Business Administration

Business Administration looks at the ins and outs of how a business operates and how they deal with internal and external changes. You will learn to analyse what can be improved in corporate management and what effects markets have on businesses.

The first year of your studies will be an introduction to the programme and all students enrolling in Business Administration will start in this first year. It is also possible to study the first year in Dutch (Bedrijfskunde), but then it is not possible to choose the specialisation International Business Administration in the second year. After the first year of Business Administration, you can choose four specialisations to continue your studies in the second and third year. These specialisations are:

• Specialisation Business Administration. The specialisation Business Administration provides you with all the necessary tools and knowledge to run a company successfully. You will be trained in all aspects of Business Administration, such as strategy, marketing, organisational structures, human resource management, accounting and corporate finance. You will study change in organisations and combine the theoretical foundations with researching real-life case studies.
• Specialisation Business Economics. After having completed the specialisation Business Economics, you will be able to guide managers in making the right decisions when it comes to investing and acquiring money. You will study the effects of accounting and control on human behaviour. In addition to studying topics in Business Administration, you will also study financial management. Although a specialisation with the same name is being offered in the Bachelor’s programme in Economics, some of the courses of that specialisation do differ. After completing this specialisation, it will be possible to enroll in seven specialisations of the Master's programme in Business Administration as well as in the specialisation Accounting and Control of the Master's programme in Economics.
• Specialisation International Business Administration. The specialisation International Business Administration provides you with a knowledge pertaining to all aspects of Business Administration, with a focus on international business and management. You will learn how doing business differs across the world and in which ways the management of organisations has to take cultural differences into account when managing offices abroad and coping with international subsidiaries. During the first semester of the third year, you are required to study abroad at one of our partner universities across the globe. Please note that you need to meet so-called ‘referral criteria’ to be able to continue into this specialisation. This means that you must have studied the first year of Business Administration, you must have obtained a positive Binding Study Advice and you must have obtained a grade of at least 7 out of 10 for these two first-year courses: 'Organisation Theory' and 'Cross-Cultural Management and Communication'. These referral criteria apply for students who start in September 2022.
• Specialisation Bedrijfskunde (Business Administration in Dutch).For students who wish to continue their studies in Dutch, it is possible to choose the specialisation Bedrijfskunde. The content of this specialisation will be similar to the content of the specialisation Business Administration, but the difference is that some of the courses of the specialisation Bedrijfskunde are offered in Dutch. All aspects of running a company will be included, but with a focus on the Dutch market.

Something for you?

• Learn about a wider range of perspectives than just economics or IT in organisations.
• Greater focus on acquiring research skills compared to other business programmes in the Netherlands.
• A personal approach to education and small-scale teaching.
• Six months of studying or internship abroad as an optional or fixed part of the programme.

Kastu feedback about the program after the visit

• At RU students have to really like to do research, to write and to analyze, because most of the assignments are written.
• RU has free writing classes at which students can attend if they struggle with academic writing (most of the students attends them).
• Students mostly can learn Dutch for free and get 50% discount to learn other languages like Spanish, Chinese or other 15 languages.
• Easy to find a job as a student – lots of shops, bars, restaurants. Student who gave me a tour said all his friends found a job in 2-3 months.