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Bologna Business School

Bologna Business School

Bologna Business School

Introduction

BBS is an international business school, created by the University of Bologna, the oldest university in the world, to shape a new generation of business leaders, capable of driving international growth and digital transformation, with a view to sustainability. Our academic interdisciplinary and strongly practice-oriented approach offers a unique learning experience in collaboration with Italian “industry champions”, especially from the automotive, food and wine, sustainability, automation and robotics, and luxury fields. Our home is in Bologna at Villa Guastavillani, a splendid 16th-century residence located in the heart of Italy, in one of the leading economic regions of Italy and Europe.

Why Our School?

At Bologna Business School we believe in cutting-edge and high-quality education. With this in mind, we design our course offering with the strategic guidance of an International Advisory Board and the day-to-day input of mixed teams made up of academics, practitioners, consultants, and players on the global socio-economic scene.

At Bologna Business School we believe in continuing and customized education. This is why we build our programs to fit the needs of our stakeholders:

  • Young managers who want to grow professionally and personally, strengthening specific functional skills or deepening their understanding of specific market sectors;
  • Recent graduates who are entering the workforce and require knowledge, techniques, and practical tools in addition to traditional university education;
  • Executives and professionals ready to challenge themselves, to consolidate their knowledge base, and raise the bar with their skills through work-study, training, and access to new networks;
  • Companies and institutions aware of the complexity of new glocal realities are ready to meet the challenges and opportunities that derive from leveraging their internal human capital.

At Bologna Business School we believe in accessible and open education. That is why we encourage the right to education by providing scholarships each year and guaranteeing honor loans to all of our international students.

Mission

Support the full development of people, organizations, and society through post-graduate and post-experience education.

Values

Interdisciplinarity

The interdisciplinary approach is a unique enabler of innovation that distinguishes BBS from any other Italian business school and allows participants to develop a multiperspective and creative approach.

Sustainability

BBS believes in the value of sustainability and endorses the Sustainable Development Goals to create a better society and invest in the future of our next generations.

Collaboration

BBS brings together a combination of academic excellence and practical expertise through its collaboration with Italy’s world-renowned industry champions.

Diversity

BBS upholds the equality and dignity of all individuals and condemns any form of discrimination, promoting diversity as a value for integration and dialogue among different people.

International Orientation

The international dimension supports people, organizations, and society in the globalization process, with the goal to foster economic and social development as well as intercultural exchange.

Merit

Merit is a fundamental element for the development of society and serves as a necessary criterion in the implementation of the universal right of access to education.

Ethics, Responsibility, and Sustainability

BBS aims to broadly contribute to the development of people, organizations, and society and fosters social and economic development as well as intercultural integration.

We recognize the equal dignity of all people, condemn all forms of discrimination against individuals or groups, and promote integration and dialogue between people and between different traditions and cultures.

Finally, the school endorses the universal value of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and works to promote sustainable development in its social, environmental, and economic dimensions.

We believe that ethics, responsibility, and sustainability should shape both internal processes and the management education contents that the School offers, in order to support students incorporating these values in their managerial attitude and professional practice. Consistently with the BBS Ethical Code of Conduct, the School’s ERS policy revolves around three main pillars: Learning, Dissemination, and Impact.

The School has established a system of rules, models, and control mechanisms inspired by the highest standards of transparency and fairness in management, both internally and externally.

This model generates trust among members, an aspect that is reflected also in the economic results, in the long-term benefits for all the stakeholders, and aligns with the sustainability principles.

Statistics

At a Glance

50+

Programs

1600+

Students each year

250+

Faculty members

9400+

Alumni coming from

103

Countries around the world

500+

Companies in our network

17

International Partners

 

    Campus Features

    One Growing Campus, Three Locations to Experience

    Three locations, three places where BBS works to build the future, together with the University of Bologna, businesses and, of course, our Community. BBS is proud to welcome Alumni, students, staff, and guests back to Villa Guastavillani, to the Trade Fair Center, and soon to the new Campus opposite the Villa.

