Avans University of Applied Sciences

Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business

You are a curious, ambitious and open-minded individual. You embrace challenges and enjoy working in an international team. Your work makes an impact while respecting people and the planet. Discerning and creative, you are a born communicator, entrepreneur and business enthusiast.

What can you become with your Bachelor of International Business? The world of international business offers many opportunities, both in the Netherlands and abroad. These can be at multinational corporations or with family-owned, mid-sized companies with ambitious goals in developing their international sales. Governmental institutions that promote trade or development, regional development agencies or large cities also offer opportunities for young international business professionals. Or you can start your own business.

Depending on your talents and which areas you choose to specialise in during your studies, you may go on to a career in the fields of Sales and Marketing, Organisation management, Finance or Operations and Supply Chain Management.

When recruiting, international companies often prefer candidates with experience abroad. Your solid foundation in International Business, combined with the experience that you will acquire abroad during your studies, will help you to stand out as a candidate.

Potential Careers After the Programme

Brand Manager

Brand managers develop strategies that determine how people perceive the brand. This can involve advertising, design and events. Brand managers are also responsible for making sure that branding is consistent across advertising and campaigns.

Market Researcher

A market researcher is responsible for collecting and analysing data to make informed political, social and economic decisions.

Buyer

Buyers are responsible for planning, selecting and purchasing merchandise for retail establishments. Their work includes researching the market, competitor analysis, product evaluations and testing, monitoring purchase orders and producing reports for the management team.

Business Development Manager

A business development manager helps to grow a business by finding new opportunities, researching leads, establishing relationships with potential clients and arranging appointments for sales executives.

International Trade Officer

An international trade officer coordinates credit and financial activities and obtains payments for import/export operations. They act as advisors regarding tariffs, markets, and federal and foreign regulations.

Export Manager

An export manager plans and coordinates the shipment of goods across international borders.

Country Manager

A country manager oversees operations in a specific country or region of the world, developing the business and increasing profitability for a company.

Master

you will have a broad range of opportunities. You can choose to do your Master in the Netherlands or abroad and further specialize within the field that most interests you. Think of Master’s such as International Management, Master of Science in Management, Marketing Management, Logistics, or Supply Chain Management or you can take a post-graduate MBA programme.

After graduation, you will be able to embark on an international career in international marketing & sales, business development, international operations, export, etc. Excelling in expertise and skills to facilitate the development of international business.

You can study International Business with Avans at both locations Breda and Den Bosch. You work in groups on real cases assigned by companies, your teamwork is assessed, and so are you as an individual. You learn by doing and constantly develop yourself towards a global responsible business professional. You improve your Business English and learn one additional language. In Breda, you can choose from French, German, Spanish or Chinese, and in Den Bosch, you can choose from French, German or Spanish. Your coach will help you to further develop your professional and personal skills.

Year 1

The first year is a general introduction to international business topics such as global marketing, supply chain management and identifying business opportunities. You will develop professional skills such as business communication and negotiation. You will also take site visits to companies and investigate current international business challenges. In quarter 1, you will be introduced to the different language options that you can choose and study next to Business English.

Examples of courses:

• Languages
• Challenges of Internationalisation
• Market & Customer profiling
• Market Entry Plan
• Supply chain
• Relation management
• Export plan

Year 2

From the second year onwards, you will be immersed in a real-life business environment. The two International Business programmes at Avans are organized somewhat differently: If you study IB in Breda, you will start with an internship semester and experience the daily practice of international business. At IB Den Bosch, you will further expand your knowledge and skills in the first semester of the second year.

With both IB programmes, you have the opportunity to take an elective choice module that aligns with your interests in the third quarter of your second year of study. This module can be taken within your own programme, but you also have the option to choose a module from another programme offered within Avans. This allows you to broaden your profile and develop skills in a direction that you prefer.

Examples of courses:

• Internship semester
• Elective
• Sustainable future
• International expansion plan
• SWOT-analysis
• Interdisciplinary elective

Year 3

At IB Breda, the first semester in the third year is about managing international projects. You will learn how to develop an internationalisation strategy, how to lead projects and assess the resilience of organizations through consultancy reporting. You do an interdisciplinary module and work on projects with students from different fields of study.

At IB Den Bosch, in the third year, you will start with 20 weeks of IPE internship (The International Professional Experience). For your internship, you will work at an organization or company either in the Netherlands or abroad. You will need to apply your skills and further develop them within an international or internationally oriented-work environment. This provides you with the opportunity to gain practical experience and strengthen your professional competencies.

In the second semester, with both IB programmes, you can do your minor within Avans, at one of the other Dutch higher education institutions or broaden your horizon at one of our partner universities across the globe.

Examples of courses:

• Internship semester
• Minor/Exchange
• International business assignments
• Interdisciplinary module

Year 4

Your final year is about graduation. You continue with managing international projects and again choose an elective module of your interest. For your graduation internship you will be able to determine your ideal international business assignment together with a company or an organisation in the Netherlands or anywhere else in the world.

Examples of courses:

• Graduation internship
• Choice module
• International business assignments
• Business processes for an organisation
• Opportunity developer

In the newly released Keuzegids hbo 2025 higher education guide, Avans University of Applied Sciences once again ranks first among the large universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands, marking its tenth consecutive year at the top.

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