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Rural Business Management

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Why Study Rural Business Management ?

These courses will prepare you for management careers in the rural business, agri-business, equine, and animal management industries. Courses are available from HNC to BA (Hons) levels.

The HNC and HND courses offer a business management course which focuses, by way of case studies and examples, on the rural industries related to the agricultural and land based sector. In the degree years, students can pursue the broad "Enterprise" degree course, or can choose to specialise in one of the following areas:

The Agriculture stream will develop an understanding of the food chain and the quality and standards demanded from agricultural production, and the key issues facing agriculture and the related industries.

Students interested in securing a management position in an animal related business might follow the Animal stream which develops animal welfare and behaviour knowledge.

The Equine stream will enable students to gather the skills and knowledge required to manage an equine related business.

A course leaflet can be downloaded from the right of this page.

About The Course

These courses will prepare you for management careers in the rural business (enterprise), agri-business, food supply and management, equine management, and animal management industries.

Study is designed to develop understanding, knowledge and skills in the areas of business management, enterprise, economic policy, human resource management, finance, technology, and the environment. These issues are studied in both a national and global context, and the emphasis throughout is on land based industries related to the agriculture industry.

Interest in land based and rural matters has never been greater with wide ranging debate over the safety of the food chain, hunting, land use, economic viability of businesses, rural depopulation, planning in the countryside and diversification of land use to the equine, animal, food and leisure industries. These courses cover a wide range of specialist subjects in depth, providing a focus on rural business, with the option of a specialism in enterprise, agriculture, food, equine, or animal industries in which you may wish to develop a career.

Progression from a related HND course is possible with direct entry to year 3 of the BA degree.

Methods of Delivery and Assessment

This course makes full use of the rural businesses surrounding SAC's campuses by bringing students into contact with live business issues through case studies and business plans for their chosen optional modular cluster. Visits and case studies featuring rural businesses, processing facilities, and commercial producers are a regular feature of the course, as a supplement to the normal lecture programme. During year 3, students solve problems related to businesses in their chosen field through advanced case studies which you will find interesting and challenging.


 

Awards Available

Click on a course title for further details

BA/BA (Hons) Rural Business Management (Agriculture)

Study In Aberdeen: SAC S01 NDF4 X BA/RBMAgr

Study In Edinburgh: SAC S01 NDF4 Z BA/RBMAgr

Length Of Course

The BA general degree takes 3 years full-time. The BA Honours degree takes 4 years full-time. Both can be studied part-time.

Validating University

The degree is awarded by the University of Glasgow.

Minimum Entry Requirements

3 Highers (BCC) or 2 A-Levels (CC).

English and Maths are required at Standard Grade/GCSE pass level or equivalent.

Applicants with SWAP Access Courses are encouraged to apply.

Progression Routes

Application to year 3 from HND students is encouraged, particularly from those with an HND in business or agriculture.

BA/BA (Hons) Rural Business Management (Equine)

Study In Aberdeen: SAC S01 ND24 X BA/RBMEq

Length Of Course

The BA general degree takes 3 years full-time. The BA Honours degree takes 4 years full-time. Both can be studied part-time.

Validating University

The degree is awarded by the University of Glasgow.

Minimum Entry Requirements

3 Highers (BCC) or 2 A-Levels (CC).

English and Maths are required at Standard Grade/GCSE pass level or equivalent.

Applicants with SWAP Access Courses are encouraged to apply.

Progression Routes

Application to year 3 from HND students is encouraged, particularly from those with an HND in business, agriculture, animal care/welfare, or equine/horse management.

BA/BA (Hons) Rural Business Management (Enterprise)

Study In Aberdeen: SAC S01 D0N0 X BA/RBMgt

Study In Edinburgh: SAC S01 D0N0 Z BA/RBMgt

Length Of Course

The BA general degree takes 3 years full-time. The BA Honours degree takes 4 years full-time. Both can be studied part-time.

