Major Requirements (54 Credits)
Foundation Courses (18 Credits)
BUS 115 | Financial Accounting |
This course is designed to provide students with a basic knowledge of financial accounting concepts, procedures, analysis, and internal reports as an essential part of the decision-making process. The focus is on the three basic steps of the accounting process: recording, classifying, and summarizing financial transactions. Emphasis is placed on the general accounting activities leading up to the preparation of financial statements. | |
BUS 135 | Introduction to Business Systems |
The course introduces the global business system in the context of the economic, political, social and technological environments, relating business to society as a whole. Topics covered include the international scope, function, and organization of firms, and other fundamental concepts of multinational business. The course also addresses functional areas such as the value chain, production, marketing, human resources, and accounting. | |
BUS 136 | Marketing in a Global Context |
This course is an introduction to the tools and concepts used in the marketing process for consumer and industrial products as well as for services. The focus is on the basic marketing concepts (product, place, price, promotion) as they relate to the field of global marketing. Emphasis is placed on the increasingly important role of interdisciplinary tools to analyze economic, cultural and structural differences across international markets. Specific consideration is given to the development of integrated marketing programs for a complex, global environment. | |
ECN 100 | Principles of Macroeconomics |
This entry-level course in economics covers the fundamentals of macroeconomics and is aimed at students who choose it as an elective or plan to continue their studies in economics. Together with ECN 101, it provides the necessary prerequisites for any other upper-level course in economics. The course is a program requirement for the majors in International Banking and Finance, International Economics, International Relations, International Management, and Environmental Science. It is also a prerequisite for Economics as a combined major as well as a minor. This course introduces students to the study of economics as a field of knowledge within the social sciences. In the first part, focus will be on the definition, the explanation, and the significance of national income, business fluctuations, the price level, and aggregate employment. In the second part, special attention is devoted to the functioning of a payment system based on currency and bank money. Finally, students will discuss the instruments and the functioning of public policy aimed to stabilize prices and maintain high levels of output and employment within the current macroeconomic context. Current economic news will be regularly scrutinized. | |
ECN 101 | Principles of Microeconomics |
This is an entry-level course in economics, covering fundamentals of microeconomics and aimed at students who choose it as an elective or plan to continue their studies in economics. This course helps students develop basic analytical skills in economics and microeconomics. It provides students with a basic understanding of the market system in advanced capitalist economies. It examines the logic of constrained choice with a focus on the economic behavior of individuals and organizations. After a theoretical analysis of the determinants and the interaction of supply and demand under competitive conditions, alternative market structures will be investigated, including monopolistic and oligopolistic forms. The course examines the conditions under which markets allocate resources efficiently and identifies causes of market failure and the appropriate government response. The introduction to the role of government includes its taxing and expenditure activities as well as regulatory policies. | |
MAT 201 | Introduction to Statistics |
This computer-based course presents the basic concepts in statistics: random variables, random sampling, frequency distributions, central tendency measures, variance and standard deviation, kurtosis and skewness, probability rules, Bayes theorem and posterior probability. Important statistical methods like contingency analysis, ANOVA, and correlation analysis are introduced and their algorithms are explained. The most important probability distributions are introduced: Binomial, Poisson, and Normal distribution, as well as the Chebyshev theorem for non-symmetrical distributions. Inferential statistics, sampling distributions and confidence intervals are briefly covered in order to introduce statistical model building and single linear regression and trend analysis. Students learn how to promote the scientific method, how to identify questions, collect evidence, discover and apply tools to interpret the data, and communicate results. EXCEL is used to enhance algorithmic learning. Selected SPSS or STATA examples are also provided. |
Major Requirements (27 Credits)
BUS 285 | Integrated Marketing Communications |
This course exposes students to an integrated, global approach of two-way communication with consumers, customers and suppliers, and other stakeholders of companies and organizations. Students explore the communications process that is essential in contemporary global business cultures. Media options are explored for a range of target audiences. Discussions on the use of advertising, public relations, sales promotions, internet promotion, direct marketing and other techniques will be included. It takes a contemporary approach to the field of integrated marketing communications, highlighting how recent changes and rapid changes in the family, business environment, technology and the world in general are forcing communications specialists and advertisers to make major changes in the way they reach their markets. The course will draw on knowledge in fields such as psychology, sociology and anthropology, as well as media studies and communications. | |
BUS 286 | Product and Services Management |
This course is designed to provide an understanding of how to manage both products and services over their life cycles. This course is designed to build on the conceptual tools covered in the introductory marketing course by applying them to management issues related to products and services. The course will be divided into two parts. The first half will focus on issues related to product management, moving from new product design and development to product line and product category decisions. The second half will focus on services marketing strategies to increase customer satisfaction, improve customer retention and create dominant service brands. | |
BUS 306 | Quantitative Methods and Dynamic Forecasting |
