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Studies & Degrees in Administration Sciences

Administration sciences study how organisations are run: companies, public bodies and non-profit organisations. The field covers the classic management functions of planning, organising, directing and controlling, and applies them to people, money, operations and information. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics sums up management work as establishing plans and policies, directing activities and overseeing people, products and services.

Programmes carry different names depending on the country and the sector: business administration and management, public administration, or simply administration (Administración in Latin America, Administração in Brazil). Students learn accounting and finance, economics, organisation and human resources, marketing, operations, business law, statistics and, increasingly, data analysis. Public administration programmes add public law, budgeting and public policy.

Qualifications and levels

  • Vocational training. In Spain, the professional family Administración y Gestión includes the intermediate qualification Técnico en Gestión Administrativa and the higher qualifications Técnico Superior en Administración y Finanzas and Técnico Superior en Asistencia a la Dirección. The higher cycle in Administración y Finanzas lasts 2,000 hours.
  • Bachelor's degree. An official Spanish bachelor's degree (grado) has 240 ECTS credits. The Grado en Administración y Dirección de Empresas of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), for example, is an official 240-credit degree taught fully online: 60 credits of basic subjects, 126 compulsory, 48 optional and a 6-credit final project. In Colombia, the Administración de Empresas programme of the Universidad de Antioquia lasts 10 semesters and awards the title Administrador(a) de Empresas. In Brazil, the Administração course at FAAP is a four-year bachelor's degree in eight semesters.
  • Two-year colleges. In the United States, community colleges teach business and administration at associate level, and four-year colleges offer it as a major; Fort Lewis College lists a Business Administration major in its business school.
  • Master's degree. Official Spanish master's degrees have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. Business schools also teach MBA and management programmes; ask each school whether a programme is an official university degree or the school's own qualification. On the public side, the Escola de l'IGOP of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona teaches a master's in social policy and community action.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 80 active schools for administration sciences. The United States has 26 and Spain 16. Brazil follows with six, Colombia and Mexico with four each, Argentina and Chile with three each, and Australia and China with two each.

In Spain the list includes the UOC and the Escola de l'IGOP in Barcelona, Cerem and CCC in Madrid and ENAE Business School in Murcia. In Latin America it includes the Universidad de Guadalajara, the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Lima, the Universidad de Antioquia in Medellín, the Universidad de Belgrano in Buenos Aires, and FAAP and the Universidade Federal de Goiás in Brazil. In the United States it includes Northeastern University, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Tennessee Tech University and Fort Lewis College, as well as community colleges.

The language of instruction follows the country: Spanish in Spain and Spanish-speaking America, Portuguese in Brazil, English in the United States and Australia. The UOC degree is offered in Spanish and in Catalan. A degree obtained in one country is not automatically valid in another; the UOC itself notes that the validity of its official degrees abroad depends on each country's education laws.

Careers

Graduates work in the administration, finance, human resources, sales and operations departments of companies, in consultancies, in public administration and in non-profit organisations, or they run their own business. Holders of the Spanish higher vocational qualification in Administración y Finanzas can work in companies of any size and sector, especially in services and public administration.

In the United States, overall employment in management occupations is projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations from 2025 to 2035, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For administrative services and facilities managers it projects growth of 5 percent over the same period, and it notes that these workers typically need a bachelor's degree and related work experience.

Frequently asked questions

Is administration sciences the same as business administration?

Business administration is its largest branch. Administration sciences also include public administration and the management of non-profit organisations.

How long does a degree in administration take?

An official Spanish grado has 240 ECTS credits. The Universidad de Antioquia programme lasts 10 semesters and the FAAP bachelor's degree four years. The Spanish higher vocational cycle in Administración y Finanzas lasts 2,000 hours.

Can I study administration online?

Yes. The UOC teaches its official Grado en Administración y Dirección de Empresas fully online, in Spanish or Catalan.

Will my degree be valid in another country?

Not automatically. Recognition depends on the laws of the country where you want to use it, so check before enrolling.