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Program of International Business
Learn more about the College of Business.
Dr. Marion M. White, Director
Phone: (540) 568-3231
E-mail: owyarhmm@jmu.edu
Web site: http://www.jmu.edu/ibus/
Professors
F. Damanpour, R. Horn, D. Riordan, M. Rosser
Associate Professors
I. Clarke, S. Elwood, R. Jerome, M. Usry, M. White
Assistant Professors
S. Gallagher
Mission Statement
The mission of the Program of International Business is to provide nationally-competitive undergraduate education in the study of international business. The program is an interdisciplinary program designed to prepare students for participation in organizations that require a broad business perspective and applicable skills in global business. The program also prepares students for graduate programs in business and related fields.
Goals
- To provide a strong foundation in the international implications for the traditional business disciplines (accounting, finance, marketing and management) as well as economics and business law.
- To develop students' cultural understanding through course work and a required semester abroad.
- To enable students to gain proficiency in a second language.
- To enable students to develop extensive knowledge of a specific region of the world related to the second language.
- To develop students' competencies in addressing specific managerial issues related to international business, such as managing foreign exchange risk, managing a multicultural work force, etc.
- To facilitate students' continuing development of written and verbal skills.
- To develop students' decision making skills.
Career Opportunities
- Consumer marketing and business-to-business marketing, including sales, consumer relations and market analysis.
- Consulting, including management analysis, strategic planning, expansion overseas, market entry strategies.
- Marketing research, including database management and account analysis.
- Corporate finance, financial analyst, project management, junior analyst-finance, planning and administration.
- Working capital management, credit manager, assistant treasurer — funds flow and risk management.
- Banking and financial institutions, lending officer and marketing officer.
- Foreign commercial service officer in the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Co-curricular Activities and Organizations
- International Business Club. This student club is open to all JMU students. It sponsors speakers, informational sessions and social events.
- Epsilon Chi Omicron. This organization, founded in 1987 at JMU, is the international honor society for international business. The purpose of the organization is to encourage and recognize scholarly achievement. Membership requires an outstanding academic record while at JMU.
- Madison Marketing Association. This student club is affiliated with the American Marketing Association, a national marketing association for marketing professionals, faculty and students. MMA is open to all JMU students; however, 90 percent of members are marketing majors or minors. MMA is comprehensive with its marketing programming and offers students information and activities in direct marketing, retailing and marketing management.
- Pi Sigma Epsilon. This is a professional fraternity, which focuses on programming and extracurricular experiences in sales and sales management.
- Financial Management Association. FMA is an organization designed for those interested in pursuing a career in the financial arena.
Degree and Major Requirements
Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business
The B.B.A degree in international business requires a minimum of 120 credit hours of undergraduate work. Fifty percent of this work, 60 credit hours, must be taken outside of the College of Business. In counting the 60 credit hours of nonbusiness courses, B.B.A. students may include all hours taken in general education (usually 41), up to a total of nine hours in economics (GECON courses must be counted as economics) and three hours of COB 191, Business and Economic Statistics. The remaining hours, to bring the total to 60, must be taken from any department outside the College of Business. Students should carefully select these non-business electives to help them gain additional knowledge and expertise for their careers and personal lives.
Degree Requirements
Credit Hours |
|
B.B.A. core courses |
42 |
International business major requirements 1 |
24 |
Nonbusiness major requirements |
15-18 |
General Education courses 2 |
41 |
122-125 |
|
1 Students are required to spend the equivalent of a semester
abroad. See the next page for more details.
2 Students are encouraged
to choose general education courses having a foreign or international
content. The program office has a list of these courses. The General
Education program contains a set of requirements each student must fulfill.
The number of credit hours necessary to fulfill these requirements may
vary
Students planning to major in international business must complete the 30- to 31-hour, lower-division B.B.A. curriculum set forth on Page 163 prior to enrolling in upper-division core courses, normally taken in the first semester of the junior year. It is expected that lower- division core curriculum will be completed during the first two years of study along with all, or most, of the university general education curriculum. Failing to complete all lower-division core requirements on time will delay enrollment in upper-division core and major courses until at least the second semester of the junior year. The foreign language requirements of the major begin at the advanced level. Consequently, students with little or no foreign language training must use elective credits to obtain proficiency through the intermediate level.
Major Requirements
Students majoring in International Business must carefully plan their individual coursework because not all required courses are offered each semester and because each student in the major is required to study or work abroad. The study/work abroad requirement is for a minimum of seven weeks outside of the United States, unless express permission is granted by the program for another option. The primary language spoken in the country chosen by each student for the study/work abroad requirement may not be English and must be the language chosen by the student to meet the IBUS language requirement. Approval of the study/work abroad requirement must be obtained from the Program Director. This requirement is waived for international students studying at JMU. Please see the International Business Web site at http://www.jmu.edu/ibus/or stop by the director's office (Zane Showker Hall 435) for the approval form.
