Business Analytics (with a professional placement year) BSc (Hons)

Gain the skills to transform data into insight. Apply the latest data analytics techniques to solve business problems and inform strategic decision-making.

Select your start date

This course will be available in Clearing.

Key information

Why choose this course at Sussex?

  • Develop the data analytics skills that industries need to help them translate data into strategic insights.
  • Learn to adapt in a rapidly changing tech landscape through hands-on projects, working with industry partners and practical placement experience.
  • Study the latest digital tools used in the analytics profession, for coding, statistical modelling, business reporting, forecasting and financial analysis.

Modern businesses make decisions based on data. Data informs everything from finance and logistics to marketing and policy. Many industries need professionals who can translate data into insights.

Our Business Analytics BSc is for anyone looking for a data-driven business career. You’ll develop data-driven decision-making skills which are useful across economics, statistics, finance and marketing. You’ll be able to use your skills to solve real-world business problems.

On this course you will:

  • apply the latest data analytics techniques to identify and solve business problems
  • integrate business knowledge with analytical insights to inform strategic decision-making
  • use advanced tools in econometrics, machine learning, marketing analytics and business intelligence
  • learn through hands-on projects, case studies and working with industry partners.

To support the development of your technical and analytical skills, you’ll study digital tools used in the analytics profession, including:

  • coding environments such as Python, R, and Stata for statistical modelling
  • Power BI and Tableau for dashboard design, business reporting, and data storytelling
  • advanced use of Excel for financial analysis, forecasting, and simulation.

Our research-active faculty are at the forefront of the latest developments in business analytics. Among their areas of expertise is AI, econometrics, marketing analytics and strategic management.

We have strong industry links and there are opportunities to collaborate with outside companies during the course.

The Business School follows the principles of Responsible Business Education (PRME). The course will help you assess the ethical impact of data-driven decision making, and its impact on policy, practice and people when addressing global business challenges.

Accreditation

You’ll join the EQUIS and AMBA-accredited University of Sussex Business School. Find out more

    Your optional placement

    To help you gain experience and increase your employability, you can apply for an optional placement as part of your course. This can be a fantastic opportunity to gain real-life insight into industry as well as skills valued by employers. You’ll be responsible for applying for and securing your placement. Our dedicated careers team can help you:

    • find an employer
    • draft an application
    • prepare for interviews.

    Don’t worry if you’re not successful, you’ll simply transfer to a non-placement version of your course.

    The job market of the future is digital and data intensive. To stand out, students need technical, analytical and strategic skills which this course offers from day one.”Adnan Fakir
    Associate Professor in Economics

    Campus tours

    Join a campus tour this summer and get a feel for life at Sussex. With award-winning campus food, a National Park setting and buzzing Brighton on our doorstep, our location and facilities are hard to beat.

    Book your visit

    On campus - in person

    You’ll study for this degree on our campus, joining our academics and fellow students. With in-person contact time, digitally supported educational resources, library collections and independent study, this course is designed to give you an inclusive education. Your learning experience may also include work placements, field trips, studying abroad and internationalisation experiences.

    Find out about our beautiful campus

    Virtual tour

    Want to learn more about life at Sussex?

    Our 360° virtual tour has been designed to introduce you to life in our diverse, supportive and inclusive community. Join our students for an immersive experience as they reveal why Sussex offers a space to follow your passions, find your voice, and discover people and places that will inspire you.

    Begin your tour

    ResearchPlus

    As a founding partner of ResearchPlus, a collaboration of research-focused universities, we engage with government, industry and civil society to support economic growth, prosperity and wellbeing across the whole of the UK.

    Find out more

    Modules

    This is a single-honours course, allowing you to focus in depth on your core subject. Find out more from our guide to undergraduate study

    • Year 1 at Sussex

      Your modules

      Core modules

      Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.

      Autumn teaching
      Spring teaching

      Your degree

      Practical and study skills will be included within and alongside your modules.

      Teaching

      Teaching methods typically include lectures, seminars and practicals.

      51%: Lecture
      21%: Seminar
      28%: Practical

      Assessment

      Assessment methods typically include coursework, exams, a project/report, group work and practicals.

      Contact hours and workload

      This year of study includes approximately 1,200 hours of work. This breaks down into about 256 hours of contact time and about 944 hours of independent study.

      Engage and actively participate throughout your studies to get the most out of your course. 

    • Year 2 at Sussex

      Your modules

      Core modules

      Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.

      Autumn teaching
      Spring teaching

      Your degree

      Practical and study skills will be included within and alongside your modules.

