How is BA Business English different from a general Business or English degree?

A general Business degree teaches commercial functions; a general English degree teaches the language and literature. BA Business English sits across both — advanced English for use in business, with enough commercial literacy to apply it credibly in client, board and regulator contexts.

Does BA Business English prepare me for Cambridge BEC Higher?

Yes — assessment design across the degree is aligned with Cambridge BEC frameworks at progressive levels. Most graduates sit BEC Higher independently after Year 2 or in their final year, supported by tutor guidance.

Can I take BA Business English online or by distance learning?

Yes. Online students join live tutorials in UK working hours; distance learners set their own pace within structured deadlines. Both routes complete the same portfolio, with presentation assessments delivered by video to a tutor panel.

What kind of placement does BA Business English include?

The final-year applied project is built around a real business brief from a UK or international company — typically a corporate communications, training or export-team challenge. Students with employer access can use their own organisation, with tutor sign-off.

Is BA Business English suitable for someone planning a corporate communications career?

Yes. The course is one of two primary undergraduate routes at LSJHML into corporate communications, alongside BA Journalism. Business English students who plan to specialise in communications typically take internal communications and crisis communication electives in Year 3.

BA Business English in London | LSJHML | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The BA Business English at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a three-year UK honours degree designed for international students and bilingual graduates who want to operate in English at executive standard across global business. You will study advanced business English alongside the cultural, legal and commercial frameworks of UK and international corporate life.

Business English is taught here as the working language of meetings, contracts, negotiations, board reports, investor calls and crisis statements — not as a polite supplement to general English. By graduation you will write at native standard, present and negotiate with confidence, and understand the commercial settings in which your English will be tested.

Key Features

UK honours degree — three years full-time, with online and distance routes for working students.
Cambridge BEC-aligned assessment design at progressive levels through the degree.
Business writing portfolio — reports, proposals, board papers, investor and customer communications.
Presentation and negotiation strand in studio-quality conditions, with video review across all three years.
Industry-led masterclasses from corporate communications directors, international account leads and business English trainers at UK and global organisations.
Final-year applied project built around a real business brief from a UK or international company.

What You Will Learn

The BA Business English is structured around the English skills international graduate-entry employers actually recruit for — accurate, persuasive written English, presentation discipline, negotiation language, and the cultural awareness to read a room. You finish able to operate as the English-language lead in a multilingual team or as a confident corporate communicator in your own right.

Advanced business writing — reports, proposals, board papers, executive summaries.
Corporate correspondence — email at scale, client management, escalation language.
Presentation English — structure, voice, slide discipline, Q&A.
Negotiation language — opening positions, concessions, agreement framing, written follow-up.
Commercial law and contracts — reading and drafting at a working level.
Financial English — annual reports, investor communications, market updates.
Cross-cultural business communication — UK, US, European and Asian commercial conventions.
Crisis and reputation communication — holding statements, regulator-facing language, internal messaging.

Who This Course Is For

International school leavers seeking a UK honours degree that combines English mastery with commercial training.
Bilingual graduates in business or modern languages wanting a UK Business English credential to support international careers.
Career-changers from teaching or translation moving into corporate communications or international account work.
Heritage English speakers with limited formal business-language training preparing for graduate-entry roles in global firms.

Career Pathways

BA Business English graduates move into corporate communications, international account management, business training and bilingual operational roles across UK and global firms. Typical first roles include:

Business English Trainer (corporate, language school, in-house programme)
Corporate Communications Specialist (FTSE corporate, professional services)
Bilingual Account Manager (international agency, export desk, B2B sales)
International Sales Coordinator (cross-border commercial team)
Internal Communications Officer (multinational, regulated industry)
Investor Communications Assistant (listed company, IR consultancy)

Graduates progress to a Master's in International Communications, an MBA, or a Master's specialism in Corporate Communications.

Entry Requirements

Three A-Levels at BBC or above (or international equivalent — IB 28 points, BTEC DMM, or accepted national qualification).
GCSE English Language at grade 5 or equivalent English proficiency test.
IELTS 6.0 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers.
A short personal statement; some applicants invited to a short interview.
Mature applicants (21+) without standard qualifications may apply with a portfolio and short interview.

Why Study at LSJHML

The London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London. Our programmes are designed in dialogue with working professionals — journalists, translators, civil servants, academics, broadcasters, editors, publishers and policy researchers — so what you learn in seminar on Monday is what your future employer is using on Tuesday. We deliberately keep cohorts small, give every student named tutor support, and treat employability as a structural part of every programme rather than an optional add-on.

London is the work — politics, courts, capital markets, theatre, broadcasting, publishing, public service, the global press. Your studies are taught in the same square mile where the stories you read about happen. Whether you join us on-campus, online or by distance learning, the city is your classroom and our industry network is your launchpad.