The degree programme in Business Administration aims to provide students with a range of skills suited to exercising a number of different professions based on economic and financial skills as well as the in-depth knowledge of corporate information systems.
Although referring to different roles and careers in both employed and freelance situations, as well as in consulting, all the figures the programme prepares for share a very similar cultural base:
- figure 1: Administration, Finance and Control Officer/Middle Manager/Manager (the degree programme provides the competences required to pursue a managerial career - ultimately leading to CFO positions - supported by the aptitudes, motivation and abilities graduates are able to demonstrate in the working context);
- figure 2: Auditor / employee in an auditing company (officer/ middle manager/manager);
- figure 3: Chartered accountant (section B of the Accountants' Register).
Although outside of the referred professional figures, the programme also offers opportunities in the so-called non-organised professions listed in Italian Law no. 4/2013 (tax consultant) by virtue of the course contents.
The capacity of the degree programme to produce such professional figures is demonstrated by the inclusion of core course units and other elective learning activities leading to the development of a specific professional profile. The programme is structured in such a way as to ensure the study and analysis of the economic and financial situation and the assets of a company. In particular, after developing basic knowledge in economics, law, mathematics, statistics and business, the programme provides students with the competences and skills required to professionally tackle problems relating to the following areas:
1) design and management of computer systems for external communication and internal control (financial statements, management reporting, allowing top management and line management to monitor performance and support the production of rational strategic and operating decisions);
2) auditing of financial statements;
3) analysis of financial statements using indexes and flows;
4) rational formulation of financial business decisions (investment and funding choices), also in the light of the knowledge of operational and assessment processes and services provided by financial intermediaries.
The development of these competences through course units in the business area is supported by elective course units relative to the aforementioned specific professional figures, in law, studying topics related to business and company management, tax law (fundamental for working on a freelance basis as a chartered accountant and relevant to Administration, Finance and Control functions) or labour law (relevant to Administration, Finance and Control functions).
In addition to these, other core and elective course units run year by year provide indispensable statistical and computer skills required for processing and analysing business information. The programme is completed with core course units in business management, useful for correctly interpreting company performance on the basis of the characteristics of business processes, as well as facilitating the interaction of the CFO and other management figures in the company (as well as for future career development).
The elective learning activities in year I include course units analysing the organisational profile of businesses, which is particularly useful for Administration, Finance and Control staff, Public Law - potentially useful for auditing professions and offering career opportunities as both freelance auditor and auditing officer within public administrations - and the history of economic and business models (increasing the ability to interpret economic and business phenomena in the light of developments in the historical reference framework). In year III, students can choose between a number of other course units focusing on business management and financial mathematics; the latter develops on skills learned previously in corporate finance courses, including elements of calculating interests on loans, elements of discounting to analyse the financial flows of investment projects and elements of construction of bond repayment plans - providing formal knowledge of mathematical techniques for assessing returns, capital accumulation or loan amortization, and their application to complex cases.
Finally, the degree programme ensures an appropriate balance of teacher-led learning settings and practical workshops organised in the various course units.
