A complete education in both management and law
With the Double Degree in Business Administration and Law you’ll study subjects corresponding to each of the two official degrees. The curriculum integrates and combines both disciplines and has been designed for you to become a management and legal expert upon completing the Double Degree. During the first and second years of the programme, the subjects in both areas are distributed equally: In the first year, you’ll lay the groundwork in law and business administration and you’ll explore both areas even further during the second year. During the third and fourth years, you’ll focus on one discipline more than the other: The third year focuses more on legal subjects –you’ll complete more courses in law than in business administration–; by contrast, in fourth year, the focus will shift to business administration –with more courses in this field than in law–.
Discover the subjects you’ll study throughout the double degree
First Year
COMPULSORY
Fundamentals and Structure of Law
In this subject you’ll study how laws have evolved from a historical and cultural perspective and you’ll learn about the basic legal systems. Upon completion, you’ll have the knowledge and competencies you need to understand today’s legal system.
Fundamentals of Criminal Law and Theory of Crime
What are the basic criminal concepts? In this subject you’ll discover these concepts and study the criminal phenomenon as a prerequisite to apply Criminal Law.
Fundamentals of Constitutional Law
Discover the connection between the Constitution and the State: In this subject you’ll learn about the Constitution’s normative value and its relation with the State and its institutions.
Microeconomics
Your first contact with economic reality: You’ll study how markets work, the effects that public intervention has and how non-competitive markets are structured.
Introduction to Accounting
In this subject you’ll learn about basic accounting principles and how essential accounting techniques work.
Mathematics Applied to Management
A solid knowledge of mathematics is fundamental to be able to analyse quantitative data. By the end of this subject, you’ll be able to create and interpret models that explain the business setting’s economic and financial reality, comfortably using mathematical language and concepts and rigorously applying deductive reasoning.
Sociology
Companies operate in markets, and these markets are part of increasingly interrelated societies. The aim of this subject is for you as a future executive to become aware of your role as a citizen and of your ability to contribute to and transform society based on socially responsible values.
Constitutional Legal System
You’ll explore the concept of the Constitutional system’s primacy and its sources.
General Criminal Law
In this subject you’ll study General Theory of Criminal Law and discover its relevance in applying crime-related laws.
General Part of Civil and Personal Law
A view of Personal Law from a civil perspective: In this subject you’ll become familiar with the necessary systemic elements to understand the sources of Civil Law, the theory of legal-civil norms and the subjects, objects, functions and goals of legal-private relations. This subject will focus especially on laws aiming to ensure equality and non-discrimination and their effectiveness in private legal relationships.
Macroeconomics
What are the key macroeconomic indicators in terms of production, inflation and employment? You’ll discover these through this subject and learn about the basic models that explain the different macroeconomic variables, in particular, fiscal and monetary policies.
Descriptive Statistics and Probability
Through this subject, you’ll acquire the theoretical and practical foundations you need to make good decisions when faced with uncertainty: You’ll learn to apply statistical reasoning, calculate probabilities and define the corresponding models to guide you in decision-making processes.
Advanced Financial Accounting
In this subject you’ll expand the knowledge acquired in the Fundamentals of Financial Accounting subject. The complexities of the situations you’ll study will increase, and the subject will focus especially on product valuation and cost calculations. By the end, you’ll understand any situation which modifies a company’s financial statements and know how to appropriately reflect those changes in the different statements.
Language I
Mastering English is no longer an added value; it is absolutely fundamental in today’s world: Business transactions are increasingly international in nature. For this reason, Esade will prepare you from the very first year for you to communicate in English and in business English, in particular, both fluidly and effectively. Upon successfully completing English I, you’ll have achieved the First Certificate or B2 CEFR language levels.
Language II
Upon completing English II, you’ll achieve a level in which you can express yourself more fluidly and effectively in both personal and professional settings. In addition, you’ll be able to adapt to the needs and demands of different audiences.
