Studies & Degrees in Small Business Management
Small Business Management Study Programs
Small business management is the study of how to start, run and grow a small firm. It matters because most firms are small: according to the European Commission, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) represent 99% of all businesses in the European Union. The Commission defines them by size. A micro enterprise has fewer than 10 staff, a small enterprise fewer than 50 and a medium-sized enterprise fewer than 250, with a turnover of no more than €2 million, €10 million and €50 million respectively.
The difference with a general business degree is one of scale. In a large company, tasks are divided among departments. In a small organisation, such as an independent retail store, an owner or manager is often responsible for hiring, training, quality control and day-to-day supervision, as the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) describes it. A small business management course therefore covers a little of everything:
- Market research and writing a business plan
- Start-up costs, funding and business credit
- Choosing a legal structure and registering the business
- Bookkeeping, cash flow and taxes
- Hiring and managing employees
- Marketing, sales and customer service
Qualifications and levels
The subject is taught at several levels, and the name changes from country to country.
- Certificates and associate degrees. In the United States, community colleges teach small business management and entrepreneurship in certificate and associate degree programmes.
- Bachelor's degree. Some US universities offer it as a major within a business degree. Fort Lewis College in Colorado lists an Entrepreneurship & Small Business major, and Illinois State University lists Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management among its business majors. In Spain the usual university route is a bachelor's degree (grado) in business administration; a grado has 240 ECTS credits under Royal Decree 822/2021.
- Master's degree. Official Spanish master's degrees have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. Business schools also run their own master's and executive programmes in entrepreneurship and SME management; EAE Business School, for example, lists a Máster en Emprendimiento e Innovación. Ask the school what recognition its qualification has.
- Vocational training (FP). In Spain, the higher-level qualification Técnico Superior en Administración y Finanzas takes 2,000 hours and includes a business simulation module. According to TodoFP, the Ministry of Education's vocational training portal, its holders can also work as self-employed people managing their own company.
- Short courses. Chambers of commerce, employers' organisations and university foundations run short courses for owners and managers. They lead to a provider's certificate.
Where to study it
SpainExchange lists 32 active schools for small business management. Thirteen are in the United States and 12 in Spain; Italy and Argentina have two each, and Australia, Austria and France one each.
In the United States the list includes community colleges such as West Virginia Northern Community College, Bergen Community College in New Jersey and Bucks County Community College in Pennsylvania, and universities such as Ferris State University, Fort Lewis College, Illinois State University and Northeastern University. In Spain the subject is mostly taught by business schools and by bodies close to companies: EAE Business School in Barcelona and Madrid, the Escuela Internacional de Gerencia (EIG) in Granada, the Escuela de Negocios of Cámara Valencia in Paterna, the Escuela de Negocios of the Universidad de Alicante, ADEIT at the Universitat de València and CEOE Formación in Madrid. Elsewhere it includes Bocconi University in Milan, the Universidad de Belgrano in Buenos Aires and Fachhochschule Salzburg.
Teaching is normally in the language of the country: English in the United States and Australia, Spanish in Spain and Argentina. Business schools often teach some programmes in English. Company law, tax and labour rules are national, so a course teaches the rules of the country where it is given; check how much applies where the business will operate.
Careers
Graduates run their own firm, take over a family business, or manage a shop, restaurant, workshop, franchise or small office for someone else. Others work as advisers to small firms in banks, accountancy and consultancy practices, chambers of commerce and business support agencies. In the United States, Small Business Development Centers provide counselling and training to small businesses.
Official statistics do not count small business managers separately. The BLS includes them among top executives,. It projects employment of top executives to grow 5 percent from 2025 to 2035, faster than the average for all occupations, and reports that 27% of chief executives were self-employed in 2025. A qualification helps, but no degree is required to open a business; what the law asks for is registration, licences and tax compliance, which differ in every country.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a degree to run a small business?
No. Opening a business depends on registering it and meeting licence and tax rules, not on a degree.
What is the difference between small business management and business administration?
Business administration covers the functions of companies of any size, often with large organisations in mind. Small business management concentrates on the owner-manager who handles planning, finance, staff and sales personally.
Can I study small business management in Spain through vocational training?
There is no vocational qualification with that exact name. The closest is the Técnico Superior en Administración y Finanzas, a 2,000-hour higher-level FP qualification that covers accounting, tax, finance, human resources and a business simulation.