International Business Communication

How do you communicate effectively in international organisations? How can you prevent intercultural misunderstandings with foreign business partners? What factors should you take into account when launching an advertising campaign in different countries? How do you limit reputational damage if an organisation needs to recall a defective product worldwide? These are all examples of questions that you will explore in the Bachelor’s programme in International Business Communication (IBC).
In this programme you will combine the study of a foreign language (English, French, German, or Spanish) with the study of communication processes in organisations.
In the world of international trade, you need more than just a good command of foreign languages. It is also important to have insights into the culture, customs and habits of the countries you wish to do business with. That is why in this programme, you will deepen your understanding of intercultural communication and you will learn to take into account the cultural perspective of your trading partner. For example, in communicating with American business partners, a direct communication style may be appropriate, but a less direct approach would be more suitable when communicating with German and Japanese business partners. At Radboud University we are convinced that a broad perspective will lead to new and unexpected insights. At our University, you will benefit from the expertise of our multidisciplinary researchers, who will invite you to look at a theme from different angles.
Globalisation and technological advances have made organisational communication increasingly multilingual. This development calls for the use of foreign languages in communication with foreign business partners, customers and international teams. In addition to studying one of the foreign languages in our programme, you will also learn about the culture(s) and communication habits of the native speakers of the foreign language of your choice. You will learn to use the foreign language strategically in different (organisational) settings. You will gain insights into the use of marketing communication tools and management and communication processes in organisations. This BA in International Business Communication offers a challenging academic programme in which you learn to analyse and find effective solutions for communication problems. Our programme also includes courses on management, marketing communication, social media and information sciences.

Year one: In the first year of your Bachelor’s programme you will take a range of courses introducing you to the world of communication. You will gain insights into theories of intercultural communication, corporate communications, and marketing communications. You will also learn more about organisation and management, communication tools and new media. Our academic skills courses will introduce you to the principles of academic writing and peer review. The language of instruction for all core curriculum courses is English. In your first year, you must also choose a foreign language: English, French, German or Spanish. In your foreign language courses you will improve your proficiency and develop knowledge of the foreign culture by working on foreign-language projects relating to questions and issues in international (business) communication.

Year two and three: In the second and third year of the programme you will specialise more and will take more advanced courses in the field of intercultural and international (business) communication. The language of instruction for your core curriculum courses will be English, but you will also take some practical and research-based courses in the foreign language of your choice. In the third year, many of our students spend a semester abroad to improve their foreign-language proficiency and to gain more insights into the foreign-language culture. Many students choose to do an internship with a national or international organisation. You will complete your Bachelor’s programme with a thesis. For this thesis you will carry out a research project under the supervision of one of our lecturers.

Language requirements
You should have sufficient proficiency in the English language in order to be admissible. No proficiency in the Dutch language is required. Should you have obtained a high school diploma from a European country in which you have taken English in the final examinations, then in some cases you do not have to provide a separate language certificate. You will find a list of these diplomas on the specific programme web pages. Proficiency in the English language can be proven by meeting one of the following conditions:
• You have a diploma from the list of European diplomas, as mentioned above.
• You have a Dutch VWO diploma.
• You have a German ‘Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife’ with English as ‘Grundkurs’ or ‘Leistungskurs’ in the ‘Abitur’.
• You have an International Baccalaureate.
• You have a European Baccalaureate with English Language 2 or 1.
• You have obtained a diploma equivalent to or higher than the Dutch VWO level from an institution where the language of instruction is English in one of the member states of the EU/EEA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, or the USA.
• You are a citizen of Australia, Canada (with exception of Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, or the USA. Should you not meet one of the conditions mentioned above, then, in general, you should provide one of the following language certificates. Some programmes may have further language requirements, so please check the web page of the programme you’re interested in carefully. 
• IELTS Academic: A minimum overall score of 6.0, apart from Chemistry and Molecular Life Science, which require an minimum overall score of 6.5. Please check programme specific web pages for information on minimum sub-scores.
• TOEFL iBT: A minumum overall score of 80, apart from Chemistry and Molecular Life Sciences, which require a minimum score of 90. Please check programme specific web pages for information on minimum sub-scores.
• Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE): minimum mark of C.
• Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE): minimum mark of C.

Governmental student finance: EU/EEA students might qualify for a student loan from the Dutch government. To be entitled to this loan, you need to work for fourteen hours a week (56 hours a month) in the Netherlands (next to your studies). If you are entitled to receive the student loan from the Dutch government, you may receive up to € 1,000 per month, in addition to your salary. After graduation, you will need to pay back the loan. In order to determine how much you need to pay back each month, the Dutch government will take your financial situation (such as income) into account. More information is available on www.duo.nl