International Business

About the Program

The global economy is a reality, and the International Business major is ideal for students who are seeking to focus their business study on the global dimensions of business. The International Business major provides students with a solid basic business education, specific understanding of the international dimensions of business, and an integrated knowledge of one major world region acquired through regional and language study and direct overseas experience. The IB major prepares students for positions in business, government, and international agencies in the fields of industrial development, international trade, and global business operations and planning. In addition, the International Business major is an excellent choice for students who plan to pursue graduate studies in fields where a knowledge of international business is beneficial such as law, international relations, and public policy.

International Business graduates will often start their careers in the domestic operations of an organization. Overseas assignments usually come after a few years with a company, although they may come faster if the student possesses specialized skills (e.g., language) needed by the company in its foreign operations. Alternatively, many opportunities exist domestically to advance to positions of coordinating global activities.

IB majors are encouraged to use electives to obtain depth in a field of business (e.g., marketing, finance, etc.) that will complement the international training and assist them in obtaining their first jobs.

International Business Student Organizations

• AIESEC
• Business Students Abroad

Student-Submitted Videos About the International Business Program

These videos were submitted via the McCombs Next Top Major contest, which pitted student-produced films about all McCombs School majors against each other to voted on by students, family and friends. Watch all of the McCombs Next Top major films here.

Sample International Business 4-Year Sequence

This is a sample schedule intended for planning purposes only. Please consult with an Academic Advisor for more details on required courses and scheduling.

Foreign Language Note: This plan assumes credit-by-exam for two Freshman-Level Foreign Language courses.  If these courses will be taken in a classroom, other credit-by-exam or summer courses are recommended to finish in 4 years.

Students are encouraged to Study Abroad in either semester of the Junior year, or Fall of the Senior year.

Courses in bold are prerequisites for later courses.

Courses Offered

International Business: I B

Upper-Division Courses

320F. Foundations of International Business. Fundamentals of international trade and the international economy; international dimensions of several functional areas of business, including management, marketing, finance, and human resource management; theoretical, institutional, and functional foundations of international business. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May not be counted toward the Bachelor of Business Administration degree. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

140S, 240S, 340S, 440S, 540S, 640S, 740S, 840S, 940S. Topics in International Business. This course is used to record credit the student earns while enrolled at another institution in a program administered by the University's Study Abroad Office or the school's BBA Exchange Programs. Credit is recorded as assigned by the study abroad adviser in the Department of Marketing. University credit is awarded for work in an exchange program; it may be counted a coursework taken in residence. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary.

350. International Trade. Restricted to students in a business major. Study of the principles, policies, and problems of the international exchange of goods and investments. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Economics 339K and International Business 350 may not both be counted. Prerequisite: Credit or registration for Business Administration 324 or 324H.

372. Seminar in International Business. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing; additional prerequisites vary with the topic and are given in the Course Schedule.

• Topic 1: International Marketing.
• Topic 2: Business in Emerging Markets. Same as Latin American Studies 322 (Topic 9: Business in Emerging Markets) and Middle Eastern Studies 322K (Topic 4: Business in Emerging Markets). Only one of the following may be counted: International Business 372 (Topic 2), 372 (Topic: Business in Developing Countries), Latin American Studies 322 (Topic: Business in Developing Countries), Middle Eastern Studies 322K (Topic: Business in Developing Countries).
• Topic 3: Managing the Global Corporation.
• Topic 4: Competing with the Japanese.
• Topic 5: Business in Latin America.
• Topic 6: Business German. German 356W and International Business 372 (Topic 6) may not both be counted. Additional prerequisite: German 312K or 312V with a grade of at least C, or appropriate score on the placement test.
• Topic 7: Advanced Business German. Designed for students who have taken German 328. Taught in German. Normally meets with German 336W. Only one of the following may be counted: German 336W, 356V, International Business 372 (Topic 7). May be counted toward the international business elective requirement. Additional prerequisite: Three courses beyond German 506, or equivalent credit on the placement test.
• Topic 8: Business Spanish. Only one of the following may be counted: International Business 372 (Topic 8), Mexican American Studies 350, Spanish 327. Additional prerequisite: Spanish 327G (or 327).
• Topic 9: Business French. Taught in French. Additional prerequisite: French 320E and one additional upper-division French course, or consent of instructor.

378. International Business Operations. Restricted to students in a business major. Establishment and conduct of international business operations: trade, investments, branch and subsidiary management, intermediary functions; case studies in international enterprise. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Economics 339K or International Business 350, and credit or registration for one of the following: Accounting 353J, 366P, Finance 353, 366P, Management 353, 366P, Management Information Systems 353, 366P, Marketing 353, 366P, Operations Management 353, 366P.

179C, 379C. Problems in International Business. Restricted to students in a business major. Conference course. Only two of the following may be counted toward the Bachelor of Business Administration: Accounting 179C, 379C, Finance 179C, 379C, International Business 179C, 379C, Legal Environment of Business 179, 379, Management 179C, 379C, Management Information Systems 179, 379, Marketing 179C, 379C, Operations Management 179, 379, Real Estate 179C, 379C, Risk Management 179, 379. Prerequisite: Eighteen semester hours of coursework in business and economics, six of which must be upper-division; International Business 350 with a grade of at least C; and consent of instructor. A student registering for this course must obtain written approval from the department chair's office, on forms provided for that purpose, before the first meeting of the course.