International Business | Bachelor's degree programmes | Education

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.

**Service offered to international prospective students: schedule a campus tour**

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.

International Business in Groningen is challenging and fast-paced. You need to be hard-working, have a good command of English and be able to understand mathematical expressions, quantitative research methods and economics. Most importantly, however, you need to be deeply interested in the very broad range of issues that make doing business different from country to country. Learning from lecturers and fellow students of diverse nationalities is therefore essential.

Important to know: The deadline for September 2019 start has passed (January 15, 2019). You can only start the programme in September 2020. The BSc International Business is a fixed quota programme (numerus fixus) accepting only 450 students. All students have to apply in Studielink before 15 January 2020 in order to enter the selection procedure.

Facts & Figures

Degree: BSc in International Business
Course type: Bachelor
Duration: 36 months (180 ECTS)
Croho code: 50019
Language of instruction: English
Start: September
Faculty: Economics and Business

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Why study this programme in Groningen?

International Business is an internationally accredited programme, ensuring a high quality education that meets both the AACSB and EQUIS standards, which only 1% of universities reach worldwide. The programme is about business theories as well as organisations ánd their settings. It is the intellectual understanding and their sensitivity to differences in perceptions and approaches that equips international business students to correctly analyse situations and to determine effective responses.

Programme

The first year starts off with an intensive introductory programme, in which you attend your first classes and obtain important study information. The course units cover the fundamental disciplines of International Business, such as International Management, Economics, Financial Accounting, as well as International Marketing and International Business Law. You will also be provided with a solid foundation in statistics. The first year features training in reading and writing academic English.

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

In the second year of the programme you will take further course units in Cross-Cultural Management, Comparative Country Studies, as well as Research Methods and Statistics. You will do a lot of reading and independent study. You will attend classes and lectures by guest speakers, participate in small discussion groups, work on team projects, attend workshops and seminars and take short study trips.

Courses
Comparative Country Studies (5 EC)
Cross Cultural Management (5 EC)
Ethics and International Business (5 EC)
Finance & Risk Management for IB (5 EC)
Foreign Dir. Investment, Trade & Geography (5 EC)
Global Business History (5 EC)
Global Political Economy (5 EC)
Information Systems Management (5 EC)
Innovation Management in Multinationals (5 EC)
International Business Law (5 EC)
Qualitative Research Methods for IB (5 EC)
Statistics II for IB (5 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. The final stage of the Bachelor's programme is the writing of a thesis.

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

Curriculum

For info on all courses, check: http://www.rug.nl/ocasys/feb/vak/showpos?opleiding=5239

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.

Study abroad

Study abroad is required
Maximum of 30 EC

Entry Requirements

Admissible Dutch diploma profiles

CM

wiskunde A of wiskunde B;The profile Culture & Society must be complemented with mathematics A or B.
EM
NG
NT
academic propedeuse

You can enroll, as long as you have a finished VWO-degree with mathematics A or B.
HBO-p

With a HBO propaedeutic certificate it is also possible to enter the programme, on the condition that you meet the required level of mathematics. You must at least have taken mathematics A or B at Dutch VWO level.

Admission requirements

If you have any questions concerning admission, please contact our Admissions Office: http://www.rug.nl/education/international-students/application-procedure/support/admissions-office

Registration procedure

International Business has a numerus fixus with a maximum of 450 attendees a year. The deadline for September 2019 start has passed (January 15, 2019). You can only start the programme in September 2020. All students have to apply in Studielink before 15 January 2020 in order to enter the selection procedure.

More information on admission and selection procedure: https://www.rug.nl/feb/education/study-programmes/numerus-fixus-bsc-ib/

Admission requirements

Specific requirements	More information
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/feb/education/admission-application/intl-route/1
previous education	You need an International/European Baccalaureate (including Maths Higher or Maths Standard/Methods).
other admission requirements	International Business has a numerus fixus with a maximum of 450 attendees a year. The deadline for September 2019 start has passed (January 15, 2019). You can only start the programme in September 2020. All students have to apply in Studielink before 15 January 2020 in order to enter the selection procedure. More information on admission and selection procedure: https://www.rug.nl/feb/education/study-programmes/numerus-fixus-bsc-ib/ If you have any questions concerning admission, please contact our Admissions Office: http://www.rug.nl/education/international-students/application-procedure/support/admissions-office

Language requirements

Exam	Minimum score
C2 Proficiency (formerly CPE)	C2
IELTS overall band	6
IELTS writing	5.5
IELTS speaking	6
TOEFL paper based	550
TOEFL computer based	213
TOEFL internet based	80

Registration procedure

International Business has a numerus fixus with a maximum of 450 attendees a year. The deadline for September 2019 start has passed (January 15, 2019). You can only start the programme in September 2020. All students have to apply in Studielink before 15 January 2020 in order to enter the selection procedure.

