Choosing the Right Undergraduate Course: Bachelor, BTS, or BBA?

Finishing UK college, sixth form, or American high school often leaves many people questioning ‘what’s next?’. Since many people at 18 don’t have a clear vision of what their future career will be, we can help you plan for your future if you’re considering a business related undergraduate degree.

A French business school is equivalent to an English University or an America College. At IPAG Business School, we offer a range of bachelor and master degrees for international students to study online, or at our Nice and Paris campuses. We guide you through the different undergrad course options to help you to decide on a future that suits you.

Post Baccalaureate Education Options

From public to private education, our graduate studies programmes are full of opportunities to help you get onto your ideal career path. A large portfolio of sectors and outlets are at your fingertips, so it's up to you to choose what is right for you.
 

French University Courses

French Universities offer a varied range of training courses in many fields and sectors, including Medicine, Literature, Mathematics, Political Science, Business Management and Administration, and so on. They are public higher education establishments, much like English polytechnics of the past, and they offer different types of programs which follow the LMD (License Master Doctorate) format, which is typical of the French university curriculum.

Theoretical courses tend to revolve around lectures given in amphitheatres that can accommodate more than a hundred students, and student performance measured via exams. Contrastingly, a French University, typically an Institute of Technology (IUT), will offer university diplomas known as a Diploma in Technological Studies (DUT). A DUT will tend to provide more practical, hands-on experience, with courses organised in classrooms of about twenty to thirty students. This will measure a student’s success in the course via their behaviour throughout. This is a 2-year course, so continuing study with a Bachelor’s degree will enable you to continue onto a master’s.
 

BTS

The Brevet de Technicien Supérieur (BTS) in English means the ‘Superior Technician’s Certificate’, and is recognised as a short qualification as the course is only two years of higher education at a baccalaureate +2 level. The course requires students to partake in an internship to gain professional practice of theoretical knowledge. Due to this, the BTS is recognised for its professional experience, and allows those who wish to do short studies to quickly integrate into the labour force.

However, this does not prohibit students from achieving a full undergraduate degree (bachelor) after 3 or 5 after the BTS qualification is achieved. The BTS is a diploma acclaimed for its wide coverage of sectors and fields, from construction to hairdressing, and across a range of business management professions such as international trade or communication.
 

Bachelor Degree

A Bachelor degree is typically a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or a Bachelor of Science (BSc). A BA will take 3-4 years, and tend to be for english and art based courses. A BSc is usually more technical and usually focuses on scientific subjects, taking 3-5 years. At IPAG, we offer a three year Bachelor degree in French. Students can study international trade, luxury management, and marketing and digital communications.
 

BBA

You can study a BBA in Paris, Nice, or Nottingham to gain a Bachelor in Business Administration. This is a 3 year course and ideal for candidates interested in international management. Equivalent to a BA or BSc, this degree helps candidates to learn key entrepreneurial skills, and in some cases allows students to specialise in subjects such as; marketing, finance, and HR management.
 

CPGE

Some business schools have a competitive admission method which requires preparatory classes (also called CPGE) dedicated to preparing students for the Grande Ecole Programme. This is equivalent to a foundation course for an English Bachelor degree. Whether it’s an S baccalaureate (Sciences), an ES baccalaureate (Economics and Social Sciences), or an L baccalaureate (Literature), these preparatory classes have a file-based admission method and prepare you over one to three years to enter your school of choice for; business, engineering, medicine, and many more subjects. A CPGE makes it possible to join the elite industries and earn a quality education! 

But like many schools, IPAG Business School requires admission via entrance exam performance, particularly to gain a place on our Grande École Program and Bachelor degree courses. This can sometimes include a written and/or oral test, and additional motivational interviews. These entrance exams are organised before the start of the school year and sometimes even before you pass your baccalaureate.
 

Still unsure?

Sometimes the best thing to do when you’re unsure about a decision is to reach out to others. Here are some idea of people you should consider discussing your goals with:

• Your loved ones: they are the ones who know you the most! They can be valuable amateur counsellors to assist you in making your decision. 
• Your professional network: student colleagues, family relations, acquaintances, and even professional working colleagues. They can provide you with a broad range of advice on a career in the industry, ideally through their own academic and professional experiences.
• Student fairs: here you can meet students and tutors from different backgrounds who will be able to share their own thoughts on the different educational avenues. They will be able to inform you about the  admission procedure, how to apply, and guide you according to your goals for the sectors you can specialise in. To get in touch with our students, meet us at our next open day in order to learn more about the IPAG learning environment and available opportunities!
• School staff: including faculty, a guidance counsellor, or your teacher. Take advantage of this resource and question the very people who work in education.    

Our advice for choosing the right undergraduate course
 

1. Define your professional aims: whether you have a precise or vague idea of ​​your ideal career, create an action plan, so your long term goals are fully visualised. 
2. Identify available opportunities: you can find out about the professional and educational opportunities available to you to help you envision your options.
3. Find out about the available courses: open day events, trade fairs, and more are available for all prospective students to you to collect as much information as possible on the courses that interest you. Check which ones best meet your needs with a personal selection criteria, so you can analyse the most compatible courses.

Finally, you should know that many schools have a reorientation period, where you are able to change your course halfway through the year and avoid losing an entire year. So your choice isn’t necessarily final, just a step in the right direction.

Browse our courses for online or campus-based study in France or abroad.