Bachelor of Business Administration
Bachelor of Business Administration
The Bachelor Programmes are three-year full-time studies, each of which comprises 60 credits. In total, a Bachelor's degree program comprises 180 credits. The credits are in accordance with the European ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) system.
The Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is a three-year-full time programme where the students will attain a solid first degree in international business administration.
Upon completion of the programme, students will have a unique combination of knowledge about different aspects of international business management in a cultural, behavioural, theoretical, practical, and sustainable context. Through the Norwegian learning environment, students will obtain specific knowledge about different aspects of business management from a Scandinavian perspective.
Three mutually-exclusive, 45-credit specialisations in the 3rd year provide students with the opportunity to shape their own candidate profile:
- The International Business specialisation takes a generalist approach that covers diverse subjects opening several avenues within international business from entrepreneurial ventures via established medium sized corporations through to developing and running multinational companies.
- Finance. Students acquire in-depth understanding of international financial markets, financial instruments and institutions, risk management and the effects of corporate decisions on firm values.
- Shipping. This specialisation prepares students for entry into the variety of shipping related sectors - banking, insurance, broking, ship owning and ship operations – that make up the global shipping industry.
Upon completion of the programme, students will be able to use their skills and insight into business, administration, economics and methods to solve complex problems, applying critical and analytical thinking. Throughout the programme, students will develop analytical, digital and problem-solving skills. They will also have gained experience with working under time pressure on business cases in international teams in which good communication skills are paramount.
After finishing the programme, students may pursue a career in international business, or they may use the bachelor’s degree as a basis for most demanding master’s studies within a wide range of the different aspects of business to which they have been introduced. The programme is taught entirely in English, and the student population is highly international and culturally diverse.
Finally, our students can pursue either an internship or a full-semester exchange opportunity, providing our candidates with the opportunity to gain relevant business experience or additional international experience.
A BBA candidate:
- has acquired a broad knowledge in business management in an international and sustainable context from both a theoretical and practical standpoint. More specifically:
- how businesses are financed, investment decisions are made, management tools are applied, and how accounting standards are implemented and analysed.
- how businesses are established, organized, and potentially led and managed, how strategies are developed and implemented, and how products and services are positioned and marketed.
- how consumers and producers make their decisions, and how these are affected by politics, technology, international conditions – hereby globally determined sustainability goals.
- how international and/or global businesses conduct their business in an ethical and sustainable way.
- has acquired basic knowledge in mathematics, statistics and research methodology – including how relevant methodological tools are used in order to gather, organize and analyse data from a variety of sources.
- is familiar with the history of business and economics, their practice and research history
A BBA candidate can:
- apply knowledge and results from relevant research, on practical and theoretical issues, and how to make informed choices. More specifically:
- gather, sort and evaluate relevant information contained in data.
- analyse problems in light of relevant theory and empirical methods.
- judge how risk impacts one’s analyses.
- communicate the content in analyses, the choice of methodology, results and assumptions, in both written and oral form.
- apply practically relevant digital tools (such as Excel), techniques and ways of communication.
- evaluate different forms of risk and their consequences in decision-making.
- apply different academic positions and theoretical perspectives in order to understand how international business operates.
- integrate ethical awareness, corporate social responsibility and sustainability goals into the analyses that form the basis for business decisions and practice.
A BBA candidate:
- is aware of his/her own values and how these affect one’s behaviour and decisions.
- demonstrates abilities of social responsibility, analytical and critical thinking, and ethical awareness.
- understands how processes and decisions affect, and are affected by, resources, context, and values.
- understands what long-run value creation for businesses and society means.
- can operate in an international labour market.
- may cooperate across different contexts and subjects.
- has basic knowledge about IT-systems and processes, and how these may contribute to business development and value creation.
- has the ability to contribute to innovation and adaptability in a continuously changing labour market.
The Bachelor Programmes at BI Norwegian Business School are, as a rule, composed of 60 credits with core courses (core courses for all or more programmes), 75 credits with programme courses adapted to the individual study program, and 45 credits with elective courses. The minimum course size is 7.5 credits.
It is possible to apply for admission to another bachelor's program after the first year of study. However, it may be necessary to take additional courses.
Students can apply for admission to the studies after the 1st and 2nd year completed at other colleges, provided that the applicant/student has covered the necessary subject areas or undertakes to take the necessary courses in addition. Specific requirements for subject composition are prepared for each study.
To obtain a Bachelor's degree from BI, at least 60 credits must be acquired at BI Norwegian School of Management.
For students who are admitted to full-time multi-year programmes, there is a requirement for study progression in order to be able to move on to the next academic year. The requirements are:
A minimum of 30 credits (50%) must be completed and passed after the first year of study in order to be approved to the 2nd year.
A minimum of 60 credits (50%) must be completed and passed after the second year of study in order to be approved to 3rd year.
Some studies may require higher progression than this. The requirements for study progression for each study program are specified in the study contract. Students who do not satisfy the requirement for study progression are offered a one-year stay to address missing subjects and exams.
Workload
BI Norwegian Business School has set the norm that a full-time student should spend 1,600 hours per year. years of their studies. This means that a course of 7.5 credits will require a work effort of 200 hours including teaching, supervision, self-effort and examination. This is in line with the European standard set out in the Bologna Declaration. One of the key criteria is that credits can only be achieved through completed and passed work with an associated assessment of the performance and the learning outcome in relation to learning goals (= expected learning outcomes).