Validating University

The degree is awarded by the University of Glasgow.

Minimum Entry Requirements

3 Highers (BCC) or 2 A-Levels (CC).

English and Maths are required at Standard Grade/GCSE pass level or equivalent.

Applicants with SWAP Access Courses are encouraged to apply.

Progression Routes

Application to year 3 from HND students is encouraged, particularly from those with an HND in business, agriculture, animal care/welfare, environmental/conservation studies, equine/horse management, food science and technology, or leisure management. 

BA/BA (Hons) Rural Business Management (Animal)

Study In Edinburgh: SAC S01 ND23 Z BA/RBMAn

Length Of Course

The BA general degree takes 3 years full-time. The BA Honours degree takes 4 years full-time. Both can be studied part-time.

Validating University

The degree is awarded by the University of Glasgow.

Minimum Entry Requirements

3 Highers (BCC) or 2 A-Levels (CC). English and Maths are required at Standard Grade/GCSE pass or equivalent.

Applicants with SWAP Access qualifications are encouraged to apply.

Progression Routes

Application to year 3 from HND students is encouraged, particularly from those with an HND in business, agriculture, or animal care/welfare.

HND Rural Business Management

Study In Aberdeen: SAC S01 654D X HND/RBMgt

Study In Edinburgh: SAC S01 654D Z HND/RBMgt

Length Of Course

The HND course takes 2 years full-time, and can also be studied part-time.

Minimum Entry Requirements

2 Highers (CC) or 1 A-Level pass. Applicants with SWAP Access to Business qualifications are encouraged to apply.

Applicants holding related HNC qualifications from other institutions may be eligible to join year 2 of the HND course.

Progression Routes

Students completing the HND Rural Business Management can progress into year 3 of a range of SAC's courses, particularly the Rural Business Management degree courses, offered with specialisms in the areas of Agriculture, Enterprise, Animal, Food Business, and Equine.

Rural Business Management by Flexible Learning

UCAS Codes

Study In Aberdeen: Apply direct to SAC

Study In Ayr: Apply direct to SAC

Study In Edinburgh: Apply direct to SAC

Length Of Course

The HNC takes 2 years to study by flexible learning. Study is mainly at home, and there's a weekend study school once a term.

Minimum Entry Requirements

Minimum requirements will be 2 Highers at CC or above or 1 A level pass.

Progression Routes

Completion of the HNC allows progression into Year 2 of the full-time, on campus HND & BA/BA (Hons) Rural Business Management course in Aberdeen or Edinburgh.

Course Content

Further information is available in SAC's undergraduate prospectus and in our course leaflet, which can be downloaded from this page. Please contact us for further details.

Year 1

Year 1 (HNC): This introduces some of the underlying principles of business management. You will study a number of areas including economics, marketing, web design, computing, human resource management, record keeping, and developing entrepreneurial skills. The HNC ends with a graded unit investigation which gives a grade for your studies. Optional modules are also available in enterprise, agriculture, and equine specialisms.

Year 2

Year 2 (HND): At this level, you apply your knowledge of actual management principles to business situations. Areas of study include work experience, using financial business accounting statements, planning, budgeting and control, human resource management, advanced IT, E commerce, information handling and presentation, and culminates in a business case study. The use of specialist business software allows students with limited accounting skills to progress with ease to producing business plans and a further graded unit investigation. Optional modules are also available in enterprise, agriculture, and equine specialisms.

Year 3

Year 3 (general degree): At third year level, you study in more depth the issues that affect rural business and the policies and practices that shape it. Modules include research skills and data analysis, management skills and entrepreneurship, economic analysis for business decisions, management strategies, marketing management, and elective modules in your choice of the enterprise, agriculture, equine, or animal module clusters. Options can include industrial experience and advanced case studies which can be tailored to your specialist needs. Direct entry to year 3 from other courses institutions with a relevant HND is encouraged.

