Online Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)
Develop the core competencies today’s business professionals need to make informed decisions and lead successful organizations. This business administration bachelor’s degree program from American Public University (APU) provides students with a solid foundation in accounting, finance, management, and marketing.
Gain the knowledge and skills to make strategic business decisions. APU’s online BBA program provides an in-depth overview of the principles that enable organizational leaders to solve complex problems.
The curriculum covers the fundamentals of various business disciplines, including:
- Finance
- Accounting
- Business law
- Human resources
- Marketing
- Management
Courses examine current issues in the business world. For example, students discuss how data, technology, and innovations like artificial intelligence (AI) continue to transform business operations.
With a wide range of concentration tracks to choose from, learners can tailor their studies to match their unique interests, as well. Elective courses also provide the opportunity to explore areas like hospitality and entrepreneurship.
Students learn from faculty with real-world experience. Some have held leadership positions with the military and Fortune 500 companies.
APU’s curriculum was designed in consultation with industry professionals to ensure it remains current and career relevant. This degree program provides a strong academic background that students can apply to a wide range of educational and professional settings.
BBA Concentrations
APU’s curriculum integrates a wide range of concentrations, allowing you to customize your studies to match your interests and goals. Whether you want to study digital retailing, develop project management skills, or explore the business of real estate, you will find a concentration that suits your needs.
Select a concentration to learn more.
About the Concentration
This general concentration allows you to select from dozens of different concentration courses offered within this program, enabling you to create your own focused area of study.
Program Objectives
About the Concentration
Offers a comprehensive review of business requirements gathering, tools, techniques, and documentation suites. Offers project management techniques to define project cycles, measure and estimate efforts, and set priorities.
Program Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Identify business needs and problem domains.
- Analyze processes and behavior requirements for problem solutions.
- Diagram current and proposed business processes using various tools and techniques.
- Evaluate and recommend business solutions.
- Develop business processes and improvements.
- Develop functional business capabilities.
- Facilitate and manage recommended projects.
About the Concentration
The Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Business Project Management enhances your understanding of how businesses depend on project management to move the organization toward its strategic goals. Through this concentration, you will be introduced to the theories, concepts, and practices that align with project management.
You will come to understand how projects begin during the sales cycle and continue to be assessed after the project is delivered. You will be exposed to skill sets to track and monitor projects, develop a schedule and integrate it with costs and risks, prepare presentations for leadership and stakeholders, and create status reports. Companies depend on project management to stay competitive in developing new offerings, determining the technology needed within the enterprise, updating processes and procedures, and implementing projects for customers.
The concentration is designed for business professionals and military personnel looking to transition into project management within the business environment.
Program Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Analyze the fundamentals of project management.
- Demonstrate varying problems from a risk management standpoint.
- Define the role of projects and project management.
- Create a project charter, a scope statement, a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), Risk Management Plan, Quality Management Plan and Stakeholder Management Plan.
- Explain the need for ethical project management.
About the Concentration
This concentration offers an introduction to the field of data analytics as it is used to handle real-world problem solving and factual decision-making that is based on solid data collection and sound analysis.
Program Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Compare and contrast data and information within organization contexts.
- Classify and organize existing sources of data using spreadsheet software tools.
- Analyze historical and current data trends and the implications on organizational decision-making.
About the Concentration
The Digital Retailing concentration explores multiple facets of technology including smart stores with product experts, instant data access, expanded use of artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, expanded mobile/cashier-less capabilities, consumer protection, and seamless customer experiences with e-commerce, m-commerce, and brick-and-mortar locations. In addition, students have the opportunity to increase their knowledge of various retail technologies in the areas of digital retail analytics, strategies, marketing, merchandising, and cybersecurity.
Program Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Explore the evolution of retail markets from pre-industrial to modern-day digital retailing.
- Differentiate the various forms of online and digital retailing.
- Evaluate risks inherent to digital retailing including cybersecurity, fraud, and safety protection.
About the Concentration
The Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in DoD Project Management enhances your understanding of the government acquisition cycles and how these cycles are tightly coupled with program management. You will learn the policies that government and military personnel must understand to see programs to fruition.
The concentration is designed for federal employees and military personnel looking to enhance their knowledge of the government’s acquisition cycle by understanding the steps an acquisition must go through in order for a contract to be awarded to a civilian contractor.
Program Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Analyze the fundamentals of defense systems acquisition management.
- Evaluate the diverse, interrelated and changing nature in the different disciplines of defense systems acquisition management.
- Analyze the regulations and governing structures of defense systems acquisition management.
- Define the role of projects and project management.
- Create a project charter, a scope statement, a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM).
- Explain key elements of a communication plan to keep stakeholders abreast of progress, problems, and controls.
- Describe the steps required to plan a project.
