academic Report Writing and Presentation
- PB-1503 Melayu Islam Beraja (MIB)
- Islamic Civilization and the Modern World
- A breadth module worth 4 modular credits, taken either from within the faculty or another faculty
Breadth
These are any module that is outside the degree and major. Any modules from another faculty are examples of breadth modules. Students must acquire a minimum of 4 modular credits from the Science discipline these breadth modules are available from the Faculty of Science, Institute of Health Science and Faculty of Integrated Technology.
Modules completed at host universities during study abroad programmes will be transferred accordingly, as breadth modules.
The Programme Structure (for a Single Major)
Year 1
Students would normally undertake degree core modules including compulsory breadth and a selection of other breadth modules.
By the end of Semester 2, students are expected to have decided and declared their major programmes (Accounting and Finance, Business Administration or Economics).
Year 2
Students will register in depth modules related to their major programme, that is, major core and major option modules. Those who wish to enrol in Major in Accounting and Finance must obtain a minimum of cumulative grade point average (cGPA) of 3.0 in Year 1. As for a direct-entry student (HND holder), he/she must have at least 8 merits OR achieve Distinction in all accounting and finance related modules in his/her HND.
Year 3
The third year is the Discovery Year, where students will engage in activities outside of the university. Students can choose to study in a reputed international university, undertake an internship locally or abroad, engage in a community outreach project, or learn how to develop a business idea and turn it into reality through an incubation programme. They have the option to choose any or a combination of the following activities:
| • Study Abroad Program (SAP) |
32 modular credits |
| • Student Exchange Program (SEP) |
16 modular credits |
| • Internship Program |
16 modular credits |
| • Incubation Program |
16 modular credits |
| • Community Outreach Program (COP) |
16 modular credits |
Year 4
Students must complete all required modules and accumulate a minimum of 140 modular credits from a combination of degree core, major and breadth modules as specified by the programme structure.
Summary of Degree Structure (for a Single Major)
| Types of Module |
Modular Credits (MCs) |
Degree Core
- BB-1104 Principles of Business & Management
- BB-1102 Business Statistics
- BB-1103 Information Systems Concepts
- BE-1101 Principles of Economics
- BP-1101 Government, Business & Society
|
20 |
Compulsory Breadth
- LE-1503 Communication Skills I
- LE-2503 Communication Skills II
- PB-1503 Melayu Islam Beraja (MIB)
- Islamic Civilization and the Modern World
- A breadth module worth 4 modular credits, taken either from within the faculty or another faculty
|
20 |
| Major Core & Options |
52 |
| Discovery Year activity* |
32 |
| Outside Faculty Breadth** |
16 |
| Total |
140 |
*All students have to undergo two semesters of discovery year activities.
**4 out of 16 modular credits should be attained from the Faculty of Science, Institute of Health Science or Faculty of Integrated Technology.
Double Major
Students can opt to pursue a double major degree from within the faculty or from another faculty. They can declare their double major in the first semester of candidature and before the commencement of their fourth semester. To complete the requirement for a double major within UBDSBE, students need to meet the minimum requirement of 52 modular credits of depth for each respective major programme.
As a guide, students within the faculty who wish to read a double major would need to complete:
- 20 modular credits of degree core
- 52 modular credits from 1st major
- 52 modular credits from 2nd major
- 70 modular credits of breadth
Students wishing to read another major from another faculty would have to consult the relevant members of the faculty on requirements and the programme structure.
Minor
This is optional, and students may take a minor if they wish to gain an additional specialisation. A minor consists of 24 modular credits of related modules, and can be taken by students within the faculty and another faculty. The faculty offers three minors:
- Minor in Business Administration
- Minor in Accounting & Finance
- Minor in Economics
Level Requirement
To graduate with a Bachelor of Business, students must acquire at least 140 modular credits, and have fulfilled the requirements for degree core, major programme and required breadth modules.
In each semester, students are required to register a minimum of 12 modular credits and a maximum of 20 modular, and to maintain a cumulative grade point average (cGPA) of not less than 1.5. A student who seeks to read more than 20 modular credits in a semester will require the approval of the Faculty Dean. As taking more than 20 modular credits entail an extremely heavy workload, approval will be discretionary and considered on a case by case basis.
Students must pass certain foundational modules, that is, Level 1000 modules. The maximum modular credits to be considered as graduating modular credits is 40, for Level 1000 modules. This is to ensure, especially in taking breadth modules, that students would be well-versed in fundamental concepts related to different levels of studies.
For a single major, students are expected to pass a minimum of 24 modular credits of Level 4000 modules in their major programme. The rest of the level requirements can be read at either Level 2000 or Level 3000 modules.
Students are free to choose modules from different levels of study (except for modules with prerequisites) in any one semester. With the versatility of customising their programme structure, students must design their study programme wisely to ensure that they satisfy all requirements needed for graduation. Students are strongly advised to consult their Programme Leader before signing up for modules.
As GenNext emphasises depth and breadth in education, all academic modules will contribute towards the Grade Point Average (GPA) of a student. Given the importance of the Capstone modules, the weightage of the different level modules are as follows:
- Level 1000 modules = 20%
- Level 2000 modules = 20%
- Level 3000 modules = 20%
- Level 4000 modules = 40%
For students who choose to read Level 5000 modules, the weightage will be similar to Level 4000 modules.
Prerequisites and Anti-requisites
There are some modules offered by the faculty where, given the foundational knowledge needed to undertake a particular module, a prerequisite may be imposed. These will be clearly labelled in the module outline
Students must ensure that they have the necessary prerequisites before registering for a particular module.
There may be cases where there are substantial overlaps in the content covered in two modules. In such cases, the two modules will have an anti-requisite. This means that students taking a particular module will not be allowed to read the anti-requisite module.