In the first part of this course students learn concepts in inferential statistics, its main principles and algorithms. They learn how to apply sampling distributions in the case of business random variables, how to state and test business hypotheses about population mean or proportion differences, how to calculate ANOVA table components, and how to deploy estimation methods to provide information needed to solve real business problems. In the second part of the course, students learn advanced model building methods, algorithms needed to make and test dynamic multiple regression models and time series (ARMA) models. In addition to teaching and learning methods based on the textbook, problem-based learning (PBL) and interactive engagement (IE) are used. Many internet data bases, EXCEL add-ins and EViews are used to enhance IE based learning. Selected SPSS or STATA examples are also provided. | |
BUS 315 | Managerial Accounting |
This course considers the nature, concepts, techniques, and ethics of the managerial accounting function, the preparation of reports, and the uses of accounting data for internal decision-making in manufacturing, retail, service, government, and non-profit organizations. Topics covered include a review of financial accounting, cost definitions and measurement, job-order and process costing, models of cost behavior, break-even and cost-volume-profit-analysis, activity-based costing and management systems, flexible budgeting methods, cost variance analysis, and a consideration of output & pricing decisions throughout the entire enterprise. | |
BUS 326 | Managerial Finance |
This course examines the principles and practices of fund management in organizations. Attention is given to managerial financial decisions in a global market setting concerning such questions as how to obtain an adequate supply of capital and credit, and how to evaluate alternative sources of funds and their costs. Topics include the management of assets and liabilities, working capital management, capital budgeting, equity versus debt financing, capital structure, and financial forecasting. | |
BUS 340 | Management Science |
In the first part of this computer-based course, students learn linear programming algorithms and how to apply them for resource allocation in production, investment selection, media selection, transportation planning, job assignments, financial planning, make or buy decision making and overtime planning contexts. In the second part of the course, students learn how to choose the best decision using expected monetary value (EMV), how to make optimum decision strategies under uncertainty by making decision trees, how to evaluate marketing research information, and how to apply project management (PERT) basic steps. Ultimately students are asked to conduct a month-long research and development project to define a real organizational decision strategy. | |
BUS 353 | Strategic Management Theory |
Strategic management is the study of firms and the political, economic, social and technological environments that affect their organization and strategic decisions. This course considers the external market environment in which firms operate, and provides theoretical foundations, focusing on economic and strategic theories of the firm and introducing key concepts of organizational theory. Practically, the course looks at the creation of competitive advantage of a firm in the global arena. The readings and class discussions include both theoretical concepts and practical case studies. (Junior status recommended) | |
BUS 384 | Global Marketing Strategies |
This course investigates contemporary thinking on the subject of strategic marketing and its natural relationship with corporate culture and structure. Students will learn about the importance of ideas and their relevance to the building and maintenance of strong brands and companies. Case studies allow students to solve problems facing companies by performing SWOT analyses, creating marketing plans, and applying financial feasibility analyses. These tasks are applied to issues such as product development, branding, customer relationship building and global marketing. (Junior status recommended) | |
BUS 410 | Organizational Behavior and Leadership |
This course studies the internal environment of firms and organizations, namely how to organize and manage people in order to implement strategic plans effectively. Topics include: organizational structures and change, human resources, leadership, group dynamics and teamwork, motivation, and multicultural management. Special attention will be given to the study of leadership, which plays a critical role in increasingly complex and multicultural organizations. The readings and class discussions include both theoretical concepts, case studies and practical exercises.(This writing-intensive course counts towards the Academic Writing requirement.) (Junior status recommended) |
Capstone Requirement (3 Credits)
BUS 455 | Global Strategic Management |
This course, intended as a capstone to the International Management major, should come after students have studied all basic aspects of management. The course focuses on the development and implementation of multinational corporate strategies. Using the case study method and a computer-based simulation, students are required to apply the concepts of accounting, finance, marketing, management science and organizational behavior to the development of a strategic plan. Emphasis includes the integration of strategy, organizational structure and corporate culture.(As a capstone, this writing-intensive course counts towards the Academic Writing requirements.) |
Departmental Electives (6 Credits)
Two of the following: | |
BUS 357 | Global Information Systems |
This course addresses the impact of modern information technology and data management concepts at the functional levels of international business, especially in the areas of finance, marketing, accounting and resource management. The computer-based section of the course provides methodology and software tools, advanced Excel modeling, Microsoft Access, and DBMS, necessary to develop and evaluate Decision Support Systems, Management Information Systems, and Transaction Processing Systems. Case-based learning is utilized to stress how international firms can gain a competitive advantage by leveraging information technology. (Recommended BUS 326) | |
BUS 373 | International Entrepreneurship |
This course develops attitudes, concepts and skills that enable entrepreneurs and managers to pursue opportunities in spite of uncertainty. The course examines how entrepreneurs and business innovators acquire and manage resources for new ventures and change within organizations. The course also explores current problems and issues in entrepreneurial ventures and change management. Course activities include the preparation of a new venture business plan. (Recommended BUS 326) | |
BUS 374 | Corporate Branding |
This course examines how brands can be best managed to improve customer experience and brand equity. Topics covered include: issues such as intellectual property, brand benefits, purpose and brand narratives. The course begins with a concise review of strategic thinking on brand management, focusing on positioning, mission, identity, stakeholder engagement and extending the life of a brand. The course also explores how to develop memorable brand experiences and how to avoid brand commoditization. | |
BUS 382 | Global Sales Management |
