BSc in Business Administration and Sociology
In the BSc SOC you learn how to make responsible business decisions by combining the economic and social perspectives on companies, their organisation and their surroundings.
About BSc in Business Administration and Sociology
Why choose BSc SOC
Understand both business and society
You want to understand how people, society, and cultural changes impact the way businesses operate. You are also curious about how companies are structured and make decisions based on numbers and economic logic.
Combine business, society, and data analysis
You are interested in looking at challenges from multiple angles and in finding solutions based on an understanding of numbers and society.
Ask the right questions
You want to look beyond the surface to understand the social and economic conditions that shape how businesses work. This means asking the right questions and exploring them through different approaches – from data and statistics to interviews and observations.
Hear about the programme
Our student guidance counsellor gives you an insight into what BSc SOC is all about and what you will learn during the programme.
How society shapes business
In BSc SOC you study how society shapes the way businesses work. Inside companies, leadership and workplace culture shape everyday life. Outside, social trends like demands for sustainability, diversity and equality affect decisions. Along with economic factors such as investments, production costs and competition, these forces guide choices in private companies, public institutions, and civil society organisations.
How companies and markets work
You get a general understanding of business administration. You learn how prices are set, how supply and demand determine whether a product succeeds, how businesses position themselves in competitive markets, and how they manage money and investments.
Building analytical skills
When companies plan strategies and make decisions, they need to understand the social context in which they operate. This includes how employees see themselves and the company, how economic or technological developments reshape markets, and how business affects society. On BSc SOC you gain tools from both sociology and economics to analyse these conditions and give companies a stronger basis for their decisions.
Students share their insights
Cecilie, Christa and Karl talk about their experiences with BSc SOC
Asking the right questions
You will learn how to create new knowledge by asking the right questions. To do this, you will work with both quantitative methods like statistics and questionnaires and qualitative methods like interviews and focus groups. You learn how to use and combine the methods – and most importantly, how to choose the right method for the question you are trying to answer.
Analysing your data
With your understanding of both sociology and economics you can turn data into insight and use it to explain real business challenges. In times of changing economic conditions such as inflation or recession, productivity and budget data can reveal where costs can be cut but not where new opportunities may arise. To uncover new markets and create new strategies, combining statistical data and qualitative consumer interviews with a broad understanding of society can help uncover new opportunities.
Bringing perspectives together
Being able to see a problem from multiple perspectives helps companies design solutions that are both effective and responsible. Bringing these perspectives together is essential not only for financial success, but also for creating long-term value. In BSc SOC you learn to investigate how economic and social factors shape business conditions. You also learn how to combine economic thinking with an understanding of how social changes influence companies today.
Structure
Philosophy and sociology
BSc SOC gives you a broad understanding of current societal and political developments and issues. You also learn how technology, politics and governments influence local and international markets.
Economics and mathematics
You work with economics in a company both in a national and international context. You will gain an understanding of how a company is structured and organized and how the national and international economy can affect it.
Organisation and management
At the BSc Soc. you learn how people act and cooperate with each other in organisations, markets and society.
Trade and logistics
At the BSc Soc. you learn how to understand the international business environment and how to handle current issues and problems.
Programme overview
1st semester
2nd semester
3rd semester
4th semester
5th semester
6th semester
More about the programme structure
Interdisciplinary
Business classes and sociology classes are rarely taught separately. You will work with traditional business topics and sociology at the same time – and apply tools from both fields - to better understand and solve business challenges.
Options during the programme
Electives
On the 5th semester, you can choose to select courses that support your specific interest. CBS offers a large number of electives within a wide range of topics. You can also choose to take electives at other Danish universities. The electives you choose have to be relevant for your programme.
See the current selection of CBS electives on courses at bachelor level.
Exchange
Many students choose to go on exchange on their 5th semester; usually at one of CBS’ more than 300 partner universities. When you go on exchange through CBS, you do not have to pay for the teaching at the foreign university (with a few exceptions), and you can bring your SU (student grant).
Find a list of all CBS partner universities here.
Internship
You can substitute some of your electives with a so-called academic internship. The academic internship consists of a working period in a company which is completed with a project report. The internship can take place either in or outside of Denmark.
An academic internship gives you the opportunity to reflect on and apply the theory that you have learn at CBS to real cases. Your assignments during the internship and the subject of the project report must therefore be relevant to the programme you are studying.
Study environment
Be a part of a close-knit study environment
As a part of a small cohort of around 100 students, you will quickly get to know your fellow students. The inclusive atmosphere encourages friendships across nationalities, and you can always find someone to hang out with
The SOC Board regularly organises events, giving you the chance to meet students from other years as well. For example by joining the Christmas dinner as a host or guest and have dinner at someone’s home – often with students you have not met before.
Students with diverse interests
When you start at BSc SOC, you will find that you and your fellow students have different academic interests. Some are passionate about sociology, others about economics.
An ambitious and supportive study environment
Most students are ambitious and want to do well – but not at the expense of others. The atmosphere is curious and collaborative, and the students are good at helping each other understand the courses and settle into student life.
International study environment
Students come from both Denmark and abroad. This means you will be speaking English in both academic and social settings. It might feel a bit awkward at first, but it quickly becomes second nature as English becomes part of your everyday life.
As an international student, you might feel a bit lonely at first. However, the more time you spend getting to know your fellow students, the quicker you will build a strong network in Copenhagen.
Read more about Student life on CBS.
What do they think?
