Going global

Rachel Tan

For more than 40 years, ESSEC Business School’s Global Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) programme has prepared students for a successful international business career.

ESSEC’s four-year course — its sole undergraduate programme — was ranked the top Bachelor degree in France nine out of the last 10 years by French news magazine Le Point.

Global BBA students can choose to start the programme in Singapore, or at ESSEC’s campus in Cergy, France.

Professor Reetika Gupta, Global BBA Associate Academic Director of ESSEC Business School, Asia-Pacifi c shares more about the experience students can look forward to:

International exposure

“Students enjoy the flexibility and international mobility of a bi-campus format. They have the option to study in one of our other campuses in France or Morocco during their second year of studies.

Our overseas exchange programme is also mandatory. There are more than 160 top universities globally to choose from, including King’s College in the United Kingdom and Tsinghua University, China.

Students are selected based on their performance during the first two years of the programme and the selection criteria stipulated by the exchange-granting university. They can also learn new languages such as French, Spanish or German to grow into global business leaders of tomorrow who are often proficient in multiple languages.”

Extensive career opportunities

“With internship opportunities in organisations across the world — which includes a one-month humanitarian or social work project and nine months of internship — students are given a real taste of a professional career.

As a result, graduates of the programme find opportunities across diverse industries and positions, such as marketing, business development, project management, finance and accounting, management consulting communications, purchasing and supply chain management.

Forty-four per cent of our graduates begin their professional career after the programme, 52 per cent pursue a Master’s degree, and 4 per cent start their own companies. Overall, 97 per cent of our students find full-time employment within four months of graduation.

More than 50,000 alumni from ESSEC Business School hold top leadership positions across the world, spanning global industries such as luxury, beauty and fashion houses, management consultancies, and finance.”

Learning from the best

“Beyond an extensive network of alumni, students also get to meet business leaders and professionals as part of their curriculum.

They start the Global BBA programme with a business intelligence module where they learn about the different aspects of an organisation and its environment. As part of this module, they also get to meet a panel of entrepreneurs and managers who offer their perspectives on today’s business landscape.

Our digital-centric programme also aims to prepare and empower the future business professional to seamlessly incorporate the latest technologies into their business models to lead the way in their careers.”

Visit essec.edu/en/program/global-bba/global-bba-international/admission/ to find out more.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Feb 23, 2019.