BA (Hons) in International Business
Course code: WD134
Course Description
Would you like to live and work abroad? Would you like to travel and study abroad? Would you like a career that knows no boundaries? The BA (Honours) in International Business can open the door to your ambitions...
International business describes a wide variety of business areas, such as a firm exporting products and services, dealing with foreign suppliers, operating a factory or a marketing department in another country, and managing multicultural workforces. A critical element of international business is an ability to interact with people from other cultures and countries. Today, all business is international business!
The BA (Hons) in International Business is a four year programme that prepares students to live and work in an international and inter-cultural context. Our Programme is designed to equip graduates with a broad range of business skills and knowledge, and importantly, to develop the abilities and sensitivities necessary to effectively work and manage in a multicultural world.
Special Features
- Our student group is multicultural, making the classroom a living cultural experience for students. There have been students from many different countries and regions of the world on the Programme, including Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Ghana, Nigeria, Somalia, China and both the UK and the USA.
- There is a relatively small class group, and this allows our students a very personal college experience. Students know all their classmates and this helps to create a class camaraderie. This also means that lecturing staff get to know students as individuals!
- In third year, our students complete a study placement abroad in a WIT Partner Institute. So far, our students have studied in countries such as Canada, Czech Republic, France, Spain, and the USA. Other destinations include Germany, The Netherlands and Sweden. Generally, classes while abroad will be in English, irrespective of the country involved.
- Though not compulsory, the Programme gives students the opportunity to study from a range of languages: French, German, Italian and Spanish. Additionally, our students whose first language is not English may take English as a subject throughout the Programme.
- Students whose first language is not English, and who in a sense are already “living abroad” while in Ireland, are given a choice. They may take the opportunity to study outside Ireland in a WIT Partner Institute for third year, or they may seek an exemption from the study placement abroad and progress directly to year four of the Programme.
Career Opportunities
Graduates from our Programme may follow varied career paths.
- Graduates may join larger firms at junior management level, and then go on to work in several international business functions, including: human resources, export departments, international sales or purchasing and logistics.
- Graduates are also very suited to the demands of small and medium-sized enterprises, and to the varied nature of work required of a manager in a smaller firm.
Follow on Study
- Master in Business - Internationalisation
- Master in Business
- Master by research
Course Outline
| Year 1 | |
| Semester 1 | Semester 2 |
| Introduction to International Business Introduction to Management Introduction to Statistics Economics of the Market ICT Skills 1 Professional Written Communication (E) *Language (E) Choose 1 Elective |
Culture & Society Organisational Behaviour Business and Financial Maths The Macroeconomic Environment ICT for Business Professional Oral Communication (E) *Language (E) Choose 1 Elective |
| Year 2 | |
| Semester 3 | Semester 4 |
| European Union Introduction Human Resource Management 1 Fundamentals of Business Law Financial Accounts for Non-Specialists Introduction to Marketing The Professional Individual (E) Understanding the Irish (E) *Language (E) Choose 1 Elective |
Intercultural Business Context International Trade Law 1 Human Resource Management 2 Management Decision Making Marketing Mix Skills for Professional Managers (E) The Global Economy (E) *Language (E) Choose 1 Elective |
| Year 3 | |
| Semester 5 | Semester 6 |
| International Placement 1 |
International Placement 2 |
| Year 4 | |
| Semester 7 | Semester 8 |
International Institutions |
International Management International Political Economy Business Ethics in a Global Society Global Strategic Marketing Corporate Strategy *Language (E) Competition Law (E) International Economy (E) International Marketing Communications (E) Managing Diversity (E) Sustainable Development (E) Team Building & Negotiation (E) Choose 1 Elective |
In your first year, we do not assume that you have any previous experience studying business and we start “from the beginning”. In year one, you will be given an introduction to the complex nature of international business. Year one modules are intended to provide you with an introduction to core business subjects such as Economics, Statistics and Mathematics and Management. From year one onwards, you will also have the opportunity to study a language if you wish, or to develop important professional skills, which in year one are written and oral communications.
In your second year, you will study some of the main business functions such as Marketing, Human Resource Management and Accounting. You will be introduced to the wider context of international business through modules that look at the role and importance of the European Union, the nature of International Law and how people from different countries communicate in the Intercultural Business Context. The Intercultural Business Context will also be an important preparation for studying abroad. You will also continue to follow the language or professional development theme within the Programme.
In your third year, as highlighted you will have the opportunity to complete a study placement abroad in a WIT Partner Institute, where the emphasis will be on the cultural experience rather than classroom learning. If you are an international student, you may also take the opportunity to study outside Ireland in a WIT Partner Institute for third year, or you may seek an exemption from the study placement abroad and progress directly to year four of the Programme.
In your fourth year, you will address many of the more strategic issues facing international business. You will analyse the international business environment in modules that look at international politics and its influence on business, for example, International Institutions and International Political Economy, as well as the moral questions associated with international business in the module Business Ethics in a Global Society. You will evaluate some of the main management decisions facing transnational corporations, in modules such as International Management, International Human Resource Management, Supply Chain Management, and Strategic Management. Lastly, you will have the opportunity to study from a range of elective modules, depending on your interests, for example, Entrepreneurship, Financial Management, Managing Diversity and International Marketing Communications
Course Facts
Course Title: BA (Hons) in International Business
Course Code: WD134
Course Level: 8
Duration: 4 years
Course Entry
Leaving Certificate:
- Total number of different subjects at grade D or better: 6
- Number of subjects at higher level grade C or better: 2
Required Subjects
- English/Irish: OD3/HD3
- Mathematics: OC3/HD3
For further information
Course Leader: Mr James Redmond BBS, MBS, ACMA
Email: jredmond@wit.ie
Recent Entry Points
| Year | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
| Minimum Points | 300 | 285 | 320 | 290 | 305 |
But don't just take our word...
“It has increased my confidence and enhanced my networking and communication skills. Furthermore I have learned to work on my own initiative and as part of a team through individual and group assignments.” Erin also comments that the Programme “will help me in my future career as I have learned a vast amount of knowledge of the business environment in addition how to interact with natives from different cultures.”
Erin believes that time in which she spent in Prague on Study Placement was the best experience form the programme and has benefited her me enormously. “Prior to participating in the Erasmus programme I loved to travel however I considered myself a ‘home-bird’. I am comfortable now travelling and living in different countries now as I have learned to communicate with people from different cultures on a personal level as I am aware that different customs exist between cultures.”
Erin Wall, BA (Hons) in International Business (2009)
