Key information 2025/26
Duration - 4 years: 1 year pathway + 3 years degree
Start Dates - September, January and November
Pathway Tuition Fee - £15,325
English Language Requirement - IELTS 5.5 with no less than 5.5 in each component.
The IS1 is the equivalent to the first year of a four year Scottish undergraduate degree. This programme is designed to help you develop your academic knowledge and skills within your subject area.
You will also focus on improving your English academic literacy in preparation for continuing onto your chosen Edinburgh Napier undergraduate degree. Studied across three terms, you will continue straight onto year two of your degree course at Edinburgh Napier University once you have successfully completed the pathway.
Available Progression Degrees
Students can progress onto a range of degrees following successful completion of the business pathway programme:
What you will study
Alongside core modules, you will study subject-specific modules that will equip you with a foundation of knowledge for your chosen field of study.
Common module across all IS1 pathway routes
English and Skills for University Study (ESUS)
The ESUS module raises your awareness of the critical importance of English language competence in all four language skills areas within an academic context and provides English language preparation for continuing study onto the later stages of an undergraduate degree programme. Emphasis is also placed on developing the study skills you require for success, for example, research, critical assessment of sources, academic writing, team working, and your understanding of the conventions of higher education and of the need for good academic practice.
30 Credits
Course specific modules
Marketing
Learn the fundamentals of marketing and how businesses promote products and services. Topics include market research, consumer behaviour, and the marketing mix (product, price, promotion, place). You will also explore how market change and how organisations respond to customer needs.
20 Credits
Global Current Affairs
Explore key global issues and how they are reported in the media. Develop skills in analysing news, understanding different perspectives, and creating content for international audiences. You will examine global events and consider how culture and politics shape media coverage.
20 Credits
Media Theory and Analysis
Understand how media has developed from print to social media. Learn key theories and how media influences society at local, national, and global levels. You will explore how media is used to inform, entertain, and influence audiences.
30 credits
Professional Communication and Digital Content Creation
You are introduced to a range of disciplines involving professional communication, which include Advertising, Public Relations, Branding & Brand Communications, Employee & Organisational Communication. You learn about the basic functions and purpose of these disciplines and see how they often work together strategically. You also examine the variety of communication channels, platforms and methods used in mass communications through analysis as well as practical work. You further explore the skills behind producing digital communication content and how to establish a web presence and personal brand. This broad set of skills and knowledge prepares you, ultimately, for a career in the flexible and dynamic marketplace of communication.
30 credits