How do you start out in business and oversee a project successfully? What skills do you need to be an effective manager or leader?

BBA Business Administration is a broad business and management degree, where you gain comprehensive knowledge of the main functional areas of an organisation. You study a wide range of subjects and develop your practical managerial skills to prepare you for a successful career in any aspect of business.

You are encouraged to undertake a paid placement year to further develop your business connections and practical skills whilst working for real-world organisation.

Study areas include:

business strategy

business creation and growth

organisational behaviour and management

supply chain management

marketing and marketing communications

accounting and finance

managing innovation

Group work tasks develop your team working skills and our business simulation project puts you in charge of your own virtual venture. In competition with other students, you develop your skills in problem solving, analysis and creativity as you make decisions to optimise your business' performance.

In your final year, you'll put your knowledge into practice by producing a business plan, industry report or dissertation in an area of your choice. As well as developing the research and analytical skills needed for the workplace, you can benefit from the opportunity to make valuable business connections by gathering case studies and interviews.

This course also gives you the option to follow a specialised pathway in Applied Quantitative Methods (AQM).

With employers looking for graduates with data analysis skills, The University of Essex is one of just three UK universities to have received Q-Step Affiliate status. By completing necessary AQM modules, your quantitative skills are evidenced on your transcript to give you the competitive edge in the jobs market. We can also provide work placement bursaries to develop your skills in evaluating numerical evidence, analysing data and designing research.

This course is taught at Essex Business School. We're an international school which places a strong emphasis on responsible management, ethics and sustainable business practice. We encourage our students to think strategically, act responsibly and have the confidence to innovate to make positive change in turbulent economic environments.

Study abroad

The four-year version of this course enables you to study abroad during your third year. In all other areas, this version of the course remains identical to the standard three-year variant.

You can study abroad with one of our exchange partners in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, the Middle East, Hong Kong and Japan. In doing so, you experience other cultures and languages, meet new people, and gain intercultural skills that are sought-after by employers.

Placement year

Alternatively, you may prefer to take on a placement during your third year to gain relevant work experience within an external organisation. A placement can provide you with valuable experience to add to your CV.

The Placements Team can offer bespoke support throughout the process of researching, applying and interviewing for placements. However, it is your responsibility to apply, prepare for and secure your own role. In recent years, our students have gained placements with organisations such as BMW, Samsung and Cummins.