Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences

Bachelor in International Business

In the first year, all students follow a standardised curriculum, focusing on the core subjects of the International Business programme. The main decision you will make during this year is selecting your preferred language from our wide range of options: French, German, Spanish, Indonesian, Mandarin, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, or Dutch. At the end of the first year, you will have the opportunity to specialise by choosing one of four study profiles to continue your academic journey.

• Organisation & Change
• Marketing
• Commerce (Asian & European Language Track)
• Supply Chain

Whichever profile you choose, you can expect to join an international classroom with students from all over the world. From day one, you will be trained to be business-minded, interculturally aware and to have an entrepreneurial attitude. After completion of your studies, you will receive an International Business diploma, issued by Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences.

This program is part of the Rotterdam Business School of Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences.

Year 2

As of year two of your studies, it is time to start defining what kind of international business professional you want to be. For more information about the specialisations we recommend watching the latest webinar. We offer the following specialisations:

1. Organisation and Change

The Organisation & Change specialisation is suitable for students who are eager to learn more about strategy, management, and innovation at international companies, as well as the various types of organisations and how they work. The specialisation includes topics like strategic/general management, innovation management and entrepreneurship, internationalisation and market entry strategy, consultancy, organisational change, and human resource management.

2. Supply Chain

The introduction of companies such as Amazon and AliExpress has revolutionised how we look at time from production to consumption. These fascinating developments fall under our International Supply Chain Management specialisation. You will learn the ways of managing the flow of goods and services, from the raw material to the consumer goods you can find on the shelf in the supermarket. By looking at the best practices in transportation, urban distribution, warehousing and port management you will gain an insight into the workings of effective and efficient supply chain management.

3. Commerce

To beat the competition you will learn not only about sales, trade marketing and marketing strategy, but also about culture diversity within international companies. Languages are a big part of this specialisation, as they are a vital tool for you in international commerce. You will become experienced in dealing with social and cultural differences, which is needed for successful trade relations with business partners worldwide. You will learn how to develop and build up your network within the business world, how to develop an enterprising attitude and how to adapt quickly to changing circumstances. RBS offers languages courses in the most widely spoken European and Asian languages.

4. Marketing

Are you interested in learning how products and services are marketed differently around the world? Fascinated by the way target audiences differ from place to place? Then our marketing specialisation is right up your street. You will learn how to create value for both the consumer and for society. Developing proper marketing strategies based on the target group and designing successful marketing communication programmes.

Time to make it happen

Dive deeper into specific interests and put your learnings to practise. In the third and fourth years, you gain both theoretical knowledge and practical skills with at least one semester abroad. This could be an internship or an exchange program at one of our partner universities around the world. You graduate after successful final assessments and a graduation assignment where you demonstrate your research skills.

Internship

Put your training into practice with a six-month internship at an international company. Stay in the Netherlands or go abroad. Go for a large multinational or a medium-sized enterprise. It is your call.

During an internship abroad, you will learn a lot from international business professionals. But it does not just work. Find out how your perspectives differ and challenge the way you (and they) look at the world.

Minor or Exchange

The minor is a program in which you focus on a theme relevant to your future career. This could for example be digital marketing, entrepreneurship, circular economy, or one of the many other options.

By focusing in-depth on one specific aspect of your profession or by broadening your horizon through examining terrains bordering your own profession, you can significantly improve your chances in the labor market after graduation.

In the International Business program, you can either choose to do your minor at Hogeschool Rotterdam or to spread your wings and take part in an exchange program at one of our partner universities across the globe.

Graduation Assignment

The International Business degree concludes with a graduation assignment combining all of your training and practical experience.

Your practical research skills are put to the test in your graduation assignment. You will have to come up with innovative solutions to help a company of your choice to solve a real-world management challenge.

This could be a marketing entry strategy for Brazil with a focus on digital, a plan for the logistics of a Chinese start-up, or improving sustainability management for a company in Germany.