Centria University of Applied Sciences offers a bachelor’s degree programme that focuses on enterprise resource planning, especially SAP software solutions. This programme is perfect for you, who want to study business management but also get specialised ERP expertise on top of that. The demand for ERP skilled employees is rising all the time, so now is a great time to get an education that meets the needs of the businesses but also offers lots of work opportunities.

The BBA studies at Centria UAS are very practically oriented. You will start your studies from the basics, so you don’t need previous business studies or work experience. In your studies, you will focus on ERP/SAP. You will study subjects, such as ERP systems and their functionalities, data warehousing, business process modelling and advanced business intelligence. All of the subjects are closely related to ERP/SAP. This knowledge will be your specialised competitive edge in the labour markets after your graduation.

You will study many business-related subjects, such as economics, management accounting and environmental management. You will get to know business processes related to, for example, strategic management. Your studies include courses in human resources management, and you will learn how to develop HR processes. You will also study research and development related subjects to support you in the thesis project that you will do during your last study year. You can also join different research and development projects and other customer projects, in which you can practice the skills you have learned during your studies. You will deepen your knowledge in information technology, and you will learn more about computing, the basics of programming and relational Databases & SQL. During your studies, you will also develop your social skills, interpersonal skills, self-management skills, language and communication skills and innovativeness. All the studies are organized in a multicultural environment since our students represent over 40 nationalities.

Centria University of Applied Sciences works in close collaboration with some of the biggest employers in the field of SAP in Finland. Centria has an SAP Next-Gen Lab environment that serves as a learning environment for our BBA SAP students. The enterprise resource planning lecturers at Centria are SAP certified, and we also offer our students a chance to develop the knowledge and skills required for an SAP certification (TERP10). Centria is also a member of the SAP University Alliance, which means we can provide our students with access to the SAP Business Suite family of software solutions. Centria is a member of the SAP University Alliance, and therefore we can offer our students access to the SAP Business Suite family of software solutions. This enables you to take the classroom theory into practice, through demonstrations, exercises, case studies, and research.

SAP Next-Gen Lab & Business Collaborations

Centria University of Applied Sciences is working in close collaboration with some of the biggest employers in the field of SAP in Finland. Our collaboration with these companies concerns their SAP development activities. concerning their SAP development activities. These development activities will make the most of the SAP Next-Gen Lab environment, located in Centria’s premises.

The Next-Gen Lab environment serves as a learning environment for the students enrolled in the degree programme in Business Management, Enterprise resource planning (ERP). Students will use cases from the partner companies to work on current and coming challenges related to management reporting, utilisation of data in business decision-making and the development of new digital solutions together with the companies’ project teams. Students will have access to internships and project work within the organisations starting after their first study year is completed, they will have the opportunity to see and learn how the SAP ERP software is actually in use within the companies. This hands-on experience will allow students to gain an insight into the SAP operational environment and they will focus their studies on the area they are most keen in.

The partner companies will offer final thesis, internship and project work possibilities to Centria’s students. For example, one of our most important partners, Fujitsu has close to 8,000 joint customer installations worldwide supported by over 3,000 SAP application and solution experts. The company is a crucial partner for SAP, being a Global SAP Services Partner since 2006 and a Global SAP Hosting Partner in 2007. With this, Fujitsu is one of the very few SAP partners to achieve global partnerships in Technology, Services, and Hosting. Fujitsu Suomi, for instance, is offering SAP services to industrial companies and enterprises within the public administration, healthcare and retail fields.

Structure of studies

The BBA studies consist of core studies and profiling studies, practical training and a thesis project. The scope of the degree programme is 210 ECTS, and it will take around 3,5 years to finish your studies.

The studies are conducted in English, and the teaching is organised on weekdays on our Talonpojankatu campus in Kokkola. Some of the courses are offered as online studies and the studies require some independent work. However, you will also work in groups on different projects and assignments while practising your communication and teamwork skills.

Your BBA studies are focusing on ERP/SAP. Centria has an SAP Next-Gen Lab environment that serves as a learning environment for our BBA SAP students. Our partner companies offer our students different study cases, which you can work on in our Next-Gen Lab with your fellow students. The projects are usually done together with project teams from companies. These projects and cases can be related to, for example, management reporting, utilisation of data in business decision-making and the development of new digital solutions. In your studies, you can focus on a specific ERP area of your own choice.

The Bachelor’s thesis is a down-to-earth planning project, development project or research project. The thesis project aims to prove that you command the theories and processes related to the field of the business and can adapt them in practice. The thesis project will deepen your professional know-how and give you versatile readiness to operate in the different tasks of management, marketing or financial management. The thesis project is often done as an assignment for some company as either independent or pair work.

Your future

The Bachelors of Business Administration have versatile employment opportunities. The graduates can work in many different positions in sales and marketing, development, financial management and general administration. Some of the Bachelors of Business Administration work as entrepreneurs.

A bachelor’s degree in business management with ERP/SAP specialisation allows you to work in various positions. The majority of our alumni work in private companies. There is a demand for business management professionals and SAP experts also in the public sector. In the future, you can work in sales or marketing, in development management or financial management, to mention a few possibilities. Some of our students have also set up a company, and they work as entrepreneurs. Lots of opportunities are waiting for business management professionals.

In the future, your potential occupational title can be

• export or import manager,
• sales representative,
• marketing manager,
• key accountant,
• office manager,
• project manager,
• purchasing manager,
• CEO,
• financial manager,
• human resource manager and
• entrepreneur.

International Centria

Centria has about 130 partner universities around the world, and you can spend a semester or a whole academic year in one of our partner universities. Centria offers three business-related bachelor’s programmes in English, and you are free to choose courses from all of the programmes according to your motivation. You can also do practical training abroad or at an international company in Finland.

You can integrate your studies at Centria with a business degree in our specific university partners in France and China by spending one year in one of those universities. You will receive two international degrees through one programme, which is a real opportunity for you. This possibility is worth taking – especially if you want to strengthen your language skills and get international experience.

The different internationalisation possibilities offered by our UAS are worth benefitting from because many companies appreciate good language and communication skills and international experience.

Postgraduate studies

After you have completed your bachelor’s degree and you have gained at least two years of work experience, you can apply to Centria’s master’s degree programmes. Centria offers several master’s programmes in business management in Finnish and English. You can also continue your studies at a university in Finland or abroad.