Year 4

Year 4 (Honours degree): The fourth year allows students to develop, specialise and to choose topics which are of particular interest to them. Taught modules include business law and taxation, advanced financial management and planning, business marketing and professional practice. A key element of year 4 is the Honours Dissertation where students research a topical business area of their choice. Examples of recent Honours Projects have covered a range of topics from the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy to introducing diversified businesses such as food, animal and equine ventures.

Career Opportunities

Past students have gone on to a range of career destinations, including:

HNC Rural Business Management:

  • Secretarial work
  • Working in the food and drinks sector
  • Working in an auction market
  • Progression to HND Rural Business Management

HND Rural Business Management:

  • Self employed in business
  • Trainee Manager
  • Trainee Farm Manager
  • Technical Sales (Seed Company)
  • Progression to BA Rural Business management

BA Rural Business Management

  • Trainee Land Agent
  • Manager (food processing)
  • Sales Manager
  • Enterprise Manager
  • Farmer (self employed)
  • Technical Representative
  • Trainee Grain Trader Self employed in Equine Business
  • Manager of farm shop and restaurant
  • Veterinary Practice Manager
  • Trainee Manager with Vegetable Co-op
  • Working overseas in agriculture
  • Technical Manager

BA (Honours) Rural Business Management

  • Advisor SAC
  • Teacher
  • Higher Agricultural Officer (Scottish Government)
  • Farmer (self employed)
  • Grain Trader
  • Trainee Manager (Agri-Machinery Dealership)
  • NFU Business Development Officer
  • Small Business Development Officer
  • Quality Controller (Meat)
  • Farm Manager
  • Production Manager (Veg Processing)
  • Business Development (egg packing)
  • Marketing Manager (meat company)

There is a strong demand from industry for Graduates and Diplomates from this programme, with some large employers presenting to Graduates annually to offer them positions with their company. As a result nearly all SAC Diplomates and Graduates in Rural Business Management secure an appropriate job in a very short time – often before they finish the programme.  Some students from family farms continue to return to the family farm or business.

Course Contacts

Aberdeen Course Contact

Mr George Robertson
Business Management Economist
SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) Work Ferguson Building, Craibstone Estate,
Aberdeen
AB21 9YA
TelWork 01224 711043
Fax 01224 711270

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Aberdeen Campus General Contact

Ms Suzanne Hay
Student Recruitment Officer
SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) Work Craibstone Estate, Bucksburn
Aberdeen
AB21 9YA
TelWork 01224 711189

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Edinburgh Course Contact

Mrs Doreen Hislop
Lecturer
SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) Work King's Buildings, West Mains Road,
Edinburgh
EH9 3JG
TelWork 0131 535 4132

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Edinburgh Campus General Contact

Miss Claire Morrison
Student Recruitment Officer
SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) Work King's Buildings, West Mains Road
Edinburgh
EH9 3JG
TelWork 0131 535 4391

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Student Experiences

Lisa Johnston joined year two of the Rural Business Management degree after completing her first year at the University of Aberdeen. In 2005 Lisa graduated from SAC with an Upper Second Class Honours degree. After graduating, Lisa first worked for SEERAD (now SGRPID) as an Agricultural Officer, and then for SAC as a Food Marketing Consultant.

"My time at SAC was life changing. The experiences, skills and knowledge I have gained have helped me significantly in building my career. I found the course beneficial as it gave me a change to cover a wide range of topics from agriculture to marketing. This helped me a great deal when working for SEERAD and SAC and I now use my knowledge on a daily basis in my current job with Donald Russell, a meat supply company."

Stuart Johnston studied Rural Business Management at SAC in Aberdeen:

"After gaining my HND in Agriculture I felt I needed to gain more business management skills so I joined the third year of the Rural Business Management course. Hopefully this will help me gain employment in the agri-business sector when I complete the course. SAC has excellent facilities and the staff are friendly and helpful. The wide range of courses offered brings people from all areas and backgrounds to the college."