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BPES modules

Next start date:
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Duration:
10 weeks
Location:
London, UK

Business and management modules for the scientists and engineers of tomorrow 

Open to current Imperial students of science and engineering, the Business for Professionals of Engineering and Science (BPES) modules offered by the Business School bridge the gap between business and STEM. This interdisciplinary approach is vital for driving innovation, economic growth and sustainability as well as equipping students with a broader understanding of the financial, strategic, operational and organisational context in which engineering and science takes place. 

By combining studies in your department with modules delivered by the Business School, you stand to graduate with a powerful array of skills such as leadership, communication and decision-making, giving you the flexibility to alter the direction of your career in response to changes in the workplace environment.  

Explore the modules

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Module content

The BPES modules will introduce you to a range of ideas, concepts and models relevant to working successfully in organisations. If the module you wish to join is assessed by examination, you must ensure you can attend the final exam before selecting a BPES module.

 

The following modules are available within the BPES portfolio. Most are assessed by a mixture of exams and coursework. Please note, before registering you need to check with your department to confirm which BPES modules are available to you on your programme of study.

Accounting Online

October-December

The aim of this module is to develop certain accounting related skills, by explaining the techniques of financial accounting and management accounting, and examining their relevance to the broader issues of financial decision-making and management control in organisations. The module gives you a basic insight into the way that business performance is measured, and how business decisions can be structured and analysed.

Business Economics

October-December

Economics provides a useful set of tools for analysing the world and aiding decision-making by businesses and governments. This module aims to give you an overview of several of these tools and of the insights that can be obtained with them. We will particularly focus on the tools most relevant to businesses. We will pay particular attention to the actions of firms and individuals in the context of market interaction and strategic (game theoretic) interactions in business contexts.

Entrepreneurship

October-December

Entrepreneurship is the process of identifying and exploiting a new business opportunity. An entrepreneur must understand the competitive landscape, estimate the potential demand for their products or services, assess risks and returns, and develop and execute the possible ways to deliver their claims to the best set of consumers. The entrepreneur also needs to acquire resources (funding), compile a team, and generate a vision for the fledgling enterprise.

Entrepreneurship Online

October-December

The entrepreneurship online module offers you a unique opportunity to build your knowledge, skills, experience and networks for starting up a new venture in any industrial or social domain.

Managerial Economics Online

October-December

The purpose of this module is to introduce economic concepts encountered  in business contexts and provide a framework for modelling the interaction between consumers and producers. Students will study alternative market structures, ranging from monopoly to perfect competition and identify and analyse strategic interaction between market place participants.

Managing Innovation

October-December

The module aims to equip students with the skills to organise and shape the innovation process in firms. Student will develop an understanding of how innovation emerge and gain adoption in the market place and how firms can transform themselves into effective innovators. They will be expected to understand, interpret, and evaluate managerial strategies and structures associated with different types of innovation. They will also learn different ways in which organisations seek to profit from their innovations.

BPES handbook

Please note, due to shared content, the following modules cannot be taken together: 

  • Entrepreneurship / Entrepreneurship Online
  • Business Economics / Managerial Economics Online 
  • Finance & Financial Management / Corporate Finance Online 
  • Leading Teams and Organisations / Organisational Behaviour (Imperial Horizons) 

If you are considering a transfer to the Joint Honours or Intercalated BSc in Management programmes, you should not select a BPES module due to overlapping content. You should also not include BPES modules within your iExplore preferences. 

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Registration

You can register for BPES modules in the following ways:

1. As a ‘non-technical’ optional/elective module

2. As your iExplore module 

The modules and enrolment routes available to you will be determined by your home department and the structure and requirements of your degree programme. If you are required to take a BPES module as a core/compulsory part of your programme, you will be registered automatically by your department.

Find out more how to register for BPES as an optional/elective module by downloading our registration instructions.

Self-registration to select a BPES module as your optional/elective 2024/25 has now closed, however if you have missed the deadline you can still email bpes@imperial.ac.uk to enquire about module availability for 2024/25.

Self-registration to select a BPES module as your optional/elective for 2025/26 will open from Thursday 15 May 2025 to Thursday 29 May 2025.

If you need any support or have questions about the BPES modules, please feel free to contact us

BPES timetable for 2024-25 modules

Before selecting a BPES module, please ensure that you can attend the final exam.

Students who are completing a work placement as part of their degree or are undertaking an internship are responsible for ensuring that they are available during the BPES examination week. Examinations cannot be rescheduled to accommodate specific students’ availability.

Autumn Term (7 October – 13 December 2024)

Code

Module

Iterations

Times

Provisional Exam Week

BUSI60037

Accounting Online

N/A - Online module

Optional live classes

Tuesday 7 January 2025 14.30-16.30

BUSI60038

Business Economics

Monday or Thursday

16.00-18.00

Wednesday 8 January 2025 14.30-16.30

BUSI60041

Entrepreneurship

Thursday

16.00-18.00

N/A

BUSI60042

Entrepreneurship Online*

N/A - Online module

Optional live classes

N/A

BUSI60044

Managerial Economics Online

N/A - Online module

Optional live classes

Wednesday 8 January 2025 14.30-16.30

BUSI60045

Managing Innovation

Thursday

16.00-18.00

Thursday 9 January 2025 14.30-15.30

Spring Term (13 January – 21 March 2025)

Code

Module

Iterations

Times

Provisional Exam Week

BUSI60022

Leading Teams and Organisations**

Thursday

16.00-18.00

N/A

BUSI60043

Finance & Financial Management

Thursday

16.00-18.00

Thursday 1 May 2025 14.30-16.30

BUSI60040

Corporate Finance Online

N/A - Online module

Optional live classes

Thursday 1 May 2025 14.30-16.30

BUSI60039

Business Strategy

Thursday

16.00-18.00

Tuesday 29 April 2025 14.30-16.30

BUSI60046

Project Management

Thursday

16.00-18.00

Wednesday 30 April 2025 14.30-16.30

*Final coursework for this module may be due outside of term on the week commencing 13 January.

**Final coursework for this module may be due outside of term on the week commencing 24 March.

Frequently asked questions

BPES stands for Business for Professionals of Engineering and Science. Our offering comprises of stand-alone modules covering different business and management-related subjects, delivered in various formats over a period of 10 weeks.

This is dependent on your home department and programme of study. Some students will need to take BPES modules as a core/compulsory part of their degree, in these cases you will be enrolled onto the relevant modules automatically. You may also include BPES modules within your selection of preferences for your iExplore module. Please see the iExplore FAQs for further information.

Yes, four of the BPES modules are delivered online and asynchronously, giving students the freedom to learn in their own time. These online modules are delivered via our online learning environment, the Hub. Your learning will be supported by occasional live tutorials, which will take place via Zoom.

No, students are only able to register for BPES as for-credit options; this includes any BPES module you may take as your iExplore requirement.

Your home department usually decides which modules you can take, dependent on the programme you are studying. Students who are planning to take the Joint Honours year in Management degree programme are not permitted to register for BPES, due to overlapping content.

Please note that students who wish to select a BPES module as their iExplore option will instead need to register via a separate iExplore module selection system.

More information about iExplore can be found on their webpages.