- Explain the key features of an executive program manager’s role in today’s workforce
- Demonstrate the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to be a successful executive in today’s government contracting and acquisition organizations.
- Create an executive level action plan for practical and measurable government contracting and acquisition policy and procedures changes.
- Create explain the role and pitfalls of ethics in executive decision-making.
About the Concentration
Focuses on enhancing organizational productivity through technology. Topics include: technical skills critical in a business environment; system development life cycle (SDLC) models; project management techniques such as PERT and Gantt charts; and Internet concepts such as protocols, web browsers, search engines, FTP, network security, and online gaming.
Program Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Examine Internet protocols, middleware, interfaces, security, and applications.
- Evaluate workplace productivity, legal ramifications, and policies related to Internet access,
- Outline the process and the phases pertaining to managing information systems projects.
- Appraise the technology, communications, and policy issues related to managing virtual teams.
About the Concentration
Examines the challenges of managing multicultural and distributed teams in an international workforce. Reviews the tools and techniques used to mitigate financial risk in international business. Helps to develop marketing decision skills in the global context.
Program Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Compare and contrast the management strategies around the world.
- Examine the challenges of managing multicultural and distributed teams.
- Appraise the roles and responsibilities of the Human Resource Manager in the context of an international workforce.
- Analyze the interactions and trends between the world economies; also assess the tools and techniques used to mitigate financial risk in conducting international business.
- Evaluate the tools, methods, and practices of marketing in the global context.
About the Concentration
The Bachelor Business Administration concentration in Leading the Digital Workplace is designed to equip the student with practical risk and management knowledge related to the digital and remote working environments. The concentration enhances the student’s skills in addressing challenging issues managers face during the digital transformation of the workplace. Typical topics include the lack of face-to-face supervision, social disconnect, access to information, productivity, and culture. This concentration is suitable for managers in business, government, military, and other professional settings.
This concentration offers the student the opportunity to learn from accomplished professionals who have considerable experience in Fortune 500 companies, the military, government, and other industries. During the program, students will be encouraged to share experiences with other business students. This Bachelor of Business Administration concentration in Leading the Digital Workplace has been designed in consultation with industry experts.
Program Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Understand the elements of managing and leading remote organizations.
- Apply the behaviors and traits of effective managers.
- Analyze relevant issues in management such as ethics, globalization, and strategic management.
- Develop strategies to anticipate and remediate the effects of a remote workforce.
- Identify various scenarios and ethical issues that can emerge from a remote workforce.
- Demonstrate an understanding of effective communication.
- Articulate the components of a remote operating plan.
- Incorporate the resource requirements in a remote operating plan.
- Develop a stakeholder management plan.
- Create an eportfolio of assignments.
About the Concentration
Integrates marketing functions with principles of management, finance, strategic planning, and information systems. Topics include: marketing plan development; marketplace analysis; psychology and sociology concepts of consumer behavior; and research techniques.
Program Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Integrate the marketing function with fundamental business enterprise concepts and principles of management, finance, strategic planning, and information systems.
- Develop a strategic marketing plan.
- Apply concepts in psychology and sociology relevant to consumer behavior.
- Analyze business markets, customer markets, and buyer markets using concepts and techniques of research for marketing decisions including problem definition, research objectives, execution and research management, and presentation of findings.
About the Concentration
The Bachelor of Business Administration concentration in Operational Crisis Management is designed to equip the student with practical risk and crisis management knowledge. The concentration enhances the student’s skills in addressing difficult issues crisis managers face to protect the organization, its stakeholders, and assets from man-made and natural disasters. Typical issues focus on how to analyze risk and potential crises that affect the success of the organization. This concentration is suitable for managers in business, government, military, and other professional settings.
This concentration offers the student the opportunity to learn from accomplished professionals who have considerable experience in Fortune 500 companies, the military, government, and other industries. During the program, you will be encouraged to share your experiences with other business students. This Bachelor of Business Administration concentration in Operational Crisis Management has been designed in consultation with industry experts.
Program Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Apply the facts to plan for various man-made and natural disasters and emergencies.
- Develop strategies to anticipate and remediate the effects of disastrous events and workplace emergencies.
- Identify various scenarios and ethical issues that can emerge from different types of disasters.
- Identify strategies to return the organization back to normal as quickly as possible.
- Demonstrate an understanding of effective communication in an emergency.
- Articulate the components of a risk mitigation plan.
- Incorporate the resource requirements into a continuity plan.
- Describe the crisis management team members and their roles.
- Develop a stakeholder management plan.
- Define the scope of a crisis management plan.
- Create an eportfolio of assignments.
About the Concentration
This concentration provides the student with an introduction to construction management, along with real estate management, commercial and residential real estate portfolio development.
Program Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Research and appraise historic, current, and developing methodologies in construction management and real estate portfolio development in a wide variety of real estate business fields.
