Academic Programs
Program of International Business
Dr. Marion M. White, Director
Location: Zane Showker Hall, Room 435
Phone: (540) 568-3231
E-mail: owyarhmm@jmu.edu
Web site: http://www.jmu.edu/ibus/
Professors
R. Horn, D. Riordan, M. Rosser
Associate Professors
I. Clarke, S. Elwood, S. Gallagher, R. Jerome, M. White
Assistant Professors
D. Cavazos, N. Cavusoglu
Mission Statement
Career Opportunities
Co-curricular Activities and Organizations
Degree and Major Requirements
Concentrations
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.
- Consumer marketing and business-to-business marketing, including sales, consumer relations and market analysis.
- Consulting, including management analysis, strategic planning, expansion overseas and market entry strategies.
- Marketing research, including database management and account analysis.
- Corporate finance, financial analyst, project management, junior analyst-finance, planning and administration.
- 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. 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.
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 requirements1 | 24 |
| Nonbusiness major requirements | 15-18 |
| General education courses2 | 41 |
122-125 |
|
1 Students are required to spend the equivalent of a semester abroad. See below for 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 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 course work 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. 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 that 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.
All international business majors will take the following required international business core courses.
Required Courses
- BLAW 497. Legal Aspects of International Business
- IBUS 480. International Business Theory and Policy
- MGT 340. International Management
- Foreign language 300. Grammar and Communication
- Foreign language 307-308. Civilization
- Foreign language 330. Business
- Foreign language 375. Business and Society
The remaining courses will depend upon which of the following three concentrations the student selects.
- General International Business
- Marketing
- Finance
The requirements for each of the three concentrations are outlined below.
Recommended Schedule for Majors
First Year
| First Semester | Credit Hours |
| ECON 201. Principles of Economics (Micro) | 3 |
| MATH 205 or 235. Calculus1 | 3-4 |
| General Education courses | 9 |
15-16 |
|
Second Semester |
Credit Hours |
| COB 191. Business and Economic Statistics | 3 |
| COB 204. Computer Information Systems | 3 |
| GECON 200. Introduction to Macroeconomics1 | 3 |
| General Education courses | 7 |
16 |
|
Second Year
| First Semester | Credit Hours |
| COB 202. Interpersonal Skills | 3 |
| COB 241. Financial Accounting | 3 |
| ECON 270. International Economics2 | 3 |
| General Education courses | 6 |
15 |
|
Second Semester |
Credit Hours |
| COB 218. Legal Environment of Business | 3 |
| COB 242. Managerial Accounting | 3 |
| COB 291. Introduction to Management Science | 3 |
| General Education course | 6 |
15 |
|
Third Year
| First Semester | Credit Hours |
| COB 300A. Integrated Functional Systems: Management | 3 |
| COB 300B. Integrated Functional Systems: Finance | 3 |
| COB 300C. Integrated Functional Systems: Operations | 3 |
| COB 300D. Integrated Functional Systems: Marketing | 3 |
| Foreign language (300) grammar and communication2 | 3 |
15 |
|
| Second Semester | Credit Hours |
| Foreign language (307-308) civilization course2 | 3 |
| Foreign language (375) business and society2 | 3 |
| General Education courses | 9 |
15 |
|
Concentrations
Students in international business may choose to concentrate in general international business, marketing or finance. The concentrations are as follows.
General International Business Concentration
Fourth Year
| First Semester | Credit Hours |
| BLAW 497. Legal Aspects of International Business2 | 3 |
| FIN 455. International Financial Management2 | 3 |
| MGT 340. International Management2 | 3 |
| MKTG 460. Global Marketing2 | 3 |
| International Business approved elective | 3 |
15 |
|
Second Semester |
Credit Hours |
| ACTG 483. International Accounting and Financial Reporting2 | 3 |
| COB 487. Strategic Management | 3 |
| Foreign language (330) business course2 | 3 |
| Free elective | 3 |
| IBUS 480. International Business Theory and Policy2 | 3 |
15 |
|
1 May be satisfied by taking General Education Cluster Four with GECON 200.
2 International business major requirement. Students with a finance concentration must take ECON 370 in place of ECON 270.
Marketing Concentration
Fourth Year
| First Semester | Credit Hours |
| BLAW 497. Legal Aspects of International Business1 | 3 |
| MGT 340. International Management1 | 3 |
| Choose one of the following:1 | 3 |
| MKTG 385. Buyer Behavior | |
| MKTG 430. Sales Management and Personal Selling | |
| MKTG 470. Strategic Internet Marketing | |
| MKTG 482. Market Database Development | |
| MKTG 460. Global Marketing1 | 3 |
| International Business approved elective | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 |
15 |
|
| Second Semester | Credit Hours |
| COB 487. Strategic Management | 3 |
| IBUS 480. International Business Theory and Policy1 | 3 |
| Choose one of the following:1 | 3 |
| MKTG 385. Buyer Behavior | |
| MKTG 430. Sales Management and Personal Selling | |
| MKTG 470. Strategic Internet Marketing | |
| MKTG 482. Market Database Development | |
| Foreign language (330) business course1 | 3 |
| Free elective | 3 |
15 |
|
1 International business major requirement.
Finance Concentration
Fourth Year
| First Semester | Credit Hours |
| BLAW 497. Legal Aspects of International Business1 | 3 |
| ECON 372. International Finance and Payments1 | 3 |
| FIN 360. Money and Capital Markets1 | 3 |
| FIN 455. International Financial Management1 | 3 |
| MGT 340. International Management1 | 3 |
15 |
|
Second Semester |
Credit Hours |
| ACTG 483. International Accounting and Financial Reporting1 | 3 |
| COB 487. Strategic Management | 3 |
| Foreign language (330) business course1 | 3 |
| IBUS 480. International Business Theory and Policy1 | 3 |
| Free elective | 3 |
15 |
|
1 International business major requirement.