Second Year
COMPULSORY
Multidisciplinary Legal Exercise
In this subject you’ll examine legal problems affecting all the areas of law students study in each year. Each graduating class has its own case to evaluate, a case which will evolve from the first to the third year of the programme.
Theory of Contracts and Tort Law
This subject will introduce you to the necessary concepts to understand the basics of private contracts (structure and function) and civil obligation (structure and function), both in contractual and extracontractual terms.
Constitutional Rights
What specific rights does the Constitution endow us with? This subject focuses on learning about constitutional rights, focusing especially on fundamental rights.
Types of Crimes
In this subject you’ll study the different types of crimes and how this typology is applied, as well as how jurisprudence interprets it.
Statistical Inference and Data Analytics
In this subject you’ll understand some of the theoretical and practical foundations which serve to make forecasts, carry out estimates and test hypotheses. You’ll be capable of transforming data into knowledge and insights, something which will help you to make decisions when faced with uncertainty.
Financial Analysis
Accounting entry principles and techniques allow you to determine: 1) A company’s equity, financial and economic situation; and 2) changes in the company’s equity, the scope of the entries included in its balance sheet and its profitability indicators. You’ll learn to analyse all these through this subject.
Business Economics
Some of the topics addressed in this subject include market power, imperfect competition, pricing policies, market segmentation and competitive strategies. You’ll also learn about exchange rates and short and long-run theories.
Leadership and Organisational Behaviour
Through conceptual and experiential learning processes, this subject aims to help students to understand human behaviour within organisational contexts. For this, the subject focuses on the executive role students will assume in the future and the leadership they need to be able to develop their professional careers.
Public International Law
This subject represents your first immersion in Transnational Law: You’ll learn about the principles and structure of the international legal-political system, highlighting the system of leading international organisations.
Introduction to Procedural Law
In this subject you’ll study how courts are structured and how they work as well as the basic and common procedural concepts and institutions found in all jurisdictions.
Fundamentals of Administrative Law
This subject offers an overview of Administrative Law: You’ll become familiar with its purpose, functions and basic principles and, in particular, the basic types of public administrations, administrative sources and proceedings.
Private Contracting
This subject will enable you to understand the structure and functioning of civil and mercantile contracts from an inherently practical perspective: You’ll consolidate the knowledge and competencies you acquired in the General Contract Theory subject.
Corporate and Market Law
This subject will introduce you to the concepts, functions and sources of Mercantile Law. Through this subject, you’ll study the concept of companies and entrepreneurs and you’ll further explore business practice. In addition, you’ll study topics related to the exercise of free competition and the protection of intangible assets (Intellectual Property and Competition Law).
Multidisciplinary Legal Exercise II
In the second module, you’ll examine legal problems affecting all the areas of law students study in each year. Each graduating class has its own case to evaluate, a case which will evolve from the first to the third year of the programme.
Language III
Organisational Theory
This subject is taught in English and will teach you to think systematically, relating the business context with its structure and the people who comprise that business. The aim is for you to be able to understand how the job market and people interrelate with companies and how organisations are structured.
Financial Economics
All economic activity requires financing. Consequently, understanding how financial markets work is a decisive component of your education. Upon completing this subject, you’ll be familiar with the different financing instruments available and you’ll be able to assess their suitability for different scenarios.
European Union Law
What are the key institutions in the EU legal system? In this subject you’ll learn about the main organisms under EU Law and analyse community freedoms and how EU Law is adapted to each member country’s legal systems.
Third Year
COMPULSORY
Marketing Foundations
In this subject you’ll learn about fundamental marketing concepts and develop a solid base with which to make decisions as a marketing expert. You’ll acquire this knowledge through the learning-by-doing methodology: You’ll define a marketing planning process first-hand.
Foundations of Operational Excellence
This subject will help you to gain an in-depth understanding of how to compete through innovation and how to develop new products, processes and services, plan operations and manage quality and the environment, amongst other key tasks.
IT Systems
Information technology (IT) systems facilitate innovation and flexibility within organisations. After completing this subject, you’ll be able to: 1) Analyse the organisational setting from the information flow perspective; and 2) use IT systems to contribute to corporate innovation processes.
