Studies & Degrees in Business Administration (BBA)
Business Administration (BBA) Study Programs
The Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is a first university degree in business. It gives a broad view of how a company works and of the core functions of business, including finance, marketing and operations. A typical curriculum also includes accounting, economics, statistics, business law, human resources and strategy.
The name comes from the American system. In Spain the corresponding official degree is the bachelor's degree (grado) in business administration and management, the Grado en Administración y Dirección de Empresas, known as ADE. Many private business schools in Spain and the rest of Europe also teach programmes called BBA, usually in English.
Qualifications and levels
- Official Spanish degrees. Under Royal Decree 822/2021 a grado has 240 ECTS credits, which means four years. The Grado en Administración y Dirección de Empresas of the Universidad de León has 240 ECTS credits over 4 years and 100 places, is taught in Spanish and has run since the 2009-10 academic year. Its plan consists of 60 credits of basic subjects, 138 of compulsory subjects, 30 of optional subjects and a 12-credit final project. The Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera teaches an official Grado en Dirección de Empresas of 4 years and 240 ECTS credits, on campus and in Spanish.
- BBA programmes at private business schools. These are often shorter and taught in English. The bachelor's programmes of EU Business School last 3 years, are taught in English and start in October, February, June and August. According to the school, students obtain a título propio diploma, a university's own qualification, awarded by the Universitat de Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya. HIM Business School in Montreux, Switzerland, offers a three-year BBA delivered in partnership with Northwood University in the United States, with half of the programme spent on internships. Schiller International University teaches a Bachelor of Science in International Business in English as a dual degree. ESEI International Business School in Barcelona lists a Bachelor in Business Administration.
- United States. The BBA is a standard four-year bachelor's degree. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, for example, it combines general education requirements with broad coverage of the core business disciplines, and students must earn 120 degree credits.
- Latin America. Equivalent degrees have other names. The Universidad Diego Portales in Santiago de Chile, for example, teaches Ingeniería Comercial.
Official degree or school's own qualification
This is the most important point to check before enrolling in Spain. Spanish law distinguishes official university degrees from títulos propios, the qualifications that universities award on their own authority. To enter an official master's degree (máster universitario), the law requires an official Spanish grado or an equivalent degree. Students who plan to continue with an official master's degree, or who need the degree recognised in their home country, should ask the school in writing which qualification they will receive and who awards it.
International accreditation of the business school is a separate matter. AACSB, one of the international accreditation bodies for business schools, lists 1,095 accredited schools in its directory, as consulted in October 2026. Accreditation of this kind says something about the school; it does not make a programme an official degree.
Where to study a BBA
SpainExchange lists 25 active schools for this subject. Spain has the most, 12, followed by the United States with 3 and Germany and Switzerland with 2 each. Chile, Italy, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey and Zambia have one each.
The schools in Spain include EU Business School Barcelona, ESEI International Business School, C3S Business School and UIBS / Barcelona Business School in Barcelona; Schiller International University, Madrid and UIBS / Madrid Business School in Madrid; the Universidad de León; the Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera near Valencia; and Enae Business School in Murcia. Abroad the list includes EU Business School in Geneva and Munich, HIM Business School in Montreux, Tennessee Tech University in the United States, Kadir Has University in Istanbul and SolBridge International School of Business in Daejeon, South Korea.
Careers
A BBA is a general business degree. Graduates start in areas such as finance and accounting, marketing and sales, human resources, operations and logistics or consulting. Many continue with a specialised master's degree, or with an MBA after some years of work.
For the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that overall employment in business and financial occupations will grow faster than the average for all occupations from 2025 to 2035, with about 886,600 openings each year.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a BBA take?
It depends on the system. An official Spanish grado has 240 ECTS credits over four years. BBA programmes at private business schools such as EU Business School and HIM Business School last three years. In the United States the degree normally takes four years; the University of Wisconsin-Madison requires 120 degree credits.
Can I study a BBA in English in Spain?
Yes. EU Business School teaches its bachelor's programmes in English, and Schiller International University teaches its Bachelor of Science in International Business in English. The official degrees at the Universidad de León and the Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera mentioned here are taught in Spanish.
Can I do an official master's degree in Spain after a BBA?
Access to a máster universitario requires an official Spanish grado or an equivalent degree. Ask the school which qualification its BBA leads to before enrolling.