    The first in-person meeting of Bologna Business School’s staff was an opportunity to recall the value and importance of working with the future and for the future. The future of people, first and foremost, of research and education, without a doubt, but also of places and what they represent.

    In the places where BBS lives, past and present meet and look to a future that knows how to seize new opportunities in every challenge. Past and present combine to create an energy that pulsates through the corridors and halls of the historic Villa Guastavillani. A building of great artistic value, a symbol not only of BBS but also of the city of Bologna and all those who have the opportunity to appreciate its beauty, the splendid Renaissance villa is the headquarters of the BBS Campus. Thanks to the careful restoration work carried out by the University of Bologna in the early 2000s, it still has magnificent frescoes inside the classrooms and an entire room in the style of the “Renaissance grottoes”. The exterior is also impressive, thanks to the gardens with their fountain and the large park surrounding the Villa. The pandemic has challenged us not only to accelerate a technological transformation already underway on the historic campus, which features classrooms and laboratories equipped with cutting-edge technological tools but also to get involved in the search for new spaces and new solutions.

    The location of the BBS Temporary Campus at the Bologna Trade Fair Center was a real test of responsiveness to the changing demands of daily life at the School. Thanks to the hyper-technological spaces of the new Hall, we were able to run all the courses in person in complete safety and in compliance with the regulations established from time to time during the various phases of the pandemic. Indeed, the project stems from the conviction that physical presence and relationships between people are a central component of learning. This space includes 8 classrooms that can accommodate up to 370 students, as well as 11 breakout rooms and spaces for the staff and faculty, all within an area that can normally accommodate up to 6,000 people. Sharing and socializing within the classroom is enabled through a wide semicircular layout, and the heart of the Hall is conceived as a large arena reminiscent of an Italian town square, a traditional meeting place.

    Directly opposite Villa Guastavillani the new Campus will be erected, extending the existing one to effectively meet the growing demand from companies and students. The new campus is the work of Mario Cucinella, an Italian architect internationally renowned for his focus on sustainability. And so past, present, and future not only meet but begin to merge together to create a project that always aims at innovation while continuing to enhance the unique history that characterizes it.

    Villa Guastavillani is Bologna Business School headquarters and institutional seat, a beautiful sixteenth-century residence located on Mount Barbiano in the very first Bologna hills and just a few minutes away from the city center of Bologna. The villa is developed on four floors, one of which is underground. Inside it is possible to admire frescoed walls and ceilings, which in several cases give the name to the room that hosts them.

    New Campus (next opening) is located in front of Villa Guastavillani and will rise on the crest of the hill through the redevelopment and recovery of some buildings already present on the site, for a total area of ​​3300 square meters. The project is designed to create a place where nature, history and architecture interact in other to provide learning spaces in tune with the needs of students and pay great attention to the issue of sustainability.

    Bologna Fair part of the didactic activities has been moved from Villa Guastavillani to pavilion 34 of the Bologna Fair. A temporary solution that provides 8 classrooms to accommodate at least 370 participants and students, 11 breakout rooms and spaces reserved for staff and teachers within an area that can normally accommodate up to 10,000 people.

    We are currently running a partnership with Spotahome. Students can get a 25% discount on their reservation fee by using the promo code that the school will give to them.

      Scholarships and Funding

      Bologna Business School offers both full and partial scholarships for participants of the MBA. All applicants are eligible to apply regardless of their nationality. Scholarships are merit-based (both academic as well as professional merit) and cover tuition costs only. The Global MBA offers scholarships of:

      • 35,000 euro (full scholarship)
      • 20,000 euro (partial scholarship)
      • 15,000 euro (partial scholarship)
      • 10,000 euro (partial scholarship)

      Africa Scholarship Program

      BBS and the Foundation for World Wide Cooperation grant the Africa Scholarship Program. This Program aims to facilitate the participation of young bright talents from Africa wishing to pursue an MBA and contribute to the social and economic development of their Continent.

      About the Professional Masters, Bologna Business School is pleased to offer partial scholarships to the most meriting students. All of these scholarships are merit-based and will be awarded to the top-ranked candidates in the selection process. The students who come out on top in the selections will be students who not only come from strong academic or practical backgrounds but also those who display the strongest motivation to take part in this program.

