Students who are enrolled in the academic year of 2009-2010 will start in a Dutch stream (a foundation programme taught in Dutch, the current IBL course) or in an English stream (a foundation programme taught in English, the current IBMS course).

The course programme is thematic. This means that all modules are focused on themes that are closely linked to real-life business practices. You will work on projects that are based on realistic business processes.

As a result of the co-operation between the IBL and IBMS courses, the themes in the first and second academic years will be identical for students enrolled in either of these courses.

In your first year you will work on the following themes:

• Block 1: Introduction to International Business
  (Introduction to Marketing, Finance and Management)
• Block 2: Research
  (Marketing, Statistics and Research Skills)
• Block 3: Business and Finance
  (balance sheet, profit and loss account, costing, legal structures, business plan)
• Block 4: International Environment
  (Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, European Law)

Furthermore, you will be trained in a wide range of skills.
In the second year the themes of Communication, Sales, Logistics and Entrepreneurship will be dealt with.

                   

The first two years of the course are your foundation programme, the so-called major. After this, you will select a specialisation, e.g.:

• Strategic Marketing
• International Finance and Accounting
• Strategy and Innovation
• East Asian Trade
• Supply Chain Management

In the fourth and final year of your study you can follow a pre-master programme that prepares you for a university Master’s degree programme.

Languages
Students enrolled in the Dutch stream (IBL) will follow English and a second foreign language (either French, German or Spanish). It is possible to choose a third foreign language but it is not compulsory

A student in the English stream (IBMS) selects one foreign language (either French, German or Spanish). International students can also choose Dutch as a foreign language.

Workplacement
It goes without saying that an international study programme involves international experience. Both of our International Business courses already have an extensive international network. During your study you can take part in a one-semester study exchange programme at one of our partner universities abroad, a one-semester work placement abroad and/or follow a double degree programme in France or the United Kingdom.

Career prospects
In both of our International Business courses, you will be trained for a wide range of management positions in the fields of Commerce, Finance and Organization. As a result, you will have excellent job opportunities on the national and international labour markets, such as: