What is a business management course?

March 26th, 2023 Management Careers

Business management courses can help you to develop a wide range of valuable career skills, but what exactly are these learning programmes and what can you expect if you sign up to one? Keep reading to find out.

What is business management?

Put simply, the subject of business management focuses on developing the skills you need to manage a company’s resources effectively. It’s intended for people who want to be key decision makers in business – whether this is running an entire company or being in charge of particular departments or teams within an organisation. Business managers are typically the people who set company goals and determine the strategies for achieving these goals. Studying business management can make you more effective in these crucial areas.

Courses on this subject are wide-ranging, often including modules on everything from how to establish a business, to implementing effective management procedures, to marketing products and services successfully. They are generally very people-centric, emphasising skills such as strong communication and managing teams. However, they also encompass more technical elements, such as financial management and techniques to enhance productivity.

There are various ways to study business management. For example, you could sign up to complete a certificate, diploma or degree.

How long does a business management course take?

The length of business management courses depends on a number of factors. This includes the type of learning programme you sign up to. For example, a degree will typically take longer to complete than a diploma or certificate. It also hinges on any timeframes specified by your course provider. At ICI, our business management diplomas take an average of 24 weeks to complete, but we allow students up to three years to finish the learning programmes.

If you enrol on a course like this that gives you the freedom to study at your own pace, you will determine how quickly you finish it. If you are fitting your learning around other commitments, such as work or family responsibilities, it’s likely to take longer than if you’re able to concentrate on your studies full-time.

What does a business management course involve?

Exactly what your business management course involves will depend on the specific learning programme you enrol on. However, there are certain fundamental elements that you can expect these courses to cover. For example, you’ll learn about business essentials such as accounting, operations, economics, managing people and marketing.

On a more granular level, these courses often include modules on how to establish a company and the different procedures involved in business management. Also, as touched on earlier, because communication is such an important element of business management, most courses place a strong emphasis on developing this key skill. You will be taught the most effective ways to communicate with everyone from suppliers and customers to members of staff. These courses also cover how to manage staff successfully.

You’ll learn about marketing techniques too. No business can achieve success without knowing how to promote its products or services effectively, so you’ll get to grips with the best ways to do this. You’ll also find out about problem solving in a business context. No matter how diligent you are as a manager, things can always go wrong and you need to have the skill set that enables you to deal with problems when they arise. Another area that all business management courses cover is financial management.

Are business administration and business management the same?

Because the courses have similar names, business management and business administration are often assumed to be the same thing. In fact, they’re not; although there is some overlap, there are key differences between the two subjects. Whereas business management focuses on managing a company’s resources and places a lot of emphasis on human resource management and communication, business administration courses tend to be more technical and focus on the processes involved in running an organisation.

Another way to look at it is that while business managers typically set the strategy for companies, business administrators tend to be more focused on helping companies to follow these strategies by ensuring the day-to-day operations run as effectively and smoothly as possible.

So, while you will see considerable commonality if you compare our Master of Business Administration course with our business management course, there are important points of difference that you should be aware of when choosing which learning programme is right for you.

What jobs can you get with a business management diploma?

A business management diploma can open up many career opportunities. One of the benefits of completing this type of course is that it provides you with a wide range of transferable skills that you can use in a variety of different roles. You’ll develop abilities that can be applied to almost any kind of organisation, from small-scale companies to large corporations.

One popular career path after completing this type of course is to become an entrepreneur. You’ll be equipped with a plethora of skills that help you to make a success of your own business venture. Alternatively, if the thought of launching your own company seems too risky or doesn’t appeal for other reasons, you might decide to manage a small business on behalf of the owner.

Another option is to get involved in business development – helping businesses to expand and bring in new customers. Or perhaps project management is more your thing. This allows you to harness your knowledge of setting goals and devising strategies to achieve these objectives. You could also look into the option of becoming a business advisor, providing insights and support to other businesspeople. You could do this type of job as an employee of an organisation or on a self-employed basis.

Whatever you choose to do in your career, taking a business management course will help you to develop knowledge and skills in many key areas.

by Gladys Mae

Gladys Mae served as the General Manager and Head of Student Services at the International Career Institute (ICI) from 2010 to 2025. A graduate of the University of San Jose - Recoletos with a degree in Mass Communication (Broadcast Media), she brought exceptional communication and organisational strengths to the role. During her 15-year tenure at ICI, Gladys provided decisive leadership, ensured high-quality student support, and played a pivotal role in shaping a positive learning experience for thousands of students. Before joining ICI, Gladys built a diverse professional background through key positions in the banking and business process outsourcing sectors, giving her a strong foundation in customer service, operations management, and team leadership.