      Teaching

      Teaching methods typically include lectures, seminars and practicals.

      51%: Lecture
      21%: Seminar
      28%: Practical

      Assessment

      Assessment methods typically include coursework, exams, a project/report, group work and practicals.

      Contact hours and workload

      This year of study includes approximately 1,200 hours of work. This breaks down into about 256 hours of contact time and about 944 hours of independent study.

      Engage and actively participate throughout your studies to get the most out of your course. 

    • Placement

      You can apply to take a paid professional placement in the third year of your degree. Recent students have gone on placements at:

      • First Equity Partners
      • PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers)
      • Ernst & Young.

      For more details, visit Department of Economics: Placements

      Our careers team offers dedicated support to help you obtain a placement, including:

      • finding an employer
      • drafting an application
      • preparing for interviews
      • ongoing help throughout a placement.

      Don’t worry if you’re not successful in securing a placement, you’ll simply transfer to a non-placement version of your course.

      Please note that if you’re receiving – or applying for – USA federal Direct Loan funds, you can’t undertake your placement in the USA if the number of credits for the placement/internship exceeds 25% of the total credits for your course. Find out more about American Student Loans and Federal Student Aid

    • Year 3 at Sussex

      Your modules

      Core modules

      Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.

      Autumn teaching
      Spring teaching

      Options

      Alongside your core modules, you can choose options to broaden your horizons and tailor your course to your interests. This list gives you a flavour of our options, which are kept under review and may change, for example in response to student feedback or the latest research.

      While it’s our aim for students to take their preferred combinations of options, this can’t be guaranteed and will be subject to timetabling. Options may be grouped and if so, students will be able to choose a set number of options from the selection available in any particular group.

      Autumn teaching
      Spring teaching

      Your degree

      Practical and study skills will be included within and alongside your modules.

      Teaching

      Teaching methods typically include lectures, seminars and practicals.

      51%: Lecture
      21%: Seminar
      28%: Practical

      Assessment

      Assessment methods typically include coursework, exams, a project/report, group work and practicals.

      Contact hours and workload

      This year of study includes approximately 1,200 hours of work. This breaks down into about 256 hours of contact time and about 944 hours of independent study.

      Engage and actively participate throughout your studies to get the most out of your course. 

    Customise your course

    Study what inspires you

    At Sussex, we collaborate across disciplines to tackle the biggest challenges facing the world. And – different to other universities – we invite you to be part of this from the moment you arrive.

    Regardless of your background or chosen degree, you’ll have the opportunity to engage with issues across disciplines – from the humanities to the sciences, and social sciences.

    In the first term, you choose one of three new flagship electives, each of which focuses on our transformation themes of Digital and Data Futures, Environmental Sustainability, and Human Flourishing:

    Alternatively, you may choose to study a language from Arabic, British Sign Language, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. Or you can choose to study English Language Teaching. You’ll develop your language skills while also exploring connections across disciplines and cultures.

    After the first term, you can choose from across our Progressive Futures electives. Alternatively, you may choose to study – or continue to learn – a language. This gives you the opportunity to customise your course and study what inspires you.

    Check out all our electives below. Each elective lasts for one term.

    On this course, you’ll have the opportunity to explore one elective in the first term in Year 1.

    These electives are designed to help you explore key global challenges with world-leading experts from across the University and beyond.

    Whichever path you take, you’ll develop key skills to tackle the complexity of contemporary challenges. This will help improve your employment prospects and help you contribute to creating progressive futures for all.

    Spirit of Sussex Award

    Feel involved in life at the University, make friends and enrich your experience with us – the Spirit of Sussex Award is our way of recognising your extracurricular and voluntary achievements.

    Find out more about the Spirit of Sussex Award

    • Video transcript

      Hi everyone! As I'm sure you've all heard by now, the Spirit of Sussex Award is now live.

      Students across the Sussex community are already earning their points

      What will you do to earn yours?

      There's so many ways to get involved.

      Head over to the website to start your Spirit of Sussex journey.

      Text: The Spirit of Sussex Award is an exciting new programme designed to recognise and celebrate the things you do outside your course.

      Participating in the Award makes it easy and fun for you to get involved and make the most of university life.

    We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2026/27. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.

    We’ll do our best to provide as much optional choice as we can, but timetabling constraints mean it may not be possible to take some module combinations. The structure of a small number of courses means that the order of modules or the streams you choose may determine whether modules are core or optional. This means that your core modules or options may differ from what’s shown here.

