Bachelor of Business Administration

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

University of Michigan Ann Arbor

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) at the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business combines a broad business foundation with hands-on learning, leadership development, global experiences, and the flexibility to explore interests across the University of Michigan. It is designed for students who want to understand how organizations work, develop practical business skills, and prepare for careers across areas such as consulting, finance, marketing, technology, operations, entrepreneurship, and general management.

Curriculum Structure

First Year:
Students begin with the foundations of business through BA 100, a Signature Learning Experience, alongside courses such as ACC 300 and BCOM 250. The first year also introduces the Inclusive Leaders Pathway through learning experiences focused on corporate social responsibility and compassion and empathy, while students complete University of Michigan requirements including economics, calculus, and first-year writing.

Second Year:
Students move further into core business study with BA 200, the Signature Learning Experience, TO 301 Business Analytics and Statistics, and courses such as ACC 300/301 and STRATEGY 290. The year also develops teamwork, interpersonal skills, and inclusive leadership while students begin completing their business electives and broader University of Michigan distribution requirements.

Third Year:
The third year features the Ross Integrative Semester, where students connect business concepts across their coursework, together with BCOM 350 Professional Communication Strategies, BL 300, MO 300, and TO 313. Students continue the floating core in areas such as finance, marketing, business economics, and technology and operations, while an optional Global Semester Exchange can add an international dimension to the degree.

Fourth Year:
Students complete STRATEGY 390, remaining floating-core requirements and business electives before undertaking a Capstone Experience. The fourth-year Inclusive Leaders Pathway culminates in a mentored collaborative term project, allowing students to apply human-centered practice, compassion and empathy, and global and intercultural perspectives in a practical setting.

Focus Areas

Accounting, business economics, finance, marketing, strategy, technology and operations, business analytics, entrepreneurship, consulting, general management, human capital, social impact and sustainability, real estate, technology, global business, leadership.

Learning Outcomes

Students develop business analysis, communication, leadership, teamwork, strategic thinking, quantitative decision-making, project management, and cross-cultural collaboration skills, with opportunities to apply these capabilities through real-world business experiences and action-based projects.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

The Stephen M. Ross School of Business is fully accredited by AACSB International. Michigan Ross also incorporates AACSB-related business education principles into its curriculum, including courses addressing business information systems and organizational decision-making.

Reputation & Employability

Michigan Ross reports that its BBA was ranked #4 among undergraduate business programs by U.S. News & World Report for 2026. For the 2025 BBA graduating class, the school reports that 98% received a job offer by September 30, with a $100,000 median base salary, while 280 companies hired BBA graduates during 2025.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The Michigan Ross BBA is built around REAL — Ross Experiences in Action-Based Learning, giving students opportunities to start, advise, invest in, and lead real businesses rather than relying only on classroom case studies. Students can work with companies through consulting and action-learning projects, manage student investment funds, develop ventures through entrepreneurship programs, gain international experience through company visits and fieldwork, and complete professional experiences through summer programs and internships.

Key hands-on opportunities include:

Capstone MAP (BA 453): BBA students develop analysis and recommendations for sponsor companies, strengthening collaboration, business acumen, and professional skills through a real consulting project.
Action Learning Projects (TO 482): Students address an actual company's operations, procurement, or supply-chain problem through a 14-week project.
Professional Capstone: Management Consulting (TO 465): Students learn how consulting engagements are sold, managed, and executed in a format modeled on professional consulting practice.
Michigan Business Challenge: Students pitch original business plans with commercial potential to guest judges in an annual competition with a share of $90,000 in prize money available.
Desai Accelerator: Students engage with early-stage businesses through projects, internships, and events while developing entrepreneurial experience.
Student-managed investment funds: Through opportunities such as the Maize and Blue Fund, students act as portfolio managers by analyzing sectors and pitching stocks; other funds provide experience in venture capital, social ventures, and real estate investment.
Tozzi Electronic Business and Finance Center: Students can work in an electronic trading floor and e-commerce lab using technology related to finance, accounting, strategy, and computing.
Living Business Leadership Experience (BA 456): Students operate a business unit with a corporate partner, working with executives and leading peers in an actual operational environment.
Business Consulting Corps: Rising BBA seniors can work in teams advising startups, small businesses, or corporations on real business challenges, with mentorship from Ross faculty and alumni.
Global internships and study abroad: Ross offers global internships, short-term and summer experiences involving fieldwork and company visits, and semester exchanges with 33 partner business schools worldwide.
Research experience: BBA students can pursue research assistantships with Ross faculty and participate in the University of Michigan Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP).

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Michigan Ross BBA prepares graduates for a broad range of business careers, with Ross reporting employment across financial services, consulting, technology, consumer packaged goods, healthcare, manufacturing, real estate, retail, and other sectors. The 2025 employment report recorded 98% of graduates receiving an offer by September 30, a $100,000 median base salary, and 471 companies hiring a graduate or intern during the year.

Typical career roles include:

Management Consultant
Financial Analyst
Investment Banking Analyst
Marketing Analyst
Business Analyst
Strategy Analyst
Operations Analyst
Product Manager
Human Resources Specialist
Technology Consultant
Supply Chain Analyst
Real Estate Analyst
Entrepreneur
Sales Manager
Corporate Strategy Associate

Career Development & Industry Opportunities

Career Development Office: Ross provides professional career coaches and peer coaches, career self-assessment through CareerLeader, job-search coaching, resume preparation, mock interviews, and guidance on negotiating offers and making career decisions. Ross has more than 65 peer coaches supporting students through the recruiting process.
Employer connections: More than 280 companies recruit from Ross each year, and the 2025 BBA employment page identifies employers including Google, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, Citi, PepsiCo, Nike, BCG, and Procter & Gamble.
2025 employment outcomes: Ross reports a $100,000 median base salary and $10,000 median signing bonus for BBA graduates. Financial services accounted for 45.6% of reported job acceptances, followed by consulting at 19.0% and technology at 9.3%.
Business Consulting Corps: Students can work with sponsor organizations on pressing business challenges, with sponsors spanning technology, healthcare, manufacturing, and other industries.
Entrepreneurship ecosystem: The Zell Lurie Institute, Desai Accelerator, Michigan Business Challenge, and student-managed venture funds provide opportunities to develop, test, finance, and operate business ventures.
Global business network: Global internships and semester exchanges provide opportunities to develop professional experience and networks across international business environments, including exchange partnerships with 33 business schools.
Accreditation: Ross is fully AACSB-accredited, providing external quality assurance for its business-school education and an established accreditation framework for its business programs.
Graduation outcomes: The 2025 employment data reports that 98% of BBA graduates had received a job offer by September 30, with employers hiring across a wide range of industries and functions.

Further Academic Progression:
After the BBA, graduates can pursue postgraduate study in areas such as an MBA, Master of Business Analytics, Master of Management, Master of Supply Chain Management, finance, accounting, marketing, strategy, or other specialized business and interdisciplinary fields. Michigan Ross itself offers MBA and several one-year master's programs, while the University of Michigan's broader academic structure allows students to build interdisciplinary interests through other schools and colleges.