A degree that is worth three

If it is right to underline that every Bachelor of Bocconi University has peculiarities that make it unique compared to the others offered by the University, and sometimes even compared to other universities, this consideration is even more valid for the World Bachelor in Business (WBB), as Amelia Compagni, associate professor at Bocconi's Department of Social and Political Sciences and director of the WBB since 2018 explains. "First of all, because it has a duration of four years instead of the three like the other Bachelor programs, then because it is developed together with two prestigious foreign universities, the Marshall School of Business of the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).

At the end of the program, therefore, the students will obtain three universally recognized degrees, one from each university ". The students admitted to the course, coming from all over the world, are about 50 per year and they study across three continents: the first year they are in Los Angeles, the second in Hong Kong, the third in Milan and the fourth chosen from one of the three universities. "The first three years are characterized by compulsory courses that give a common foundation to the students and at the same time focus on the strengths of each university. In the fourth year, on the other hand, through the choice of optional courses, students can deepen their more specific interests and create a unique profile," says Amelia Compagni.

The WBB aims to train global managers in the business field and at the end almost all the students have direct access to the world of work. "It is a multidisciplinary program that prepares people to work in companies, financial institutions, consulting firms by giving a 360 ° preparation, a generalist but very complete vision of commerce, also focusing on the peculiarities of each geographical area involved, because, for example, negotiating in Asia is different from doing it in North America," continues Compagni. And great attention is also given to cultural aspects, given that, if the common language is English, courses in Mandarin, Italian and a second European language are also provided. At the end, the students have the opportunity to land anywhere in the world, "because during the course they have acquired an international perspective, I would say global business, and they have no fear of proposing themselves, sending CVs, interviewing for the world," the director reiterates. And she sends a message: "Among the characteristics that a WBB student must have, an important one is the ability to form a group, to be in solidarity with others, to support each other. It is a class that will travel the world sharing successes and problems. Becoming part of it also requires the right personality."