Learn how Cecilie, Christa and Karl experience their student life on BSc SOC
Meet the students
Teaching and exams
Teaching activities
You will have lectures with your whole year and smaller exercise classes. In the lectures, you are introduced to the theories and models you need to learn. In the exercise classes, you will work more hands-on with solving assignments and applying what you have learned on a case study.
Group work
In some of your mandatory courses, you will work on larger projects with a study group. During your first semester, you will be assigned to a group, but after that, you can choose your own group members.
Read more about teaching and working methods.
Exams
You will encounter different types of exams, such as written sit-in exams, larger projects, and oral exams. Business administration courses typically end with written sit-in exams, while sociology courses often require you to submit a larger written project, sometimes completed with your study group.
Read more about exams at CBS.
Time consumption
Workload
Pursuing a bachelor degree is demanding, and the curriculum and workload are much greater than what you experienced in your upper secondary education. So, you should expect spending approximately 37 hours on average on your studies each week.
Busy periods
The workload will vary during the year. The time leading up to assignment submissions and exams can be hectic, and you can easily work more than 40 hours a week in this period. Preparing for oral exams can be especially time consuming, because you have to be able to explain and discuss the covered concepts and theories and learn things by heart.
Read more about teaching and working methods
Student job
Most programmes are quite flexible in terms of combining studies with a student job. Most students work a maximum of 15 hours a week in order to have sufficient time for their studies.
Studying in Denmark - for internationals
If this is your first time studying in Denmark, you may find teaching and exam formats, the grading scale and the academic calendar very different from what you are used to.
Read about everything you need to know as an international student studying at CBS at Internationals students
Entry requirements
Language requirement: A
Admission in numbers
Challenges and considerations
what you should consider
Our student guidance counsellor talks about the challenges on BSc SOC and what you should consider before applying.
Academic challenges
Working analytically
For many students the biggest challenge of BSc SOC is learning to work in a very analytical way where the discussion of how you can best arrive at results is just as important as the results themselves.
You need to be comfortable with this approach. If you are mainly looking for a programme focused on practical business skills, then BSc SOC might not be the right fit for you.
Interdisciplinary courses
Most of the mandatory courses are highly interdisciplinary and integrated. That can be challenging - you will need to think in complex ways and juggle both business and sociology topics at the same time.
You should also expect that you will only fully grasp how sociology and business administration are related to one another during your second or third year. It is completely normal to find it difficult to see the bigger picture of the programme and to feel a bit confused at the beginning.
You will not become a psychologist
BSc SOC is about understanding how society shapes the way people think, act, and interact. You will not dive into individual psychology and become a psychologist. Instead, you will explore how things like culture and social norms influence human behaviour in the work place. So the focus is on people as part of groups, not as isolated individuals.
Maths as a tool
In about a third of the mandatory courses in BSc SOC you will use maths as a tool. You will not use maths that is complicated beyond the entry requirement for the programme, but you need to be comfortable having courses where you use maths and do calculations at a practical level.
Studying in English
If you are not used to studying in English or if you are not a native speaker, we recommend that you read more about what to consider before applying for an English-taught programme.
Read more here.
Why they chose BSc SOC?
Hear what Cecilie, Christa and Karl considered before applying for BSc SOC.
In need of special support?
Do you have a disability such as dyslexia, anxiety, autism, ADHD, long-term effects of concussion or another physical, psychological or neurological disability?
Then you have the opportunity to apply for Special Educational Support (SPS) and special conditions while studying.
This ensures you can study on equal terms with your fellow students.
Apply for admission
After the programme
Master's degree after BSc SOC
The majority of students from BSc SOC continue on to a master programme. It is primarily the master programme – rather than the bachelor degree – that shapes your future career opportunities.
All bachelor programmes have a so-called natural progression, i.e. a master programme that academically builds on the bachelor degree. You have a legal right to be admitted to this master programme if you apply within three years of completing your bachelor degree.
After graduating from BSc SOC, you are guaranteed a place in the natural progression: MSc in International Business and Politics.
What you learn
Turning data into insight
You can collect, structure, and analyse data so it becomes a strong foundation for understanding problems and making decisions.
Career options
A broad skill set opens many doors
Like other bachelor programmes, BSc SOC gives you a broad skill set that fits many different jobs and industries. Because of this, it is difficult to predict exactly where you will end up working or what your specific tasks will be.
Your journey shapes your career
As you study, you customise your academic profile through the choices you make and the experiences you gain, such as your personal interests, electives, exchange stays, internships, and student jobs. That means your journey and your future career may look very different from your classmates.
Jobs and roles after BSc SOC
Most BSc SOC graduates continue directly to a master programme and later work in a range of industries, departments or roles, such as:
- Consulting
- Public sector and government
- Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
- Technology and digital services
- Human resources and recruitment
- International development and policy
Tasks can vary a lot, but specific examples are:
- Analyse data on social trends and consumer behaviour
- Develop strategies for organisational change
- Evaluate the impact of CSR and sustainability initiatives
- Conduct surveys and interpret the findings
- Support HR with diversity and inclusion strategies
- Research and report on social policy matters
- Advise companies on social responsibility
Develop your career over time
Your career is shaped by the choices you make during your studies and a job market that keeps changing.
Explore how you can develop skills, adapt over time, and create new opportunities after your bachelor.
More about BSc in Business Administration and Sociology
In the BSc SOC you learn how to make responsible business decisions by combining the economic and social perspectives on companies, their organisation and their surroundings.
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