Rights in rem
What are rights in rem? In this subject you’ll acquire the systemic elements needed to understand the basics and foundations of rights in rem, in particular, property rights, joint ownership and limited property rights (right of use/usufruct and the right of first refusal).
Civil Procedural Law
In this subject you’ll understand how the different civil and mercantile proceedings are structured. In particular, you’ll study norms governing competencies as well as the types of declarative proceedings and the most relevant procedural specialisations in legal practice. You’ll also analyse the key alternative conflict-resolution mechanisms.
Fundamentals of Tax Proceedings
This subject will introduce you to taxation. To begin, you’ll study the economic, doctrinal and legal foundations of the General Part of Financial and Tax Law. This will enable you to expand your knowledge of the key taxes included in the Spanish tax system more systematically. You’ll also become familiar with the different types of tax proceedings.
Corporate Law
You’ll study the different types of companies and the rules governing their structures, organisation and functioning.
Public Administration Activity
In this subject you’ll become familiar with general administrative proceedings and, in particular, the framework governing public activity (especially, norms, sanctions and expropriation) and the public sector’s contractual and patrimonial liability systems.
Economic Environment Analysis
This subject serves to unite Microeconomics, Macroeconomics and Business Economics. In this case, you’ll study applied economics, applying the fundamentals of economic analysis to the current economic setting from a geographic and industry-based perspective.
Corporate Finance
Through this subject you’ll learn to carry out long-term financial planning and generate value for shareholders. You’ll be able to analyse the cost of capital, valuate companies and select the investments and resources which best help to generate value.
Marketing Decisions
This subject is the continuation of the Marketing Foundations subject. In this case, the focus is on marketing strategies. To use chess as an example, in the Marketing Foundations class you learned to move the different pieces; in this subject, you’ll learn the most common moves (scholar’s mate -or checkmate in four moves-, openings, etc.).
Business Operations, Bankruptcy and Stock Market Law
Based on the knowledge acquired in the Corporate Law class, in this subject you’ll analyse the leading capital and structural operations. You’ll also learn about the key normative functions and most important concepts in Bankruptcy and Stock Market Law.
Direct Taxation
What are the most prevalent types of direct taxes? In this subject you’ll discover and learn about norms governing personal income tax and corporate tax, in particular.
Security Rights and Property Registry
In this subject you’ll immerse yourself in the foundations and functions of Real Estate Registration Law and you’ll analyse the systemic elements needed to understand the structure and functioning of security rights.
Multidisciplinary Legal Exercise III
This is the third and last module of this subject in which you’ll learn to examine legal problems affecting all the areas of law students study in each year. Each graduating class has its own case to evaluate, a case which will evolve from the first to the third year of the programme.
Individual Labour Law
In this subject you’ll learn about the sources of Labour Law and the primary institutions related to Individual Labour Law from a legal and jurisprudence perspective. Together, we’ll analyse the different positions the parties in a labour relation adopt regarding economic and social issues, including gender. You’ll also acquire basic notions on the purpose of the Social Security system and its structure (assistance and contributory schemes).
Competing from Operations
This subject goes one step further than the previous subjects in this field. Its aim is for you to be able to address the most pressing issues that operations directors have to face. You’ll examine key functions such as designing supply chain programmes in collaboration with the marketing department, benchmarking, process-based management, etc.
Fourth Year
COMPULSORY
Competitive Strategy
This subject comprises an intensive block dedicated to theory, helping you acquire a global view of the firm and key concepts to make strategic decisions, and a practical block in which you’ll carry out a simulation, applying all the tools and concepts studied in the previous block.
Financial Strategy
In this subject you’ll analyse the opportunities and threats of generating value through corporate finance. We’ll especially focus on company dynamics in the business setting and the financial markets which can condition a company’s chances of success.
Company Socio-political Setting
With this subject you’ll learn to analyse the foundations of companies’ techno-economic, social, political and cultural settings. You’ll understand the impacts companies have on their settings and acquire a global/local vision of reality. Being aware of all this will help you to develop a professional and civic commitment to society.
