Business Administration meets Management: What is Business Administration?

17 Jan. 2022
  • MORE than just knowledge

Studying management – is that possible? Of course! Business Administration is a specialized business administration degree course at the interface between economics and management practice: In this subject, you will prepare yourself to help shape the economy of the future as a junior manager.

But what does that actually mean in plain language? What distinguishes Business Administration from other business administration courses – and what career opportunities do graduates have? We’ll show you. In this article, the Steinbeis School of Management and Technology team answers the three most frequently asked questions about studying Business Administration.

FAQ #1: Why is it worth studying Business Administration?

Let’s get one thing straight from the start: as business administration can basically cover all tasks associated with the management and control of a company, there is no one right training course for this specialist area. Nevertheless, business administration has long since established itself as a subject in its own right – and for good reason: in order to hold their own in their diverse field of work, professional business administrators need the right mix of hard and soft skills, theoretical knowledge and practical experience.

In order to fulfill this responsibility, a certain amount of practical experience is essential. As a purely theoretical business administration degree does not adequately prepare its graduates to take on responsible management tasks immediately after graduation, business administration is mainly taught at universities of applied sciences. The dual study program offers students the opportunity to develop their skills as managers through practical projects and to learn from business experts. However, dual business administration courses with other specializations often fall short in preparing students for the range of tasks in business administration. Either they lack a management focus or their focus on certain structures and processes in the company is so pronounced that graduates can only take over business administration in very specific areas after graduation.

For this reason, many specialists who would like to take on management positions in the future still follow up a “classic” business administration degree or commercial training with an extra-occupational Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business Administration: In this way, they develop into management generalists who can gain a foothold in any industry and any department.

FAQ #2: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.): Which degree do I obtain with my Business Administration degree?

Anyone who is interested in the tasks of professional business administrators and therefore begins to look into the courses on offer in Germany will quickly stumble across a fact that is as important as it is confusing: the Bachelor of Business Administration and the Master of Business Administration – two degrees that are coveted in international business – are not awarded by German universities. This is despite the fact that the number of accredited and therefore completely reputable Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs in Business Administration has been increasing for many years.

How can that be? It’s simple: the degree as such does exist – it’s just not allowed to be called that for legal reasons. In 2010, the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs decided against introducing the Bachelor and Master of Business Administration as independent titles in Germany. Anyone who completes a degree in Business Administration at a German university is therefore awarded the title of Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Master of Arts (M.A.), which is common for all business studies courses in Germany.

FAQ #3 What career opportunities do I have after studying Business Administration?

Working in the field of business administration always involves a certain degree of management responsibility. For this reason, specialists who have gained practical experience in analyzing and managing internal projects and processes as part of their dual studies have a clear advantage. Their management skills and, in particular, their practical professional experience in managing projects and processes within the company make it particularly easy for graduates to either enter professional life directly as junior managers after studying Business Administration or to be promoted to corresponding positions within a short period of time.

If you have completed your Master’s in Business Administration, there is also a good chance that, in addition to advanced management skills, you will also have solid business English and perhaps even experience abroad. Many universities attach great importance to the fact that the Master’s in Business Administration prepares students for an international working environment.

In the long term, the career path of successful business administrators can lead from team and project management to department management and even management positions such as CFO or CEO. In addition, experienced business administrators can also use their expertise to support companies in optimizing their business processes, for example as management consultants or start-up coaches.

Would you like to find out more about the Steinbeis Business Administration degree program?

At Steinbeis University, you can complete both your Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Business Administration. For maximum flexibility – especially if you want to study while working – we even offer you the Bachelor’s degree as a purely online course.

Sounds good? Even better: for your Bachelor’s in Business Administration, you have a choice of two specializations that will prepare you to actively shape digitalization in the company. If you choose the Business Computation profile for your Bachelor in Business Administration, you will learn how to develop effective digitalization strategies. If you specialize in IT Compliance instead, you can then support companies in setting up their IT not only functionally, but also in full compliance with the law.

If you have already completed a first degree in an economics course, the Steinbeis Master Business Administration also offers you the opportunity to develop your management skills and prepare yourself specifically for management tasks. As part of your career-integrated project competence study program in Business Administration, you will be responsible for managing a real project in one of our partner companies as a junior consultant. This will not only give you routine in dealing with management tasks, but also a project for your individual portfolio as a specialist and manager.

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