Program Overview

Business Administration — International Business Concentration, BA

Introduction

The Business Administration program has been designed to prepare students for leadership roles in business and the community. One program objective is to provide students with the perceptual and analytical skills necessary to make decisions and evaluate policies in business; another is to develop student understanding of the social, economic and regulatory environments in business. The program is designed for students with a variety of career goals, including opportunities with financial institutions, manufacturing and retail firms, service industries and the public sector.

Learning Competency Goals

• Demonstrate breadth of business knowledge
• Produce quality business documents
• Analyze problems using an ethical perspective
• Analyze the legal implications of business decisions
• Critically analyze problems and defend resolutions
• Solve business problems using quantitative techniques
• Apply a global perspective in conducting business
• Identify and analyze social consequences of business activities
• Understand the importance of environmental sustainability

Why Consider an International Business Concentration in Business Administration Major?

An International Business concentration prepares students to work with business relationships across borders in a variety of situations. Often combining some training in language and in other business areas, graduates should be able to help manage these business relationships that are central to the global environment that will define their careers.

Student Resources

• Department website: Management
• Department advising: Professor Tom Roehl
• Degree Works: Current students should also log on to Degree Works to check student-specific program progress.
• Career Services Center: Connect major to a career
• Sample careers: Import/Export Management, Law, Public Policy, International Non-Profit, International Marketing, Management of International Relationships in Business, Analysis of International Competitiveness

How to Declare (Admission and Declaration Process)

How to apply

Students who meet the requirements will be assured of admission if space is available in the department program of choice. For consideration as a pre-major, provisional major or full major, complete the online application form.

Pre-major

Students who have not completed their foundation course work may apply to the College and be given pre-major status. Pre-major status is granted to students who are at least sophomore level, or who have been identified as top quintile students, and who, at the time of application, meet the following requirements:

• Minimum of a 2.50 cumulative college-level GPA including all previous institutions.
• Minimum of 2.50 cumulative GPA in all courses taken at Western.
• Students must have a WWU cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher to be considered in good academic standing with the University.

Students with pre-major status may only enroll for foundation or core courses listed. Their progress will be monitored by the College, and they will attain full major status upon successfully completing the foundation courses and meeting the admission criteria above.

Full major

For admission to the College of Business and Economics as a full major (except majors in economics and manufacturing and supply chain management) a student must meet the following requirements:

• Minimum of 2.50 cumulative GPA after having completed all foundation courses. The cumulative GPA is calculated on all college-level course work completed by the student, including any transfer work.
• Minimum of 2.50 cumulative GPA in all courses taken at Western.
• Students must be in good academic standing with the University.

Students who meet the requirements will be assured of admission if space is available in the department program of choice. For economics and manufacturing and supply chain management admissions requirements, see the appropriate sections of this catalog.

Grade Requirements

A grade of C- or better is required for a student’s major or minor courses, and supporting courses for majors and minors.

Requirements (88-90 credits)

Foundation Courses

• ACCT 240 - Financial Accounting (4 credits)
• ACCT 245 - Managerial Accounting (4 credits)
• DSCI 205 - Business Statistics (4 credits)
• ECON 206 - Introduction to Microeconomics (4 credits)
• ECON 207 - Introduction to Macroeconomics (4 credits)
• MATH 157 - Calculus with Applications to Business and Economics (4 credits)
• MGMT 271 - Law and the Business Environment (4 credits)
• MIS 220 - Introduction to Business Computer Systems (2 credits) (or equivalent)

Core Courses

• DSCI 305 - Applied Business Statistics and Analytics (4 credits)
• FIN 341 - Principles of Finance (4 credits)
• MGMT 311 - Introduction to Management and Organizational Behavior (4 credits)
• MIS 320 - Principles of Management Information Systems (4 credits)
• MKTG 380 - Principles of Marketing (4 credits)
• OPS 360 - Operations Management (4 credits)

Advanced Core

• MGMT 382 - Business and Its Environment (4 credits)
• One course from:
  • MGMT 492 - Entrepreneurial Problems (4 credits)
  • MGMT 495 - Strategic Management (4 credits)

