Skip to content

Studies & Degrees in Applied Business Management

Applied business management is business administration taught with the emphasis on practice. Students cover the same core as any business degree: accounting, finance, economics, marketing, operations, organisational behaviour and strategy. What changes is the method. A large part of the programme takes place in companies or on projects set by employers, through work placements, co-operative education terms or study that alternates with a job.

The name is used mostly by colleges, universities of applied sciences and business schools. Elsewhere the same content appears as business administration or business and management, so compare the curriculum and the amount of work experience, not only the title.

Qualifications and levels

Applied programmes are often built in steps, so that a student can leave with a qualification after one or two years or continue to a full degree.

  • Certificates and diplomas. At Camosun College in Canada, the Business Administration Diploma, General Management Option, consists of 20 courses and takes about two years of full-time study. The first year covers introductory courses in accounting, finance, economics and marketing, and students may leave after it with a Certificate in Business Administration. The second year adds organisational behaviour and business strategy. The diploma includes a co-op or internship option.
  • Bachelor's degrees. Camosun's bachelor's degrees in Business Administration take 4 years. At the University of Sunderland in the United Kingdom, the BA (Hons) Business and Management takes 3 years, with an optional paid work placement between the second and final year.
  • Top-up degrees. Holders of a two-year qualification can often enter the final year of a bachelor's degree. Sunderland's BA (Hons) Business and Management (Stage 3) turns an existing qualification into a full degree in one year; the typical entry requirement is a completed HND or its equivalent.
  • Dual study. In Germany, the Fachhochschule der Wirtschaft (FHDW) offers a dual bachelor's programme in business administration over 6 semesters. Theory and practice phases alternate every quarter, and students work in one partner company or gain experience in several. The FHDW also has part-time programmes for people who keep working.
  • Spain. Official university degrees follow a fixed structure: a bachelor's degree (grado) of 240 ECTS credits and master's degrees of 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. Official degrees may carry a dual mention (Mención Dual), in which between 20 and 40 percent of the credits of a bachelor's degree are completed in a company or other partner organisation. Business schools also offer their own master's and MBA programmes; ask each school what recognition its qualification has.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 8 active schools for applied business management. Two are in Spain, and Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States have one each. In Spain the list includes EAE Business School and the Fundación Universitaria Iberoamericana (FUNIBER), both with offices in Barcelona. Elsewhere it includes Camosun College in Victoria, VIA University College in Horsens, the FHDW in Paderborn, the University of Sunderland and the Swiss School of Management in Rome. Forum-Nexus Study Abroad, based in Miami, is a different kind of option: a summer programme in which students travel across several European countries while earning transferable academic credits.

The language of instruction follows the country in most cases: English in Canada and the United Kingdom, German at the FHDW, Spanish or English in Spain. VIA University College teaches programmes in English in Denmark. Check the language of each programme, and ask whether the work placements require the local language, because a placement in a company usually does.

Careers

Graduates start in junior and trainee management roles, in areas such as sales, marketing, finance, human resources, operations and logistics, or work in a family business or their own company. The work experience built into applied programmes means that many students already know an employer when they graduate. Sunderland lists live projects, placement opportunities and workplace shadowing as part of its course.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics describes management occupations as those that establish plans and policies, direct business activities and oversee people, products and services. It projects overall employment in management occupations in the United States to grow faster than the average for all occupations from 2025 to 2035, with about 1.1 million openings each year. Most management posts are not entry-level jobs; they are reached after some years of experience.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between applied business management and business administration?

The content is largely the same. Applied programmes give more weight to practice: placements, co-op terms, projects for employers or, in dual programmes, regular phases of work in a company.

Can I turn a two-year diploma into a bachelor's degree?

Often, yes. The University of Sunderland admits holders of an HND or equivalent to the final year of its BA (Hons) Business and Management, which then takes one year. Each university decides which earlier qualifications it accepts.

How long does an applied business degree take?

It depends on the country and the level. The examples on this page range from a 2-year diploma and a 4-year bachelor's degree at Camosun College to a 3-year bachelor's degree at Sunderland and a 6-semester dual bachelor's programme at the FHDW.

Do dual students work for one company throughout?

Not necessarily. The FHDW states that dual students either learn in one fixed company or gain experience in several.