This course explores the organizational methods used in sales force management as well as effective sales techniques. Students will learn to create sales pitches and to make sales presentations. They will also explore the need to understand cultural differences, and will learn how to apply motivational techniques, evaluate performance, use databases, displays and pricing techniques, match clientele with sales people, close deals and follow up with clients. The issues of relationship marketing and negotiation skills will also be explored. | |
BUS 385 | Consumer Behavior in International Marketing |
This course focuses on the understanding of the consumer as fundamental to marketing efforts. The course includes observational research in the community where students develop a greater understanding of consumers' consumption and decision-making behavior. Areas of focus include the consumer decision making process, research techniques, learning and motivation, segmentation and targeting, the impact of lifestyle and values, the role of society and culture in consumption, and ethical issues in consumer relationships. | |
BUS 397 | Business Intelligence |
This course introduces the-cutting edge computing methods for the analysis of business and market big data which help in inferring and validating patterns, structures and relationships in data, as a tool to support decisions at all levels of management. Students learn key descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive data mining methods with both supervised and non-supervised learning algorithms, which produce information for non-structured and semi structured decision making. While the course introduces a systems approach to business data processing starting with DBMS systems, emphasis will be given to empirical applications using modern software tools such as XL-Miner and IBM SPSS modeler. More specifically, students will become familiar with and demonstrate proficiency in applications such as cluster analysis, logistic regression, classification to group customers into classes and a class-based pricing procedure, market segmentation and targeting, neural networks, decision trees and nonlinear optimization for asset allocation . Engagement based learning is provided by using real world cases as well as computer based hands-on real data analysis. Working in teams, students will demonstrate knowledge in applying data mining analytical techniques on a real world business problem to discover new information by preparing and presenting a self-designed semester project. In addition to specific prerequisites, BUS 326 is also recommended. | |
BUS 414 | International Legal Environments |
This course is intended to expose business students to the critical relationship between business and law. The course acquaints students with fundamental concepts and principles of law that may concern them in their day-to-day business or organizational activities. Specifically, the objectives are to: familiarize the student with legal language and concepts, increase the student's understanding of the legal system and how it functions, develop the student's appreciation of the international legal environment in which organizations must operate, to expose the student to legal reasoning and develop his/her ability to apply legal concepts and to encourage the student to do critical thinking of the international legal implications present in business and other organizational activities. | |
BUS 415 | Country Risk Assessment |
The goal of the course is to have the student develop a better understanding of the types of risks that are relevant for country analysis, with special emphasis given to financial and investment risk. The course explores both the traditional quantitative and qualitative methodologies for evaluating country financial and business risk from the perspective of external investors of both financial capital and physical assets. It also provides comprehensive coverage of related topics including the analysis and reporting of sovereign creditworthiness, political risk, current account analysis, statistical credit-scoring methodologies, loan valuation models, analysis of currency instability, competition from state-owned enterprises, patent and trademark protection, and regulatory supervision. The course also discusses the interrelationship between ratings and economic development. Real world case studies will be used to substantiate theoretical analysis. (This writing-intensive course counts towards the Academic Writing requirement). | |
BUS 426 | International Financial Management |
This course deals with financial problems of multinational business. Topics include sources of funds for foreign operations, capital budgeting and foreign investment decisions, foreign exchange losses, and evaluation of securities of multinational and foreign corporations. Particular emphasis is placed on international capital and financial markets. (This writing-intensive course counts towards the Academic Writing requirements.) Recommended: BUS 306. | |
BUS 498 | International Management Internship |
This course involves a company-based internship experience. The internship can be with an organization anywhere in the world, with in-company supervision approved by the instructor. On the basis of experience gathered during the internship, each student prepares a report to a professional standard, and presents this formally to an audience of students and professors; both report and presentation are evaluated. | |
BUS 499 | International Management Thesis |
The International Management Thesis is a written research project that is chosen in a student's primary field of study, such as Management, Finance, Marketing, Quantitative Methods or Management Information Systems, and is intended to demonstrate the ability to do mature work within the field of study. | |
COM 310 | Issues in Journalism |
This course uses key topics, themes and trends in journalism to explore the foundations and functions of the press, learn techniques of gathering and writing news, discuss the shifting terrain of journalism, and reflect upon the status and functions of journalism in different cultural contexts. As a writing-intensive course, this course is designed to help students produce high quality written work through a process of drafting, workshopping and editing. Written work may include journalistic reviews, letters to the editor, pitches to the editor and interviews. (This writing-intensive course counts towards the Academic Writing requirements.) | |
STA 300 | Computer Graphics in Advertising, Advanced |
This course is fundamentally a follow-on from STA 200, Computer Graphics in Advertising. Throughout the semester, students are expected to complete a broad variety of projects, individually and in form of group work, and bring them to a finished state. Possible areas of concentration may include digital branding, interaction design, digital formats, innovative design, campaign design and corporate promotion. (This course carries a nominal fee for computer supplies). |
*All Bachelor of Arts degrees require a total of 120 credits consisting of Core Requirements, Major Requirements, and General Elective courses. Prerequisites may be required for courses outside of the major.