Bachelor or BBA: which one should I choose?

Two qualifications, one grade

A bachelor's degree is a qualification awarded by a school, whose recognition depends on the institution and the programme, and can be checked in three ways: accreditation, grade and RNCP. In practice, this means the authorisation granted by the State, the academic level the qualification gives access to, and its listing on the Répertoire national des certifications professionnelles (RNCP – France's National Register of Professional Certifications). BBA, meanwhile, is simply the acronym for Bachelor of Business Administration: the name of the second programme, not a marketing claim.

At Excelia Business School, the Bachelor in Business and the BBA International are both State-accredited, lead to a Grade de Licence and are listed on the RNCP at level 6: on this point, they are strictly equal. What sets them apart first is duration, since the Bachelor in Business is a three-year programme while the BBA International runs over four.

This extra year does not simply extend the same programme: it changes its purpose, making it entirely focused on international business. If this difference in duration first raises a question of budget, our study fees simulator lets you estimate what it represents in practical terms, depending on the campus and the funding method chosen.

The experience each programme gives you

It is the part international experience plays on a daily basis that most concretely sets the two programmes apart. Within the three-year Bachelor in Business, it remains an option: field experience punctuates the programme, before specialisations in the third year help refine a career project that is still taking shape. A study abroad period remains possible during the programme, for those who want to open an international window without making it the focus of their training.

The four-year BBA International reverses this proportion: teaching is delivered in French and/or English, and part of the programme takes place abroad, depending on the entry route chosen, with a timetable specific to this programme.

Both programmes also incorporate Humacité© and Climacité©, Excelia's two commitment schemes (one social, the other environmental), each in forms specific to it. The Bachelor in Business and the BBA International are also not delivered on the same campuses: each programme page specifies the campuses concerned and the arrangements that apply there.

Which profile for which programme

If you are looking for practical, career-focused training, even without a fixed plan yet, the Bachelor in Business gives you time to refine your direction. If you can already see yourself working in a multicultural environment, in France or abroad, it is the international dimension of the BBA International that shapes your studies from the outset.

This comparison of the two profiles helps you place your own plans, but it does not replace the educational detail of each programme: for course content and the year-by-year organisation, our brochure request completes what this page does not cover.

Once the qualification has been obtained, there is a common next step for both programmes: Excelia Business School's Master of Science (MSc) programmes. The Bachelor in Business sees this as a springboard, just as it does towards the Master in Management (Programme Grande École). The BBA International can also lead there, but also opens up two other routes: direct entry into the job market or a master's degree taken in France or internationally. In both cases, for a student in France, admission goes through Parcoursup; entry partway through the programme also exists, with the details set out on each programme's page.