More information on admission and selection procedure: https://www.rug.nl/feb/education/study-programmes/numerus-fixus-bsc-ib/

Application deadlines

Type of student	Deadline	Start course
Dutch students	15 January 2020	01 September 2020
EU/EEA students	15 January 2020	01 September 2020
non-EU/EEA students	15 January 2020	01 September 2020

Tuition Fees

Nationality	Year	Fee	Programme form
EU/EEA	2019-2020	€ 2083	full-time
non-EU/EEA	2019-2020	€ 8900	full-time

The Dutch government intends to halve the statutory tuition fees for specific groups of first year bachelor's students starting from the 2018/19 academic year.

https://www.rug.nl/education/tuition-fees-halved

Practical information for:

Dutch students International students

After your studies

Job prospects

Master's in IB&M will give you the credentials to work for a multinational firm, governmental institutions and international organisations. You can work in export, marketing or sales for example. Because all our programmes are EQUIS and AACSB accredited, a standard which only one percent of universities reach worldwide, your degree will be highly valued on the labour market.

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.

FEB Career Services
To support you in developing your career and strengthen your employability skills, our FEB Career Services empowers you to achieve lifelong success through various career services during your studies. Check: FEB Career Services.

Job examples

Export manager
International marketeer
International sales manager
International product manager
Human resource manager

Research

Linking education to research and career preparation

Our education is strongly rooted in business practice and society. Also right from the start of your degree programme attention is paid to academic research and pre-professional development. Since an analytical and critical mind and problem-solving capabilities are important qualities in any career our students aspire.

In collaboration with external partners we conduct research projects on e.g banking, local government, customer insights, leadership, energy, healthy ageing and lean operations.

Research institute related to the MSc programme:

Global Economics and Management

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"It's everything I expected it to be"

– Laurien Verschuur

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'After I graduated from high school I took the time to figure out what to do next, and decided to go live in China for six months. I worked as an au pair and my time there made me realise I really wanted to study something with an international orientation. When I got back, I decided to do International Business in Groningen, because the study programme and city really appealed to me. It's everything I expected it to be. My study programme is fun and challenging.'

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"Earn that entry ticket to a challenging and fast-paced international career"

– Joeri van Geelen

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During my BSc programme I studied in Nottingham for a semester. That's when I realised I can earn that entry ticket to a challenging and fast-paced international career, when I excel academically. I decided to attend two MSc programmes: International Management and CEMS. I live and work in Beijing, studying Mandarin. I established an internet business and started an intern ship at Siemens Wind Power in Shanghai, which grants me access to a challenging career in the energy or consultancy sector.

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"I really enjoy stimulating our students to develop a cosmopolitan vision and attitude"

– Luchien Karsten

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Prof. Luchien Karsten (57) Lecturer in International Business

‘What I think is unique in International Business is the way the programme looks at the world around us. We never confine ourselves to our own country but look at other countries and cultures as well. We are very fond of making comparisons. We use the terms cross-border, cross-cultural and cross-functional to refer to this.

By cross-border and cross-cultural we mean that we look over national boundaries and at other cultures, and by cross-functional we mean that we do not limit ourselves to one function within a company. This approach makes the programme properly international and differentiates IB from other programmes in the field.

The reasoning behind this is that more and more companies, including small and medium-sized businesses, are being confronted with internationalization. Managers need to know about other markets and have skills in the field of dealing with people and customs from other cultures.

I really enjoy stimulating our students to develop a cosmopolitan vision and attitude. But the students have to be open to this. You have to enjoy the confrontation with other dimensions. This means that IB is particularly suitable for students who want to broaden their career horizons.’

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Study associations

EBF

The Economics and Business Faculty association (EBF) is the faculty association for all students studying at the faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Groningen.

The EBF is your partner during your time in Groningen by organising events that support you with your studies and help you prepare for your future career.

https://www.ebfgroningen.nl/

Marug

The Marketing Association of the University of Groningen (MARUG) is the inter-departmental study association for students who are interested in marketing.

The MARUG acts as an intermediary between marketing theory and marketing practice and organises several career events and social activities during the year, such as a monthly social. At this moment, the MARUG has more than 1500 members from different fields of knowledge.

https://www.marug.nl/

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