- Evaluate construction management strategies and techniques.
- Compare and contrast commercial and residential real estate portfolio development.
About the Concentration
This concentration consists of four courses. The concentration provides the student with an array of study and coursework in real estate communication and negotiation, residential real estate management, marketing, and portfolio development.
Program Objectives
Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:
- Research and appraise historic, current, and developing methodologies in real estate marketing management in a wide variety of real estate business fields.
- Evaluate marketing management strategies and techniques.
- Compare and contrast communication and negotiation best practices and techniques.
The Online Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program at American Public University System (APUS) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), demonstrating that it meets ACBSP’s standards of teaching excellence and continuous improvement.”
Gain a Career-Relevant Education When You Study Business Administration Online at APU
This online bachelor’s degree program emphasizes practical knowledge and equips students with analytical skills to navigate today’s business world. Students will learn to:
- Apply basic financial accounting, financial management, and strategic management to improve business decision-making
- Understand economic factors that impact markets by analyzing government, consumer, and business environments
- Develop effective organizational problem-solving approaches by applying best practices for operations management, human resources, and other roles
- Integrate market research into a strategic plan
- Learn how external and internal factors, as well as competition and environmental forces, influence a business’s success or failure
This BBA program prepares learners to pursue management and leadership roles across the public and private sectors. Students gain the knowledge and skills to plan, organize, and direct business functions that support growth and innovation.
Graduates may consider potential career opportunities as:
- General and operations managers, who oversee daily operations, manage resources, and ensure teams work toward shared organizational goals
- Marketing specialists/managers, who plan and implement marketing campaigns, conduct market research, and manage brands
- Project managers/coordinators, who plan, execute, and oversee organizational projects to ensure they meet scope, budget, and performance goals
- Management analysts/consultants, who review business data to advise organizations on strategies to improve efficiency, productivity, and effectiveness
- Entrepreneurs/small business owners, who launch, manage, and grow independent businesses ventures
Students in this business degree program examine best practices for strategic decision-making, and coursework helps sharpen career-relevant skills. The curriculum also emphasizes data analysis, communication skills, and ethical reasoning, preparing graduates to lead teams, solve real-world problems, and drive organizational success.
Graduates will be able to:
- Apply accounting, finance, management, and marketing principles to make informed business decisions
- Analyze economic trends within domestic and global contexts
- Demonstrate effective leadership across various business functions
- Use analytical and problem-solving skills to develop and implement effective strategies
- Apply ethical reasoning and legal/regulatory principles to guide business operations
- Communicate clearly in written, oral, and digital contexts
- Use quantitative methods and data analysis to evaluate and improve business performance
- Leverage technology and information systems to drive innovation
- Demonstrate project management and teamwork in multidisciplinary settings
- Evaluate organizational behavior and human resource practices
“ My experience at this University, having that online classroom gave me the confidence and the background to really use a virtual platform to foster relationships and to communicate in a way that I use in my career every single day. ”
Browse Courses from APU’s Online Bachelor of Business Administration Program
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Students will explore consumer motivation and the processes behind the diffusion and adoption of new goods and services. Additionally, students will engage with a practical component, reviewing the key elements of a marketing plan, including market segmentation, branding, and integrated marketing communications, to understand how these factors work together in marketing strategy.
Build Lasting Connections While You Pursue Your Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration
Network with classmates, faculty, and alumni who share your interests when you enroll in APU’s online BBA program. The University hosts dozens of online student clubs and communities. Explore business-related organizations such as the Delta Mu Delta Honor Society, the Retail Management Student Organization, and the University’s Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM®)4 student chapter. These groups provide opportunities to apply classroom concepts to real-world challenges, gain leadership experience, and connect with others in the business world.
Learn more about APU’s student clubs and other ways to get involved.
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We know your well-being is vital to your success. That's why we offer a range of supportive resources to help you throughout your academic journey.
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Career Coaching
Whether you’re transitioning from military to civilian life or pursuing advancement within your branch of service, AMU’s Career Services are here to help. Our coach-guided experiences empower you to translate your military skills into new opportunities, develop your professional strengths, and chart a course to your next mission.
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Resilience is critical to mission success, and that starts with your mental health. AMU offers confidential, flexible, 24/7 access to support resources to help you manage stress, find balance, and stay mission-ready.
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At AMU, you’ll be part of a strong, service-minded community that understands your goals and values. Through student organizations like the Student Veterans of America (SVA) and access to the university directory through ecampus, you’ll connect with peers and mentors who can help you build your professional network and lifelong camaraderie.
Learn MoreAPU’s Online BBA Program Provides an Affordable Education
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Earning a degree is a valuable investment, but it needs to fit into your budget. Our tuition estimator can help you estimate your tuition and fees, so you can plan a manageable path to your educational goals. For full details, please refer to the financial aid cost of attendance (COA). This estimate does not include course materials, supplies, equipment, software and other expenses such as lab fees. You may eligible for partnership grants through your employer. Speak with your admission representative for more details.
