Esade’s Barcelona Sant Cugat campus. The school will now offer new bachelor’s degrees in business and artificial intelligence, with plans to welcome its first students in fall 2026.
By the time today’s high school seniors graduate from college, artificial intelligence will likely no longer be a skill that companies look for on candidates’ resumes. It becomes the infrastructure on which they operate.
Esade Business School in Spain begins new classes Bachelor of Business and Artificial Intelligence (BBAI) Just look at this scenario. This four-year program is taught entirely in English and is designed to graduate professionals who understand how AI systems work and can decide how they should be implemented within their organizations.
The move reflects a broader shift in business education that recognizes that future leaders must be proficient not only in strategy and finance, but also in machine learning, data systems, and AI governance.
“Think like an engineer, decide like a manager”
The goal is not to turn students into software engineers, but to create what Essadeh calls “business technologists,” graduates who deeply understand AI systems and can shape how their organizations use them, transforming data into decisions, products, and business models.
Joan Rodon
“AI is revolutionizing leadership, giving it more strategic capabilities designed to manage organizations where people and AI systems can coexist and complement each other,” Esade deputy general director Joan Rodon said in the release. “The program we designed allows students to think like engineers but make decisions like managers from day one.”
This program will be highly experiential, built around real-world projects, collaboration, and applied problem solving. Students participate in hackathons, datathons, bootcamps, and corporate simulations where they are required to design and implement AI-powered business strategies.
This degree requires an international exchange semester in the fourth year and leverages Esade’s network of more than 80 partner universities around the world. Students can study at institutions in Europe, Asia, and the United States. It also includes a compulsory internship to be completed in Spain or abroad, and students can also choose Esad’s program. Solidarity Internship (SUD) Apply your technical and business skills to projects that impact society in developing countries.
This degree is aimed at undergraduate students who are interested in technology and innovation and want to understand how data and AI actually shape business outcomes. Applications are currently being accepted and the first cohort is expected to begin in September 2026.
Are there options for US college students?
For decades, the United States has remained a top destination for international business students. Similarly, fewer U.S. students enrolled abroad as international students because there were too many international students. Choose from world-class business programs in your own backyard. That was (and still is) especially true at the undergraduate level.
But that dynamic may be changing. As debates over academic freedom, immigration policy, and DEI intensify in the United States, more students are considering not only where they can study, but where they want to build their lives and careers.
recent data learning portala leading indicator of global enrollment trends, shows international students’ interest in studying in the United States has fallen to its lowest level since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, U.S. students’ interest in domestic degrees fell sharply in the first quarter of 2025, dropping by more than 20% year-over-year. At the same time, interest in European destinations increased.
“Southern Europe in particular is rapidly growing in popularity. In the first half of 2025, US interest rose 23% in Portugal, followed by Ireland (16.3%) and Spain (13.1%),” notes Benjamin Stevenin, former director of business school solutions and partnerships at Times Higher Education. In this article for poet and poetry Regarding Studyportals data.
“This regional expansion is not just about cost and weather; many of these programs offer English language instruction, a more diverse international classroom, and graduate visa policies that appeal to students seeking both global mobility and a foothold in the European job market.”
of Price hike for US institutions It is also forcing families to rethink values, debt, and what a globally competitive degree should deliver. By comparison, Esade’s BBAI tuition fee is set at 20,500 euros (approximately $23,876). scholarships available Covers up to 100% of tuition fees.
With campuses in Barcelona and Madrid, Esade enrolls 12,000 students from more than 100 countries each year across three educational divisions: Business School, Law School and Executive Education.
A more professional path to AI-first business
Esade offers: Dual degree combining business administration and artificial intelligence Starting in 2021, the new BBAI is a standalone, more specialized option. This deepens the school’s presence in technology-centered education and signals where demand for the department is heading.
This curriculum integrates technology with traditional business curriculum. Over four years, students study machine learning, deep learning, data science, generative AI, natural language processing, computer vision, business software development, and cloud systems. These technical courses run alongside Finance, Marketing, Operations and Strategy.
Essad, on the other hand, places ethics and responsibility as core elements of all degrees. Courses on legal frameworks, sustainability, and human-centered AI are embedded throughout the curriculum, aligning with the school’s broader mission of responsible leadership and social impact.
The program is based at Esade’s Barcelona-Saint Cugat campus and offers 240 ECTS credits. The school will be hosting a series of online information events about the degree over the coming weeks. You can only register one here.
Please stop miss: 2025 Undergraduate Business Professor of the Year: Monica Kasabai Bonsu, ESADE Business School and Introducing Crimson, Indiana Kelly AI co-instructor for the largest Genai course in higher education
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