Event Management with Foundation Year

Foundation Year - helping you to achieve more

Including a foundation year as part of your four-year study programme will give you a head start in your academic and professional life. The foundation year offers the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge and confidence – with extensive support from our expert staff – before you advance to stage one of your honours degree. It could also be beneficial if you are planning a career change and want to get to grips with aspects of subjects which are new to you.

Our degrees with a foundation year are continuous, meaning that you won’t need to apply again once you have successfully completed the first year.

The highlights

• You'll learn how to stage events and so much more: we also give you the management, leadership and entrepreneurial skills needed to excel in the events industry, a rapidly evolving sector that needs reshaping and rebuilding after the Covid pandemic
• You'll learn how events, tourism and hospitality overlap to make up the wider 'visitor economy', and work closely with Tourism and Hospitality students - this will broaden your career options
• You can study abroad for a semester in stage two, and take a placement year before stage three
• All modules align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, so you will learn to think about the social and environmental impact of events, not just the financial gains. 

Designed for 2023 and beyond

This  BA (Hons) Event Management degree is designed to give you the management and operational skills needed to succeed in the 2020s and beyond. We have a track record of running successful event management degrees, which regularly gained satisfaction ratings of over 90%, and now we've updated our curriculum to be even more relevant to the industry today. 

In particular, we've included more content about business management, entrepreneurship, sustainability, creativity and design thinking, so you graduate as a modern, adaptable and creative thinker who is not afraid to challenge the status quo and lead on change.

We've also redesigned the modules so that instead of studying specific modules in Finance, Marketing, HR and the other business disciplines, we teach these subjects throughout the course at points where they are most relevant. For instance, you will build your financial knowledge as you learn to create business plans, and you will develop HR and leadership skills as you learn how to change and transform an organisation.

Events and the visitor economy

This programme is part of our Centre for Contemporary Hospitality and Tourism, which has been awarded the prestigious International Centre of Excellence (ICE) in Tourism and Hospitality accreditation. The course shares key generic modules with our International Tourism Management and International Hospitality Management degrees, so you can appreciate how these three specialisms work together to make up the 'visitor economy' (the services and experiences that attract visitors to a destination.)

You will still focus on events - through activities, assessments and specialist modules - but you'll also develop broader business management knowledge and get the chance to take optional modules in tourism and hospitality subjects. It means you'll have a wider skillset when you graduate and a greater choice of career paths and postgraduate courses.

Practical projects and real events

Throughout the course, you'll be asked to complete a wide range of tasks and activities that an events professional might do, so you build up practical experience and can apply what you're learning.

For example, you'll design, plan and manage virtual, in-person or 'hybrid' events, and learn how to use the latest event technology such as live streaming, surround sound, apps and virtual reality. You'll also get the chance to create promotional videos or brochures for an event, plan and pitch new business proposals, carry out market research and customer satisfaction surveys, produce event safety plans, write bid documents, and evaluate the outcomes of an event.

Derby city and its surroundings are home to many major events venues including Derby Arena, Pride Park Stadium, Derby Conference Centre, Donnington Park and The Roundhouse. Derbyshire also plays host to well-known festivals such as Y Not and Download. We'll be drawing on our links with events venues and operators in the region, to give you exciting project and networking opportunities. For example, in the past our Event Management students have worked at the Y Not festival, comic book convention Comic Con, and other events for companies like Avant Homes and Peak District Artisans.

Key areas of learning

With this degree, you'll cover the full range of modern-day event management and business management skills. You'll learn to problem-solve and adapt to changing external environments, create successful experiences while considering sustainability, and plan, manage and evaluate projects.

We'll teach you how to research, analyse and present data, as well as how to launch a new business, manage finances and lead teams. You'll also gain vital knowledge about event safety legislation and learn how to assess risk, manage crowds and ensure adequate security is in place.

You'll graduate with a diverse skillset, a 'can-do' attitude and the knowledge and confidence to go out and make your mark in the events industry.

Studying abroad

In stage two of this course, you will get the opportunity to study abroad. You'll be able to choose from a range of countries, such as the Netherlands, Germany, Thailand, Bali and South Africa. It's a great way to experience a different culture, gain a new perspective on your subject, and have an adventure!

Work placements and internships

We'll encourage and support you to take work placements and internships, at home or abroad. In stage two, you must complete at least 30 hours of work experience and then between stages two and three, you can take an optional placement year or a summer internship. This is a valuable opportunity to gain experience and develop your practical skills 'on the job'.

Please note that our modules are subject to change - we review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects.

You will build up your knowledge and skills through learning activities like:

• lectures - delivered by our tutors and guest speakers
• seminars and tutorials
• practical projects including planning and managing events
• case study analysis
• independent study
• fieldtrips 
• placements and internships
• networking and mentoring

How you will be assessed

We use a range of assessment methods - predominantly coursework, but there may be some online exams too. Your coursework tasks will be based around the key duties of events professionals and will include writing business proposals, delivering pitches and presentations, drafting project plans and evaluations, creating bid documents and event safety plans.

Having learned the latest techniques, processes, and technologies for event management, you'll graduate from this degree as a confident and creative event specialist with strong business acumen. If you want to launch your own business or work for a start-up, you'll have the enterprising attitude and attributes that are needed, including resilience, self-awareness and independent thinking.

Or if you prefer to work for an employer, you'll be well-suited to a range of roles in the event, tourism or hospitality sectors, as well as allied industries such as marketing, PR or HR. You could initially apply for roles such as Conference and Event Co-ordinator, Marketing Executive, Business Development Manager, Communications Co-ordinator, but several years down the line, we think you'll be leading, inspiring and shaping the future of the visitor economy.

Contextual offers may apply to students who meet certain criteria.

*This is the fee for the Foundation Year. Subsequent UK fees are £9,535 per year. Subsequent International fees are £17,500 per year.

Further information about our fees and support you may be entitled to

Additional costs and optional extras

Additional information about your studies

Teaching hours

Like most universities, we operate extended teaching hours at the University of Derby, so contact time with your lecturers and tutors could be anytime between 9am and 9pm. Your timetable will usually be available on the website 24 hours after enrolment on to your course.

Course updates

The information provided on this page is correct at the time of publication but course content, costs and other individual course details do change from time to time and are updated as often as possible, so please do check these pages again when making your final decision to apply for a course. Any updated course details will also be confirmed to you at application, enrolment and in your offer letter.

If you are thinking about transferring onto this course (into the second year for example), you should contact the programme leader for the relevant course information as modules may vary from those shown on this page.