Bachelor in International Business

International Business is an English-taught business study program with an emphasis on 4 specialisations; Organisation & Change; Supply Chain; Commerce and Marketing.

Year one all students complete the same program studying all the core subjects of the international business program. The only major selection you need to make in year 1 is your language choice. We have several on offer; French, German, Indonesia, Mandarin, Japanese, Spanish, Russian or Dutch. After year 1 you choose one of the 4 profiles to continue your studies with:

• Organisation & Change
• Marketing
• Commerce (Asian & European Language Track)
• Supply Chain

Whichever profile you choose, you may expect to join an international classroom with students from all over the world. From day one, you will be trained to be business-minded, interculturally aware and to have an entrepreneurial attitude. After completion of your studies, you will receive an International Business diploma, issued by Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences.

This program is part of the Rotterdam Business School of Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences.

Year 2

As of year two of your studies, it is time to start defining what kind of international business professional you want to be.

Do you see yourself working in marketing after graduation? Would you like to learn how to work in an intercultural setting such as trade in Asia? In that case, you may consider focussing your studies on international commerce. You will find out how to sell goods and services in different markets and will learn how to choose the right target audience for promotion.

You will learn about the enormous diversity of other cultures and learn to deal with social and cultural differences to enter trade relations with business partners worldwide. You will also learn how to make new contacts easily, will develop an enterprising attitude, and learn how to adapt quickly to changing circumstances. Language education will be an important part of your program.

If you have always wondered how Amazon is able to deliver its products in such a brief period of time, you may consider a focus on international supply chain management. You will learn all about the ways of managing the flow of goods and services, from the raw material to the consumer goods you can find in stores.

You will gain an insight into the workings of effective and efficient supply chain management, by looking at best practices in transportation, urban distribution, warehousing, and port management.

By studying aspects of the international workings of a company through subjects like marketing, operations, finance, economics, and (change) management, you will learn how to map the interests of a company or organization and translate them into strategic goals and plans.

Time to make it happen

Dive deeper into specific interests and put your learnings to work. In the third and fourth years, you gain both theoretical knowledge and practical skills with at least one semester abroad. This could be an internship or an exchange program at one of our partner universities around the world. You graduate after successful final assessments and a graduation assignment where you demonstrate your research skills.

Internship

Put your training into practice with a six-month internship at an international company. Stay in the Netherlands or go abroad. Go for a large multinational or a medium-sized enterprise. It’s your call.

During an internship abroad, you will learn a lot from international business professionals. But it does not just work. Find out how your perspectives differ and challenge the way you (and they) look at the world.

Minor or Exchange

The minor is a program in which you focus on a theme relevant to your future career. This could for example be digital marketing, entrepreneurship, circular economy, or one of the many other options.

By focusing in-depth on one specific aspect of your profession or by broadening your horizon through examining terrains bordering your own profession, you can significantly improve your chances in the labor market after graduation.

In the International Business program, you can either choose to do your minor at Hogeschool Rotterdam or to spread your wings and take part in an exchange program at one of our partner universities across the globe.

Graduation Assignment

The International Business degree concludes with a graduation assignment combining all of your training and practical experience.

Your practical research skills are put to the test in your graduation assignment. You will have to come up with innovative solutions to help a company of your choice to solve a real-world management challenge.

This could be a marketing entry strategy for Brazil with a focus on digital, a plan for the logistics of a Chinese start-up, or improving sustainability management for a company in Germany.