- The 5-year double degree will start in September 2022
- Students will benefit from an intensive learning experience in bootcamps, where they will develop their own software, apps, and digital tools
- Esade aims to respond to the increasing demand of business leaders that are able to anticipate technological disruption and use it to their advantage
Esade has launched a new Double Degree: Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor in Artificial Intelligence for Business. The school aims to meet the high demand for talents that are experts in technology but also understand the fundamentals of management.
In a world that has changed dramatically, companies are undergoing a profound digital transformation. According to the World Economic Forum’s The Future of Jobs Report 2020, 97 million new jobs will be created by AI across 26 countries by 2025. In this context, programs that help smart thinkers understand analytics, design data strategies, and put AI into action in the real world are fundamental.
The new 5-year double degree will start in September 2022, taking place in the multicultural learning environment of the Esade campus in Sant Cugat (Barcelona). Future students are required to have a clear STEM profile (science, technology, engineering and math). During the first year, they will begin by reinforcing their already existing knowledge in those areas and complementing it with coding, machine learning, information theory and statistics, while developing their understanding of marketing, finance, economics, etc. In the following years, they will be able to put their knowledge into practice, grow their network through international exchange programs, and do an internship in a company that is undergoing digital transformation in their last year.
A key component of the double degree are bootcamps: intensive learning experience based on practical projects where the students develop their own software, apps, and digital tools. Furthermore, cross-curriculum projects connect different disciplines and can involve other Esade programmes, or international universities or companies.
“Technology, which until a few years ago was only a part of the structural and instrumental dimension of companies, is now a fundamental and strategic asset”, explains Xavier Ferràs, academic director of the new degree. “The question now is no longer ‘I have a strategic plan, what technologies will I need to meet my goals’, but ‘I have a key technological knowledge, what strategies can I develop and in how many sectors can I exploit this knowledge?’. Business leaders must be able, above all, to anticipate technological disruption and use it to their advantage.”
Career paths for graduates include executive roles in high-tech global companies or technology startups, information systems, innovation, technology management or digital transformation positions in companies in any industry.