International Business

International Business 4-Year Plan /Office of International Studies

Welcome to the International Business Program Homepage!

If you are interested in a degree in business with an international business emphasis, you will be electing a course of study that will equip you to work in the new global economy. Combining language study with a required international experience, the relatively young international business emphasis prepares you for a career that includes a strong global focus in addition to specific business expertise.

THE PROGRAM

As do each of our departmental emphases, the international business emphasis is built on the structure provided by the core curriculum, the nine courses that all majors take. See the college catalog for specific details at: http://www.bethel.edu/college/catalog/acadprog/dept/business.html

Many international business majors choose to differentiate themselves through one of two avenues: a second emphasis within the department or a major or minor in one of the modern world languages. Within the department, marketing and finance are easily combined with the international emphasis to give the student a unique academic profile. Others may opt to combine international business with accounting, with human resources management or with our related majors, economics, economics and finance, or business education 5-12.

Students majoring in international business will have completed an internship and an approved international experience. Within the business and economics department, there are two ways to complete that international experience: the Europe Term, a full semester program of fifteen credits offered in the fall semester of odd-numbered years or the interim course, Business 220Z, offered each January. That course goes mainly to Europe but has been applied to courses visiting Asia, Mexico, and South America. In addition, many of the dual language and international business majors take part in Bethel modern world language programs to Guatemala or Segovia Spain. In addition, there are numerous additional semester-long off-campus study opportunities. As a career focus, the major in international business was created to allow students to apply for jobs at any firm, global or domestic, that is seeking a business generalist with broad cross-cultural training and experience. By combining the emphasis with another, graduates are able to bring the skill-set and knowledge-base of that emphasis tempered by the cross-cultural and language experience of the international business emphasis into the workplace. International business also works as a stand-alone emphasis although advisors will work with individual students to create the strongest possible combination of educational and internship experience. Although the program has seen graduates go directly from Bethel into a position in a global location, it is designed particularly for those who enter firm or office that is active in the global economy.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS INTERNSHIPS

All students who graduate from the Department of Business and Economics are required to complete an internship. The Department supports this program with a full-time internship coordinator. Students find that internships allow them to see how organizations operate and also create more value on their resumes when they begin to look for their first full-time job. Internships can also lead to full-time employment after graduation. Students can earn up to nine credits with internships during their junior and senior years. For those emphasizing international business, the internship experience can be as specific as one focusing of helping a firm create a global presence or as general as working in a firm that does research of global suppliers. Students can also develop their own internships. See the Department’s website for further information on internships at: http://cas.bethel.edu/dept/business-economics/internship/index

FACULTY

Students in the international business emphasis will take courses from a very globally-committed group of faculty. Tom Johnson coordinates the major and does most of the advising. Dr. Karen Tangen teaches Global Marketing; Dr. Jeffry Jacob teaches International Trade and Finance; Tim Essenburg teaches Intermediate Macroeconomics . Each has demonstrated a lifelong involvement in international business and economics.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Businesses are recognizing the value of a degree in international business. Recent graduates interviewing at organizations like Target Corporation, Best Buy, General Mills, and British Telecom report that they were able to discuss at length their international preparation at Bethel University. Because international business majors are often differentiated by both a language and a second emphasis, they are applying for and being placed in an assortment of positions reflective of the diversity of the business community of the Upper Midwest.

BETHEL BUSINESS & ECONOMICS ASSOCIATION

The Bethel Business & Economics Association can be a vital part of your educational, professional, and community experience at Bethel. This student-led association helps develop a spirit of friendship and cooperation among students in all business and economics disciplines via organized site tours, campus presentations, and social gatherings. It also gives the student an chance to exercise on-campus leadership, something very attractive to potential employers. ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIPS There are numerous scholarships available for business students. Scholarships are primarily awarded based on academic achievement and/or need. See the Department’s website for further information at: http://cas.bethel.edu/dept/business-economics/student/bbea.html

CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have specific questions or would like to discuss this program, its benefits, and its requirements, contact:

Tom Johnson, Associate Professor – International Business

Phone: (651) 638-6423

Email: johtho@bethel.edu