FAQS

The BBI has a grade non-disclosure policy. Our admission process application only allows candidates who have a relevant proven track record of academic and professional achievements, as well as worldwide awareness and a global management potential. For this reason, company recruiters are not allowed to ask students about grades during an interview.

Final course grades for most programmes depend on a mix of class participation, the quality of the thesis and the final term exams. To graduate, participants must maintain a mean grade of 6.0 out of 10 in the first and second term module exams.

BBI MBA students have an average age of 24, although a few students may be slightly older. In some cases, other BBI programmes such our Executive Education courses are recommended as they may be a better fit for some specific professional goals. However, there is no upper age limit and all ages are encouraged to apply.

Only when the MBA programme has started will you have the student status required. Sometimes our career development centre receives pre-internship applications from companies, and these are communicated to the students with the pre-registration fee deposited.

In our employment report you will find detailed information about the prospects that our students could have within companies from the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. Depending on their different backgrounds, previous experiences or language skills the suggested changes might vary and some can be more easily achieved than others.  Our recommendation is always based on the initial goals set at the beginning of the programmes with our career development team in order to help you work towards your professional objectives.

Our career opportunities are similar for whatever career path you may choose, nevertheless, the differing itineraries may take you along different career paths. Before deciding what itinerary you may choose, you may need to have during the admission process a career pre-assessment evaluation. In addition, when you start an MBA course in October you will be working with our Career Specialists team to enable your next career step from the beginning of the academic year. 

No. English is the language of instruction on both campuses.

To benefit most of the educational experience a proficient level of English is required for the programmes. An appropriate level of ability is required to communicate effectively in complex work-related situations.  For example, conveying messages correctly during long business discussions is required. A basic level of informal conversational English would not be sufficient for applicants but further language development training can be recommended before the course starts.

The BBI students during the MBA programme reside full-time in Barcelona, attending classes Monday through Thursday, and a different variety of networking activities and conferences take place during the year.

MBA students tend to be at an earlier stage in their careers and have less professional experience than participants in the Executive Programmes. The majority of participants in the Executive Programmes are already working industry and continue to work while they carry out the programme in parallel.

The BBI’s MBA is a full-time 10-month programme that has a specific management focus with a strong emphasis on global drug discovery processes and applied Life Sciences research in a commercial setting. The programmes are offered at BBI’s world leading campuses in Barcelona and Cambridge.

The programme stands out for its unique international board of lecturers, who are all from the Life Sciences sector and reflect the different nationalities and students from more than 20 countries. BBI students accepted into the programme typically have experience from the laboratory but not in the business area as yet but are seeking to develop their careers in global business or to start their own companies in a near future.

Yes, studying for an International MBA is a key step forwards in your more commercial career progression in industry after your PhD. The transition from the research laboratory into new management positions requires an understanding of many additional business aspects for the effective commercialisation of scientific research. For example, developing new products and treatments requires an in-depth understanding of how the pharmaceutical industry, as well as biotechnology, medial devices and digital health companies, operate commercially.

Work experience is not required. The average class has students, who have completed a BSc, MSc, PhD or equivalent degree. Also, students with one- or two-years’ work experience are welcomed. If you are finishing your bachelor’s degree and want to apply to the BBI’s MBA programme, contact us to receive career assessment solutions for you.

The BBI MBA syllabus or curriculum is prepared to deliver a one-year more intensive approach to a professional development in international business administration specifically relevant for the biotechnology sector and the pharmaceutical industry. The return on your investment after completing the MBA is relatively rapid due to our career impact programme and the development of your personal skills to manage your time and make decisions more efficiently.

Applying to this MBA programme will challenge your leadership business skills and develop them to the highest level in a specific sector. Unlike other MBAs, we focus only on one industrial sector and do not dilute your time by teaching on other less relevant sectors to you career.

The MBA has a general management focus with the objective of preparing leaders to take on global roles in organisations or start their own companies a near future. In addition, students can concentrate on a particular area by taking different itineraries, which are offered during the second semester.

Yes, we prefer that the applicants have a recommendation letter from your current employer or your former employer or from a university or other educational establishment. If you do no yet have experience in the industry, the recommendation letter can be from you thesis supervisor or you laboratory director from where you have completed your thesis will also be considered.

For applicants with PhDs, a letter from your thesis supervisor will be also required. This letter should reflect on your capabilities in the work environment and your interpersonal skills. If you have not completed a thesis or research project, a letter from your director of studies or equivalent lecturer will suffice.

In average our students have experience in the laboratory nationally or internationally, such as through an Erasmus programme (or equivalent) or are competing their final bachelor’s thesis but no significant work experience in the business aspects of Life Sciences. Your profile and future trajectory will be evaluated during your interview but no work experience in company is required.

For the executive programmes, it is mandatory to have minimum two years of relevant work experience. Those with less experience could be considered, according to their qualifications and the professional goals that they would like to achieve.

We understand the initial step that scientists need to make to develop their future professional development in business, it will not impact your chances of acceptance if you do not have experience in- company as yet. At the BBI we value students driven by their commercial objectives and with a clear mindset in terms of personal and future professional development.

We welcome all applications and we receive many different types of applications. We expect the same from all candidates, which is a strong willingness to develop their management skills towards making a difference the global industry and to demonstrate their leadership potential. Business acumen can be developed but the motivation needs to come from the student.

To proceed with the application for the BBI’s MBA in Biotechnology, you will need to:

- Have completed a life sciences bachelor’s degree or equivalent 

- Submit the application form detailed on our website and when in your candidate area on the site upload the required documentation: curriculum vitae or resumé, university transcript copy (title and academic record etc), passport scan and your recommendation letter.

Due to our educational model being based on sometimes working with patents to protect the intellectual property of others and working with technology transfer offices, it is required that students have a scientific background for such activities. Once we have received your application, the admission board will either reject your application or invite you to proceed with the personal interview.

Due to the volume of applications received, we will only conduct personal interviews for those candidates who have been pre-selected for the interview by the admissions board. We will evaluate all applications for a final decision after the entire process is completed and will get back to the candidate with the final decision on their application.

Recommendation letters are typically required for MBA applications and they are always well received by the board of admissions during the candidate evaluation process. On the same note, cover letters showing the reasons why the student wants to participate in their course and how the candidate would add value to their group during the academic year as student are well received as well. 

You will need to submit your recommendation letter through the online application system once you have started your application process along with the rest of the required documentation. Recommendation letters need to be submitted in English (British or American).

For any further information about the application process please email us at info@bbibarcelona.com and/or info@bbicabridge.com, depending on the campus that you are most interested in joining.

Yes. All applications go through a first process of selection where the candidate will be interviewed to assess the application, review the programme objectives and understand the potential of the BBI career impact programme on their careers. After this first stage, only those selected from the interview will continue with the application process. Interviews can be via videoconference, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We cannot define a typical profile of a student at the BBI.  We have a very diverse set of students every year in terms of age, professional experience, education and culture. Review the latest alumni report for further information.

We cannot define a typical profile of a student at the BBI.  We have a very diverse set of students every year in terms of age, professional experience, education and culture. Review the latest alumni report for further information.

The different career “itineraries” will take you through the relevant specialisations in the global industry to develop your future career. The main aspect of this process is to help you decide how this could help develop your future career path.

The BBI has an international assessment programme for the students to help them understand how to development their career paths into suitable companies. Contact us at info@bbibarcelona.com