Standard Rate for undergraduate programs.
The Veteran Grant is available to honorably discharged veterans from all military branches, and their families.6
Prospective and current students are eligible for the Opportunity Grant of 10% off undergraduate or master's-level tuition.7
APU Removes Barriers
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We offer special rates and grants for eligible students and limit fees to help keep the cost of higher education within reach. Find out how you can save on tuition expenses with our:
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Transfer Credits
APU makes it easy to earn credit for the work you’ve already done. We accept transfer credits from prior college coursework, professional training, exams, and certifications. We’ll evaluate your transcripts at no cost and help you maximize eligible credits so you can save time, reduce costs, and stay focused on reaching your education goals sooner.
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We’re committed to making quality education accessible and affordable. APU participates in federal financial aid programs, including grants and loans for those who qualify. Our Financial Aid Office can provide personalized guidance to help you understand your options, complete required forms, and make an informed decision about paying for your education.
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In addition to federal financial aid, some APU students choose to explore private education loans or external scholarships to help fund their studies. We encourage all students to first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine eligibility for federal student aid before considering private options. Be sure to research lenders carefully, compare terms, and understand your rights and responsibilities as a borrower.
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Apply to APU’s Online BBA Program Today
This online business degree program is led by faculty members who have extensive experience in the business world. These educators include business owners, company presidents, and CEOs with backgrounds in finance, technology, nonprofits, and real estate.
APU’s online asynchronous courses enable students to connect with faculty and classmates from anywhere, anytime. You may participate in weekly class discussions and complete weekly assignments on your own schedule. Coursework helps sharpen your critical-thinking skills and prepares you with competencies essential for the modern workplace.
Ready to get started? Apply to this bachelor’s degree program today.
- No Entrance Exams No GRE or GMAT required for master’s programs
- No Application Fee For undergraduate & master’s-level courses
- Courses Start Monthly Enroll now, start next month
- All APU undergraduate programs require a minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent (i.e., GED). Please read all undergraduate admission requirements before applying to this program and be prepared to submit the required documentation.
- There is no fee to complete the APU admission application for this program. View steps to apply.
Learn More About Pursuing a Business Administration Degree
Both degrees have advantages. Here are some factors to consider when deciding between a BA or a BS:
- A BA, or Bachelor of Arts, typically takes a more philosophical approach to the course material. BA programs focus heavily on the liberal arts and foster soft skills like communication and critical thinking.
- A BA may suit students interested in fields such as marketing, human resources, or public relations.
- A BS, or Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, is more technical than a BA program. BS programs typically provide students with in-depth knowledge and skills in specific disciplines, like business analytics.
- A BS may be well-suited to learners who are interested in fields such as financial accounting or data analysis.
APU’s Dr. Wallace E. Boston School of Business offers a BA in Business and a BBA, in addition to marketing, management, and accounting programs, among others. The best business degree to pursue will depend on your interests, goals, and preferred learning style.
A BBA is an undergraduate degree that equips students with leadership skills as they discuss effective decision-making strategies. As with most bachelor’s degrees, BBA programs typically take four years of full-time study to complete. Core courses usually explore business fundamentals, including managerial and/or financial accounting, marketing, human resources, business operations, and management.
Students also learn how organizational leaders use business intelligence tools to guide decision-making and develop strategies suited to specific goals. Coursework emphasizes the importance of market research, strategic planning, and risk management.
A BBA is an undergraduate business administration degree that prepares students for entry-level career opportunities or further study. BBA programs focus on teaching the fundamentals of business and may help lay the groundwork to advance to an MBA program.
An MBA, or Master of Business Administration, is a graduate degree that examines business topics in greater depth. MBA students gain advanced knowledge and skills as they contemplate the nuances of myriad business challenges. Courses help bridge the gap between theory and practice as learners explore how theoretical concepts translate to real-world business contexts.
MBA programs are often geared toward working professionals who want to enhance their leadership skills and pursue new business career opportunities.
Students who are interested in enrolling in a respected business program typically check accreditation before applying to a school. ACBSP evaluates programs based on teaching excellence, student-learning outcomes, and a continuous improvement model. Accreditation ensures students gain the skills needed for success in professional settings.
With more than 200 career-relevant degrees and certificates, APU makes online education accessible and affordable.
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The University reserves the right to accept or deny credits according to policies outlined on our University website. Please see the University's transfer credit policy webpage for complete information.
The Preferred Military Rate is $250 per credit hour for undergraduate and master's-level courses. This rate is available to all U.S. active-duty servicemembers, National Guard members, Reservists, and military families, including parents, spouses, legal partners, siblings, and dependents.
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