International Business BA (Hons) at University of Northampton

Our International Business BA (Hons) is a distinctive course based on foreign travel and cultural immersion that will develop your knowledge and understanding of how business operates across national borders and will give you the skills needed to work, manage and lead effectively in an international or ethnically diverse business context. If you have a keen interest in international business as well as current affairs then this is the right course for you.

We will support you to achieve your career and study ambitions, which is why if you complete our Employability Plus Gold programme or Changemaker Gold certificate alongside your studies and if you haven’t secured full-time employment 12 months after graduating* we will secure a three – six month paid internship for you, or support you into postgraduate study.

*with a 2:2 degree classification or higher

Course Details

This undergraduate course recognises the ethnocentric nature of management theory and practice and embraces an understanding of business activity and communications, both within different cultures and across cultures. You will be exposed to other cultures and will have the opportunity to analyse current cross-cultural issues, as well as the chance to develop your cultural intelligence, cross-cultural communication, management and leadership skills.

If you choose to study International Business you will benefit from several foreign trips (a total of five weeks away over the first two years) with our experienced teaching team, who are themselves from a variety of cultures and have many years of international experience living and working abroad. This opportunity will provide you with a greater understanding of the subject by having the chance to apply your learning to real-life experiences whilst travelling abroad.

The course will also equip you with the core knowledge and skills in people, operational information, technology and supply chain management as well as international marketing, finance and accounting, all within an international context. You will focus on business practices, primarily in Europe and Asia, with tools and techniques that can be applied worldwide.

Our teaching style challenges you to think critically, and to see business from a broad integrated perspective rather than a narrow functional one. It focuses on the essential essence of business – getting things done through other people on time and within budget. You will be expected to regularly read and engage with articles from the quality business press such as Financial Times and The Economist, as well as other recommended material to be able to get the most from your seminar discussions and understand the context in which international business operates.

International Study Trips

Throughout your course you will attend both optional and mandatory study trips abroad. The European and Asian trips are immersive experiences and offer opportunities for deep levels of reflection about different business and cultures which is of considerable value to employers. The foreign travel programme includes class sessions from local faculties for local country knowledge, company visits and plenty of activity and leisure time with local students, providing you with the chance to make valuable contacts globally.

The Faculty of Business and Law will pay for flights and accommodation (bed and breakfast) for the two main trips – a total budget of approximately £2,000 per person. You will need to pay for your own in-country expenses, with a recommended budget of £20-25/day in Europe and £10-15 in Asia to cover lunch and evening meal as well as the costs of local activities and ground transportation.

The first five-day trip to Belgium and Germany is at your expense and will cost around £270 each, plus personal spending money for five days. Again £20-25/day is recommended.

Methods of Learning

For this course taught study would be a combination of lectures, seminars and workshops, usually for 12 hours class time per week, although this may drop in later years of the programme. In addition we recommend that you spend at least 18-24 hours per week in self-directed study time.

Once you have graduated from this course you can choose to progress onto a full-time, part-time or distance learning postgraduate course. This will enable you to focus your studies in a specialist area or gain a general management qualification such as the MBA.

Assessments

A variety of assessment methods will be used – from business reports, individual and team projects and student-led seminars, essays, case study analyses and examinations. Many modules also use multi-choice tests and portfolio style assessments.

Scholarships

EU and International Scholarships

We’re committed to offering the opportunity to study in the UK to the best and brightest students from around the world.

Sir Thomas White Scholarship

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TD Lewis Scholarship

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The Chancellor's Fund

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Wilson Endowment Scholarship

The Wilson Endowment Scholarship provides a £1,500 scholarship to undergraduate students from the Northamptonshire area. The endowed scholarship was donated in memory of Mr Lynn Wilson,…