A common notion amongst commerce students is the confusion about whether B.B.A., B.B.M., B.M.S. and B.B.S. are completely different courses. If you too are puzzled by the same question then you are no exception hence, you’ve come to the right place. To resolve the confusion that B.B.A., B.B.M., B.M.S. and B.B.S. are completely different courses is the main objective for writing this article. Well like you I’ve gone back and forth in this respect but based on the information I have gathered so far this is what I have concluded. The key differences in all these courses are the types of courses, the objective, subjects studied and the specialisations in each of these courses there are some commonalities between these course such as the duration, nature of these course, curriculum with the core subjects, skills , degree status and the specialisations.

Although there are minor differences between all these courses it is essential that we identify the commonalities first to help us understand these differences better; therefore, before we get down to the nitty-gritty of these differences, let’s review the commonalities between them. For instance the duration for all these courses is 3 years and they are all Under Graduate courses. Another similarity is that they are designed to provide a basic education in commerce and to set the groundwork for pursuing higher education in commerce such as M.B.A. degrees or the various specializations available. Apart from this even the curriculum for all these courses is quite similar, i.e. the core subjects studied are Accounting, Human Resource Management, Marketing, Organizational Behavior, Communication Skills, Operations Management, International Trade and Business Law which are common to all these courses. These courses were designed to teach students various Business and Management Skills that are required in any company or organization and to equip students with such skills keeping the future prospective in mind. This is done because most Management institutes or reputed B – Schools assess its applicants on these skills before accepting them for admissions in to their various Master’s Programs. Each of these courses have specializations. Now that we are clear about the commonalities, understanding the differences will be relatively easier.

B.B.A. is a Bachelor’s in Business Administration: as the name suggests it deals with Administrative studies. It is basically designed to give students a basic knowledge of all the functions that are involved in a company for example marketing, finance, human resource management, etc. the subjects that are studied are Accounting, Business law and Ethics, Economics, Financial management, Human resource management, Management Information Systems, Marketing, Operations management, Organizational behavior. Quantitative techniques (business statistics, financial mathematics, operations research) and Strategic Management. It too has various specialisations namely Accounting, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Real Estate, Human Resource Management, International Business, Information technology, Legal management, Design Management, Management, Management information systems, Marketing, Operations management, Supply chain management, Public Relations, Aviation Management

B.B.M. is a Bachelor’s in Business Management: similarly the main focus is diverted to studies at a managerial level. It aims at developing the individual’s managerial skills and creating well rounded individuals by educating them in a range of diverse subject areas that provide an integrated view of managerial issues and be able to apply the knowledge imparted in real life situations. Some of the specializations in BBM are Finance, Operations Management, and Management Information Systems and so on.

B.M.S. is a Bachelor’s in Management Studies: this course concentrates mainly on analytical and logical oriented studies and to help students develop their analytical and logical skills that are required. Students can specialise in Marketing, Finance, HRM, Management of Services, Management of global Business & Tourism Management etc. The subjects that are studied are Finance & Cost Accounting, Industrial Law, Business Law, Computer Application in Business, Quantitative Methods for Business, Business Environment, Principles of Management, Production Management, Export – Import Procedures, Managerial Economics, Econometrics, International Finance etc .but may differ from college to college.

B.B.S. is a Bachelor’s in Business Studies: although it is fairly similar to the B.B.A. course but its focus is majorly in practical exposure rather than a theoretical study. In this degree various business courses are integrated with a realistic and industry-based focus in order to build sound business ideas within the aspirants. Aspirants can specialize in management, accounting, marketing and information systems.

Each of these courses usually have either 2 or 3 different subjects but the core subjects generally remain the same. Additionally, the subjects studied and the specialisations that are offered in either of these courses are all institute specific so they may differ. The 2 tables below will make the aspects discussed clearer.

 To sum up hope this article has been of some use to you and served its purpose if you wish to gather information about these course and to refine your understanding further you can visit our sister website www.way2k.com .