The ESSEC Global BBA, is the Bachelor of Business Administration program of ESSEC Business School, France.
It was created in 1975 by ESSEC to prepare students to meet the needs of French firms launching operations on the international market.
In 1977, the degree became the first ever undergraduate degree outside of the US to be awarded AACSB accreditation. In 2003, it became the first undergraduate degree to hold both EQUIS and AACSB accreditations.
Academics
Curriculum
The curriculum is four years long, and divided into two "cycles", of two years each. It allows for extensive professional exposure, and is concluded by a thesis.
First cycle
During the first two years, students take classes in subjects grouped into "modules": "Management Science and Techniques", "Marketing and International Trade Development", "Economic and Legal Environments", "Personal Development and Entrepreneurship" and "Languages". In the first year, students must spend 6 to 12 weeks interning in a position of customer service/ relation. At the end of their second year, they are required to spend at least three months interning in the company and position of their choice.
At the end of the First Cycle, students are matched with tutors who accompany them until they graduate. These tutors are volunteers, and are either Professors at ESSEC or alumni of the school. Their goal is to help students find their way through the career planning process.
Second cycle
Although still based on the module system, the second and final half of the BBA is more flexible than the first, and is tailored to fit the needs and interests of each individual student. Three main paths are possible:
Double-degree path: Offers two semesters in a foreign partner university, a six-month internship abroad and a final semester at ESSEC. Students receive both the ESSEC diploma and the partner school's diploma. Exchange path: Comprises 1 or 2 semesters in a foreign partner university, at least one semester of internship abroad (a second, optional one is possible), and a final semester at ESSEC. Credit earned in the selected foreign university will count towards the ESSEC Bachelor only. Sandwich education: Combines one year of professional placement and 1 year of studies, in alternating periods of 6 months, and a semester abroad. Students following this path therefore complete their education later than other students.
During the Second Cycle, students have a choice of various electives, so as to pursue specific interests they may have.
After original research is produced during the final months of the program, it is concluded by the defense of a senior thesis.
Faculty
Many of the Bachelor faculty members are also ESSEC MBA faculty members, and some teach at other institutions such as the Sorbonne, Université Paris-Dauphine, or Sciences Po Paris. Additionally, sixty professionals lead classes, giving valuable insight to students in their respective fields. Language teachers are all native speakers of the language they teach, and make up for 10 different nationalities.
International scope
Students who graduate will have spent at least 1 year abroad, including at least a semester in one of the foreign partner schools, and at least a semester of work experience abroad.
Partner universities
The ESSEC BBA has 174 partner universities in 45 different countries.
Some of the most recognizable partners for exchanges are McGill University, Emory University, Keio University, Queen's University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, IE Business School, UNC-Chapel Hill, Bocconi Milan, and UNSW Sydney.
Seven dual-degrees are offered: Sheffield Hallam University, Hogeschool van Amsterdam, International Business School Groningen, Plekhanov Russian Academy of Economics Moscow, ESIC Madrid, Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts, and Tongji University Shanghai. ESSEC's partners are among the best institutions in their countries, and choosing a school in a country where one would want to start his or her professional career is a good way to further enhance a young graduate's competitiveness in the target job market.
Foreign languages
One of the school's ambitions is to develop multilingual leaders. A total of nine different languages are taught at the ESSEC BBA.
Three languages are mandatory: they include English for all students, either German or Spanish as second languages, and a choice between Arabic, Portuguese, Russian, Italian, Chinese and Japanese as third languages. A score of 850/990 points on the TOEIC is a pre-requisite for graduation. The TOEIC is taken on campus during the second year.