    Our experts

    This course covers the ethical and sustainability impact of decision-making in a digital environment. Students gain a critical perspective that challenges established views and addresses global challenges.”Sambit Bhattacharyya
    Professor of Economics

    Careers

    • 86% of Sussex undergraduates have completed work experience by the end of their course (University of Sussex Career Readiness data at point of graduation 2023/24)

    The need for expertise in data-driven decision-making in today’s business world will continue to grow in a rapidly changing technological landscape. Businesses and public sector organisations are increasingly reliant on data for competitive action.

    This course will prepare you for employment in a range of roles, including:

    • business analyst
    • data analyst
    • marketing analyst
    • financial analyst
    • operations manager.

    You will also be well-prepared for roles in consulting, business intelligence and digital transformations.

    With the focus of this course on quantitative, computational and applied skills, graduates will gain a set of highly transferable skills which will significantly boost employability.

    You’ll benefit from our strong industry links and there are opportunities to collaborate directly with companies on projects during the course.

    Based in the University of Sussex Business School, you’ll get extensive career support. This includes connecting you with employers, alumni mentoring, networking, guest lectures and workplace skills development.

    Where do our graduates work now?

    Surveyed 15 months after finishing their courses, our recent graduates from the Department of Economics worked for employers including:

    (Graduate Outcomes Survey 2017-2022)

    Working while you study

    Our Careers and Entrepreneurship team can help you find part-time work while you study. Find out more about career development and part-time work

    This BSc immerses students in real-world learning. They develop practical experience, professional awareness and the analytical skills required by employers in a rapidly evolving data-driven economy.”Vasiliki Bamiatzi
    Professor of Strategy and International Business

    Design your future at Sussex

    Taking the next step in your career can feel daunting, but we’ll help you to explore, connect and flourish throughout your studies and beyond.

    As a Sussex student, you’ll learn how to tackle real-world challenges and have access to tailored programmes of careers support:

    • our Career Lab helps you to explore your options, build key skills and connect with employers. Take part in internships, community consultancy projects and insight visits, where you can learn about life at organisations such as Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, the Knepp Rewilding Project, and fashion brand Puig
    • one-to-one appointments with your Faculty Careers Consultant can enable you to identify your career goals, write an effective CV and prepare for future interviews
    • entrepreneurship initiatives like StartUp Sussex and Ideas Lab can empower you to turn your concepts into reality.

    Explore how our Careers and Entrepreneurship team can support you

    Entry requirements

    Find your place in Clearing

    This course will be available in Clearing. Explore your options at Sussex – right here, right now.

    Fees

    Note that your fees, once they’re set, may be subject to an increase on an annual basis. Find details on our Tuition fees page.

    Home students

    £9,790 per year

    Channel Islands and Isle of Man students

    £9,790 per year

    On 19 March 2026 the UK Parliament set out that the tuition fee cap for 2026 entry will be £9,790. As the University of Sussex keeps fees for Home students and Channel Islands and Isle of Man students in line with UK Government-approved levels, fees will be £9,790 in 2026. In line with our terms and conditions, the University charges fees at the maximum levels set by the UK Government.

    International students

    £23,500 per year

    Placement

    Find out about tuition fees for placements

    Additional costs

    Note about additional costs

    Additional costs to your tuition fees may include field trips, equipment, materials, bench fees or studio hire. These costs are best estimates based on current market values which we review each year. These costs may be subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances where the University has limited control such as a change in a service provider or government guidance. We will let you know at the earliest opportunity if there is any change to these costs. We will also tell you if these costs are mandatory for passing your course or optional. Find out how to budget for student life.

    Placement

    This course offers you the opportunity to apply for a placement. Find out about placement fees at Tuition fees. You’ll need to pay for your own travel costs to and from your placement.

    Living costs

    We know the rising cost of living is on everyone’s mind, and affects us all in different ways. Our guide to living costs has been designed to help you plan and budget for life as a Sussex student.

    Learn more about typical living costs

    Scholarships

    Our goal is to ensure that every student who wants to study with us is able to regardless of financial barriers, so that we continue to attract talented and unique people.

    Contact us

    Ask a student

    Chat to Sussex students online via the UniBuddy chat platform.

    Enquiries

    Contact us with any questions about your course:

    +44 (0)1273 876787
    Ask us a question

    Find out more about the Department of Economics

    Legal information

    We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities described in this prospectus. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to government or regulatory requirements, or unanticipated staff changes, we’ll let you know as soon as possible.

    Find out about our terms and conditions, including the student code of conduct and your cancellation rights

    Find out about our complaints and appeals process

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