International Business

Description

Are you interested in management questions? And would you like to work in an international environment? Then this programme might just be what you are looking for.

The Bachelor's degree programme in International Business prepares you for a management position in an international environment. You will combine courses in Business Management with courses in Sociology, Economics and Law.
The programme has an international focus. It uses international cases and you will study abroad for one semester. In addition, the entire programme is taught in English.

In the first year of this three-year programme you will lay a solid foundation by taking courses in Organisation Theory, Strategic Management and Marketing. You will also study Economics, International Law, Research Methodology and English. In the second year you will strengthen this basic knowledge and improve your scientific skills. You will also take guest lectures, workshops and seminars and you will make short study trips. In the first semester of the third year, you will study abroad. You will finish the programme by writing a thesis, after which you may continue with a Master's programme.

Job perspectives

After graduation, you may find a management position at a large international company, a government institution or another organization. You can work in export, marketing or sales for example.

A Master's in International Business and Management will give you the credentials to work for a multinational firm, and any number of governmental institutions and international organisations. If you were to choose the Research Master's you could move into academia, perhaps decide to go further and earn a PhD.

Plenty of multinationals will be interested in students with an academic degree in business. For instance companies like Microsoft, Siemens, Capgemini, Toyota, Samsung, Ahold, Heineken, Unilever, Ikea, Zara, H&M and Virgin all need internationally trained employees. Your position within these kind of organisations can vary from export manager or international marketer, to international sales manager, product manager or human resource manager. But numerous other career opportunities will lie ahead of you. This of course depends on the choices you make during and after studying. Many organisations also offer traineeships and junior positions which will introduce you to the different types of activities.

Detailed Course Facts

• EUR 1951 Year (EEA)
• EUR 7800 Year (Non-EEA)

• English

Course Content

• 1st year

  The courses of the first year cover the fundamental disciplines of international business. Courses like international management, economics, financial accounting, as well as international marketing and international business law are part of the first year. You will also build a solid base in statistics. The first year features extensive training in how to read and write academic English.

  2nd year

• In the second and third years of the programme you will take further courses in international management, financial management and management accounting, international economics and research methods and statistics. You will do a lot of reading and independent studying. You will go to classes and the lectures of guest speakers, participate in small discussion groups, work on team projects, attend workshops and seminars, and take short study trips.

  3rd year

• Once you have met the requirements of the first part of the programme, ideally by the end of the second year, you will spend a semester abroad at one of our many partner universities in Europe, Latin America, Australia, North America, or Asia. This is a major opportunity to further develop your cross-cultural and language skills and you will be able to take courses in which your host institution has a particular expertise. The final stage of the Bachelor's programme is the writingof a thesis.

Programme schedule

Courses year 1

• English for IB (5 EC)
• Introduction to International Business (5 EC)
• Global Supply Chain Management (5 EC)
• Organizational Structure (5 EC)
• Financial Accounting for IB (5 EC)
• Organizational Behaviour for IB (5 EC)
• Economics for IB (5 EC)
• International Marketing for IB (5 EC)
• Statistics I for IB (5 EC)
• International Business Environment (5 EC)
• Management Accounting for IB (5 EC)
• Research Methodology for IB (5 EC)

Courses year 2

• Finance & Risk Management for IB (5 EC)
• Foreign Dir. Investment, Trade & Geogr. (5 EC)
• Information Systems Management (5 EC)
• CrossCultural Management (5 EC)
• Global Business History (5 EC)
• Statistics II for IB (5 EC)
• Comparative Country Studies (5 EC)
• Innovation Management in Multinationals (5 EC)
• Qualitative Research Methods for IB (5 EC)
• Ethics and International Business (5 EC)
• International Business Law (5 EC)
• Global Political Economy (5 EC)

Courses year 3

• Study abroad (= foreign minor) (30 EC)
• Bachelor's Thesis IB (10 EC)
• Managing Int. Business Organizations (10 EC)
• International Strategic Management (5 EC)
• International Financial Management (5 EC)
• Empirical Research Project for IB (5 EC)

International Business students have to hit the ground running. With an obligatory semester abroad, students have just five short semesters to do a lot of work. If you fall too far behind in the beginning, you will not be able to meet the strict mid-programme requirements that must be fulfilled before you can go abroad. Not meeting that first big deadline means postponing your study abroad until the second half of the third year. This means an unnecessary study delay. So please, be warned!

Study abroad

• Study abroad is required
• Maximum of 30 EC

Once you have met the requirements of the first part of the programme, ideally by the end of the second year, you will spend a semester abroad at one of our many partner universities in Europe, Latin America, Australia, North America, or Asia. This is a major opportunity to further develop your cross-cultural and language skills and you will be able to take courses in which your host institution has a particular expertise.

(Binding) study advice

• A minimum of 45 EC in the first 12 months ( binding )
• Get your propedeutic diploma in the first 24 months ( binding )

You will be offered study advice after first and second years of study. You can expect a positive result if you have earned more than 45 ECTS credit points (out of a total of 60 ECTS). If you have earned fewer than 45 ECTS and are issued a negative result, you will not be allowed to continue with your degree programme.

In addition, you are also expected to pass all your first-year exams by the end of your second year of study. If you don't, you will be issued a negative result and will have to leave the degree programme.You will receive preliminary study advice in December to make sure that you know where you stand.

Please contact your study advisor as soon as possible if you have any questions about the BSA system.

N.B. Some degree programmes use a tutoring system; please check with your study advisor.

English Language Requirements

IELTS band : 6.5 TOEFL paper-based test score : 580 TOEFL iBT® test : 92

To study at this university, you have to speak English. We advice you to

Requirements

International students

additional subject

You should have passed mathematics as a standard/methods level subject during your secondary school education.

math test

If Mathematics is not/has not been one of your final-year subjects during your pre-university education (or you took the lowest level, e.g. Maths Studies) then you will need to show proof of your level of Maths proficiency. For more information, please check our site at http://www.rug.nl/(...)nt/2/mathsdeficiency

previous education

You need an International/European Baccalaureate (including Maths Higher or Maths Standard/Methods).

other admission requirements

• Not directly admissible?

The International Foundation Year is a one-year programme, specially designed for international students who do not meet the requirements for direct entry to an undergraduate (Bachelor of Science) degree programme at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Groningen.http://www.rug.nl/feb/foundationyear

• Selection:

For more information about the numerus fixus (fixed quota) and selection procedure, check: http://www.rug.nl/feb/numerusfixus.

Work Experience

No work experience is required.

Want to improve your English level for admission?

Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.

• ✔️ Flexible study schedule
• ✔️ Experienced teachers
• ✔️ Certificate upon completion

📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.

Enroll in the course

Related Scholarships*

• Academic Excellence Scholarship

  "The Academic Excellence Scholarship can provide up to a 50 % reduction in tuition per semester. These scholarships will be renewed if the student maintains superior academic performance during each semester of their 3-year Bachelor programme. The scholarship will be directly applied to the student’s tuition fees."

• Alumni Study Travel Fund

  Scholarships for students who are already attending the University of Reading.

• Amsterdam Merit Scholarships

  The University of Amsterdam aims to attract the world’s brightest students to its international classrooms. Outstanding students from outside the European Economic Area can apply for an Amsterdam Merit Scholarship.

* The scholarships shown on this page are suggestions first and foremost. They could be offered by other organisations than University of Groningen.