International Business Concentration Courses

• Students need to take 7 concentration courses and cannot double count courses that are listed in more than one category.
• IBUS 370 - Introduction to International Business (4 credits)
• IBUS 470 - International Business Operations (4 credits)
• Complete two courses from the list of four advanced IBUS courses:
  • IBUS 372 - Cross-cultural Management (4 credits)
  • IBUS 473 - Exporting and International Export Operations (4 credits)
  • IBUS 474 - Topics in International Business (4 credits)
  • IBUS 475 - Doing Business in Emerging Economies (4 credits)
• (Analysis requirement) One course from:
  • ECON 343 - Population, Environment, and World Agriculture (4 credits)
  • ECON 360 - Introduction to International Economics (4 credits)
  • ECON 361 - International Economic Policy and Business (4 credits)
  • ECON 365 - Canada’s Economy in the World (4 credits)
  • ECON 389 - Economies of the Pacific Rim (4 credits) (if ECON 389 is cross listed with IBUS 475 during a specific quarter, an IBUS student can take the course as either ECON 389 or IBUS 475)
  • MKTG 476 - Digital Marketing (4 credits)
  • MIS 422 - Business Intelligence and Analytics (4 credits)
  • MIS 435 - Data Visualization for Decision Making (4 credits)
• (Electives with International Content) Complete two courses from the list below, if the course has not already been counted in another part of the program:
  • ACCT 451 - International Accounting (4 credits)
  • ECON 343 - Population, Environment, and World Agriculture (4 credits)
  • ECON 360 - Introduction to International Economics (4 credits)
  • ECON 361 - International Economic Policy and Business (4 credits)
  • ECON 365 - Canada’s Economy in the World (4 credits)
  • FIN 442 - Multinational Corporate Finance (4 credits)
  • IBUS 337 - Faculty-Led Study Abroad (1-15 credits)
  • IBUS 473 - Exporting and International Export Operations (4 credits)
  • IBUS 474 - Topics in International Business (4 credits)
  • IBUS 475 - Doing Business in Emerging Economies (4 credits)
  • (Only one course from the following INTL courses can count toward the three course total)
  • INTL 305 - Education Abroad (1-30 credits)
  • INTL 306 - Education Abroad: Direct Exchange 1 (1-30 credits)
  • INTL 307 - Education Abroad: Direct Exchange 2 (1-30 credits)
  • INTL 308 - Education Abroad: Direct Exchange 3 (1-30 credits)
  • INTL 315 - Global Internship/Field Study (1-30 credits)
  • INTL 405 - Education Abroad (1-30 credits)
  • INTL 406 - Education Abroad: Direct Exchange 1 (1-30 credits)
  • INTL 407 - Education Abroad: Direct Exchange 2 (1-30 credits)
  • INTL 408 - Education Abroad: Direct Exchange 3 (1-30 credits)
  • INTL 415 - Global Internship/Field Study (1-30 credits)
  • MGMT 337 - Management Study Abroad (4 credits)
  • In addition to the one course elective INTL credit for studying abroad, additional credit for study abroad may be given if there is a match to courses above, or via a generic College of Business and Economics study abroad course (currently only MGMT 337 for international business or ECON 337 in economics) if the course content has 300-level international content in the functional area. Students apply for transfer courses by completing the CBE Transfer Equivalency form found on the CBE website.
  • MKTG 486 - International Marketing Management (4 credits)
  • OPS 466 - Supply Chain Management and Procurement (4 credits)
  • 300- or 400-level advisor-approved courses with international content approved by the advisor, which may include credit for one 300 level course in Languages, Literatures, and Cultures if taken as part of a minor or major in that department. Note: IBUS and ECON courses may not be counted twice, even though they may appear in several sets in the program.
• Complete at least one of the following:
  • A Western-approved foreign education experience
  • Completed a full year (three term courses) of second-year college-level language study
  • A student can document language competency which is the equivalent of second year college level language study through a test or testimony of fluency from a native speaker approved by the student’s advisor.
  • A qualified global internship which may be in a domestic or foreign location.
  • Be an international student
• Take one Communication Focus (CF) course and a minimum of three writing proficiency points in approved upper-division writing proficiency courses (WP) at WWU with a minimum grade of C-. The CF and WP courses must be taken within CBE and can be completed as part of the above required and elective courses, prior to graduation. Consult Browse Classes for the specific course sections that fulfill the CF and WP requirements. An International Business student completing a double major may satisfy the upper division writing proficiency requirement in either major.
• Accounting and Business majors must complete a minimum of 90 credits in areas other than accounting and business administration.

University Graduation Requirements

• General University Requirements
• Writing Proficiency Requirement (WP)
• 180 Minimum Total Credits
• 60 Minimum Upper Division Credits
• Residency Requirement
• Minimum Grade Requirements
• Final Quarter Requirement