Commercial Contracts and Securities
Based on the Private Contract knowledge you’ve acquired previously, in this subject you’ll analyse the primary types of mercantile contracts as well as securities.
Indirect Taxation
In this legal-economic subject, you’ll become familiar with the primary types of indirect taxes, in particular, norms governing the value-added tax as well as transfer tax and the tax on documented legal acts.
Family and Inheritance Law
You’ll acquire the foundations needed to understand the primary institutions in the Family and Inheritance Law area, all from a perspective which takes into account social changes that have occurred over time and their legal relevance.
Collective Labour Law
How are collective bargaining agreements reached? What are the workers’ interests? In this subject you’ll become familiar with the key representative instruments for workers and the means to defend their interests as well as make the most of collective bargaining mechanisms. You’ll also analyse the impact employment policies have on the job market.
Legal Ethics
Practicing Law has ethical implications: In this subject you’ll study and analyse the ethical aspects of Law and its practice.
IT System Management
Through this subject you’ll learn to design an IT system strategy in line with the organisational strategy. You’ll be able to identify and apply key IT governance elements, with a particular emphasis on their transversal nature.
Marketing Trends
This subject continues with the Marketing Foundations and Marketing Decisions subjects. In this subject, you’ll learn to create. Continuing with our chess simile, in the Marketing Foundations class you learned to move the different pieces, and, in Marketing Decisions, you studied the most common moves. In the Marketing Trends subject, you’ll learn to create your own moves, develop your own style, keep to your strategies, choose the tournaments in which you want to participate, etc.
People Management
This subject aims to provide you with a solid understanding of the criteria and processes involved in managing people in different organisational settings. You’ll learn about the tools and instruments needed to manage talent, all from a human perspective, bonds and teamwork and always bearing in mind corporate social responsibility values.
Corporate Strategy
This subject will enable you to meet CEOs and general managers and debate with them on general management decisions. You’ll also become familiar with new strategic management tools and further your knowledge of business reality (both in Spain and internationally).
Private International Law
In this subject you’ll understand the function, traits and structure of Private International Law. The ultimate objective is for you to be able to interpret and apply the different Private International Law norms, in particular, in the EU Law area.
Criminal Procedural Law
What are the principles and institutions involved in criminal proceedings? In this subject you’ll learn about criminal proceedings, their functions, principles and basic institutions from a jurisprudence perspective.
Final Degree Project in Law
The Final Degree Project encompasses a complete multidisciplinary case which you have to resolve. It serves to demonstrate that you have successfully incorporated the knowledge, skills and competencies addressed throughout the programme. You’ll have the support and guidance of a tutor throughout the project. At the end, you’ll be required to present an original written report with a well-argued and duly-based resolution which you will then also have to defend orally.
Business Organisation, Systems and Quantitative Analysis
Through this subject, you’ll be able to secure and apply your knowledge of Accounting, Mercantile Law, Tax Law and Corporate Finance. You’ll understand corporate investments and financing from their initial phases to the most advanced growth stages (venture capital, investment capital, structured finance, etc.). This is a fundamentally practical subject which will immerse you in the usual labour market practices.
Fifth Year
Practicum
Your professional internship implies spending approximately 100 hours working for an organisation under the supervision of both a professional tutor and an academic tutor. It also implies holding a real job in a real company or law firm, enabling you to enjoy your first professional experience with tasks normally carried out by professionals.
Exchange Programme
During the fifth year, you’ll spend an entire semester at one of 70 universities around the world with which Esade has exchange agreements. Oftentimes, students from those universities also carry out their exchange programmes at Esade, providing our classes an even more international perspective.
Final Degree Project in Business Administration
This is an individual project which you will have to present at the end of the year, enabling you to put all the knowledge and skills you’ve acquired throughout the programme into practice. You can choose to prepare a business plan, carry out an in-company business project related to your internship or a thesis.
Programme Close Module