      There are scholarships of 6,000 euros and scholarships of 4,000 euros. All applicants will be considered for a scholarship – no specific application is required. The scholarships are awarded over the course of every round of selection and if you have performed well enough to merit one of them, you will be informed at the moment of admission.

      Accreditations

      EFMD Equis Accredited

      Why study at Bologna Business School

      Bologna Business School believes in cutting-edge and high quality education. With this in mind, BBS designs course offering with the strategic guidance of an International Advisory Board and the day-to-day input of mixed teams made up of academics, practitioners, consultants and players on the global socio-economic scene.

      Bologna Business School believes in continuing and customized education for:

      Young managers who want to grow professionally and personally, strengthening specific functional skills or deepening their understanding of specific market sectors; Recent graduates who are entering the workforce and require knowledge, techniques and practical tools in addition to a traditional university education; Executives and professionals ready to challenge themselves, to consolidate their knowledge base, and raise the bar with their skills through work-study, training and access to new networks; Companies and institutions aware of the complexity of new global realities who are ready to meet the challenges and opportunities that derive from leveraging their internal human capital.

      Bologna Business School believes in accessible and open education, this is why there are scholarships available for the students of the Professional Masters and Global MBA.

      Awards & Accreditations

      European Foundation for Management Development Quality Improvement System

      Accredited

      European Foundation for Management Development

      Accredited

      European Association for People Management

      Accredited

      Society for Human Resource Management

      Accredited

      Associazione Italiana Per La Formazione Manageriale

      Accredited

      Associazione Italiana Per La Direzione Del Personale

      Accredited

      Campus Life & Facilities

      The goal of the Career Service of Bologna Business School, is to provide the tools and resources to gain access to the labor market and find an internship. The aim is also to support the businesses of our territory, and not limited to it, to select talents to employ; talents from all over the world, who come to Bologna to immerse themselves in the culture and the excellence of Made in Italy.

      The Career Service Team supports the students in their journey made of learning and professional development, through a series of seminars, with the aim of providing the necessary tools and resources to gain access to leadership positions in the labor market. Furthermore, thanks to professional career counselors and a process to identify one’s own “Strengths” (Point Positive Assessment) developed in collaboration with Essentic, students are supported by way of customized service to establish a professional development plan, which will help them achieve their goals in their search for an internship.

      The process is carried out through the following steps:

      • Drafting of a CV and a Cover Letter
      • Creating an efficient LinkedIn profile
      • How to manage a job interview
      • Initial guidance interviews
      • Career Strategy Counseling
      • Mock Interviews with specialized Head Hunters
      • Career Development Retreat
      • On-going support to students through one–to–one session.

      National and international companies support the School for different activities that concern the design of the courses, company visits, guest lectures, project works, besides hosting students for the final internship. Indeed, to this end, over the years the Bologna Business School has established a large network and a sound partnership with the most important Italian and European companies thanks to a customized approach, one that is based on the needs of each individual business.

      The BBS Alumni Community Portal is also dedicated to our students

      Target

      11,000 potential members including current students / participants, alumni, faculty ​

      OBJECTIVE

      To strengthen the sense of belonging to BBS during and after, to build loyalty and nurture the community network ​

      ACTIVITIES

      ​Events, mentorship, job opportunities, groups and chapters for aggregation.

      The institution’s most important event of the year, for the Bologna Business School Community, is the Graduation Master Class, a solemn moment that marks the academic success of the School’s graduating students.

      The Graduation is held in Piazza Maggiore, in the historical heart of the city of Bologna, where more than 1500 students of BBS University Masters and Executive Masters are reunited.

      Bologna Business School is in the Top 10 Countries to Study Abroad

      educations.com Top 10 Europe rankings 2023 badge
      educations.com Top 10 Europe rankings 2022 badge
      educations.com Top 10 Europe rankings 2021 badge

      Locations

      • Bologna

        Villa Guastavillani - Via degli Scalini, 18

      Questions