International business majors must select a world region on which to concentrate which coincides with their selected language. For example, an international business major who selects French as his/her second language could choose Europe, Africa or Asia as his/her world region. Also, a student who selects Spanish as his/her second language could select either Europe or the Americas. The four world regions are Africa/Middle East, Americas, Asia and Europe.
As part of the JMU assessment program, graduating seniors are required to participate in assessment activities. Assessment information is used to assist the COB faculty in modifying curricula.
Recommended Schedule for Majors
First Year |
Credit Hours |
ECON 201. Principles of Economics (Micro) |
3 |
MATH 205 or 235. Calculus1 |
3-4 |
General Education courses |
9 |
|
15-16 |
1 May be satisfied by taking General Education Cluster Three, Package A, D or F, with MATH 205 or 235. |
|
| First Year |
Credit Hours |
COB 191. Business and Economic Statistics |
3 |
COB 204. Computer Information Systems |
3 |
|
GECON 200. Introduction to Macroeconomics 1 |
3 |
|
General Education courses |
7 |
16 |
|
1 May be satisfied by taking General Education Cluster Four with GECON 200. |
|
Second
Year |
Credit Hours |
|
COB 202. Interpersonal Skills |
3 |
|
COB 241. Financial Accounting |
3 |
|
General Education courses |
9 |
|
|
15 |
|
| Second Year |
Credit Hours |
|
COB 218. Legal Environment of Business |
3 |
|
COB 242. Managerial Accounting |
3 |
|
| COB 291. Introduction to Management Science |
3 |
|
| ECON 270. International Economics1 |
3 |
|
| General Education course |
3 |
|
15 |
||
1 International Business major requirement. Students with a Finance concentration must take ECON 370 (International Trade and Trade Policies) in place of ECON 270. |
||
Third
Year |
Credit Hours |
|
COB 300A. Integrated
Functional Systems: |
3 |
|
COB 300B. Integrated
Functional Systems: |
3 |
|
COB 300C. Integrated
Functional Systems: |
3 |
|
COB 300D. Integrated
Functional Systems: |
3 |
|
Foreign language (300) conversation and composition course 1 |
3 |
|
|
15 |
|
1 International business major requirement. |
||
| Third Year |
Credit Hours |
|
Foreign language (307-308) civilization course 1 |
3 |
|
Courses in regional studies. Choose two of the following: 1,2 |
6 |
|
|
|
|
| General Education courses |
6 |
|
15 |
||
1 International business major requirement. |
||
Fourth Year |
Credit Hours |
ACTG 483. International Accounting and Financial Reporting 1 |
3 |
MGT 410. International Management 1 |
3 |
MKTG 460. Global Market Analysis 1 |
3 |
International Business approved elective 2 |
3 |
General Education course |
3 |
|
15 |
1 International business major requirement. |
|
| Fourth Year |
Credit Hours |
BLAW 497. Legal Aspects of International Business 1 |
3 |
COB 487. Strategic Management |
3 |
| FIN 455. International Financial Management 1 |
3 |
| Foreign language (330) business course 1 |
3 |
| International Business approved elective 2 |
3 |
15 |
|
1 International business major requirement. 2 See approved list on the Web site or posted on the program bulletin board, outside 436 Showker Hall. |
|
Concentrations
Concentrations in Marketing and Finance
Students in international business may choose to concentrate in either marketing or finance. The concentrations are as follows.
Marketing Concentration
Fourth Year |
Credit Hours |
MGT 410. International Management 1 |
3 |
Choose one of the following:1 |
3 |
|
|
MKTG 460. Global Market Analysis 1 |
3 |
International Business approved elective 2 |
3 |
General Education course |
3 |
15 |
|
1 International business major requirement. |
|
Fourth Year |
Credit Hours |
BLAW 497. Legal Aspects of International Business 1 |
3 |
COB 487. Strategic Management |
3 |
Choose one of the following: 1 |
3 |
|
|
Foreign language (330) business course1 |
3 |
International Business approved elective 2 |
3 |
15 |
|
1 International business major requirement. |
|
Finance Concentration
Fourth Year |
Credit Hours |
ACTG 483. International Accounting and
Financial Reporting 1 |
3 |
ECON 372. International Finance and Payments 1 |
3 |
MGT 410. International Management 1 |
3 |
| Finance elective2 |
3 |
| General Education course |
3 |
15 |
|
| 1 International business major requirement. 2 Choose any Finance elective for which you have the required prerequisites. |
|
Fourth Year |
Credit Hours |
BLAW 497. Legal Aspects of International Business 1 |
3 |
COB 487. Strategic Management |
3 |
FIN 455. International Financial Management 1 |
3 |
Foreign language (330) business course 1 |
3 |
|
International Business approved elective 2 |
3 |
15 |
|
|
1 International business major requirement. 2 See approved list on the Web site or posted on the program bulletin board, outside 436 Showker Hall. |
|
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