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International Business Administration

International Business Administration
Bachelor of Arts - Undergraduate program
Program

The International Business Administration program is designed to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and perspectives needed to succeed in today's rapidly changing, global business landscape. This program emphasizes the study of international firms, the integration of technology across all business areas, and the impact of cultural and economic factors on business operations. With a strong emphasis on both theory and practical application, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the critical components of international business and management, including management practices, information technology, and the global economic and cultural context. By blending theoretical knowledge with hands-on experience and scientific methods, the program provides students with a well-rounded education that prepares them to meet the challenges and opportunities of the global business world.
Now also online option available!

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Interested in the program?
Why study at Constructor University
International experience
Train your intercultural skills by studying with talents from more than 100 countries and excellent study abroad options.
Top rankings
Benefit from highest standards in teaching, interdisciplinary learning, early research involvement, and hands-on education.
Global career
Connect with Alumni to broaden your professional network & start your career with our individual career service support.
Key facts
Place
Constructor University
Bremen, Germany
& online option
Duration
3 years full-time
Financing options
Each admitted candidate will receive an individual financial package.
Tuition
€ 20,000 per academic year (two semesters)
+ € 8,500 on-campus room and board (single room, shared bathroom, full meal plan)
Fall intake 2024
Apply by June 30th
Start last week of August (orientation week), first week of September (classes)
Late comers can start online
Scholarships
All students are considered for an academic achievement scholarship based on their school grade point average (GPA). EU students who meet the eligibility criteria are guaranteed a minimum scholarship of € 4,000.
Ready for your future?
4C Model

The undergraduate program at Constructor University is a three-year, 180-credit-point program designed to prepare students for a wide range of career paths.

The “4C Model” is the program's backbone, with disciplinary content grouped into three themes according to study years: CHOICE-CORE-CAREER. Additionally, the “CONSTRUCTOR Track”, an integral part of the program, runs parallel throughout the program. It provides students with multidisciplinary content and essential skills such as argumentation, data visualization, societal engagement, and communication.

The curriculum allows students to tailor their education to their goals and to explore different fields of study, with the flexibility to change their major within the first year. Moreover, the programs include a mandatory internship and a study-abroad opportunity in the fifth semester to provide students with hands-on experience and a global perspective.

 

4C Curriculum
Study program structure

The first year of the International Business Administration (IBA) program lays the foundation for students' academic and professional growth. Building on their prior education, students will have the opportunity to explore the field through a broad range of introductory modules, focusing on their intended major.

With 45 credit points (CP) to choose from across a variety of study programs, IBA students are required to take 30 CP from the CHOICE area, which includes the following discipline-specific modules:

  • CHOICE Module: Introduction to International Business (7.5 CP)
  • CHOICE Module: Introduction to Finance and Accounting (7.5 CP)
  • CHOICE Module: Microeconomics (7.5 CP)
  • CHOICE Module: Macroeconomics (7.5 CP)

Moreover, students who have completed the necessary modules in their first year of study have the option to switch to another major at the start of their second year.

The integration of business administration and economics provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the interplay between individual firm activities and the economic environment. 

The second year of study focuses on building discipline-specific knowledge through in-depth CORE modules. These modules offer 45 CP and aim to deepen students' critical understanding of the latest theories, principles, and best practices in their major.

IBA students are required to take 30 CP from the following CORE modules:

  • CORE Module: Applied Project Management (7.5 CP)
  • CORE Module: International Strategic Management (7.5 CP)
  • CORE Module: Digital Transformation and Information Economy (7.5 CP)
  • CORE Module: Entrepreneurship and Innovation (7.5 CP)
  • CORE Module: Marketing (7.5 CP)
  • CORE Module: Organization and Human Resource Management (7.5 CP)

In addition, students have the opportunity to select 15 CP from a range of CORE modules based on their interests or to pursue a minor in another field of study.

The third year of the IBA program focuses on preparing students for their post-graduation careers. To gain practical experience and explore their interests, students are required to complete a summer internship. 

This year also provides opportunities for students to broaden their global perspectives through study abroad programs in the fifth semester. Finally, in the sixth semester, students deepen their research skills by completing an extensive Bachelor's thesis project.

In their third year, IBA students take 15 CP of specialized modules to solidify their knowledge in their chosen area of interest, such as the following Specialization Modules:

  • Specialization: Lean Management (5 CP)
  • Specialization: Managerial Accounting (5 CP)
  • Specialization: Contemporary Topics in Marketing (5 CP)
  • Specialization: Advanced Econometrics (5 CP)
  • Specialization: Managing Public and Nonprofit Organizations (5 CP)
  • Specialization: Information Economics (5 CP)

At Constructor University, students are provided with a unique opportunity to boost their employability through a mandatory two-month internship worth 15 credits. This opportunity usually takes place during the summer between the second and third year of study, providing students with the chance to gain practical experience in a professional setting. Through this internship, students can apply the knowledge and understanding they have gained from their major to real-world contexts, evaluate the significance of their major in the employment sector and society, reflect on their personal role in employment and society, and make informed career decisions. For students interested in starting their own company, an alternative to the full-time internship is offered in the form of a start-up option, which allows them to focus on developing their business plan.

The CONSTRUCTOR Track is another important feature of Constructor University’s educational model. The Constructor Track runs orthogonal to the disciplinary CHOICE, CORE, and CAREER modules across all study years and is an integral part of all undergraduate study programs. It provides an intellectual tool kit for lifelong learning and encourages the use of diverse methodologies to approach cross-disciplinary problems. The CONSTRUCTOR track contains Methods, New Skills and German Language and Humanities modules.

Methods
Methods and skills such as mathematics, statistics, programming, data handling, presentation skills, academic writing, and scientific and experimental skills are offered to all students as part of the Methods area in their curriculum. The modules that are specifically assigned to each study programs equip students with transferable academic skills. They convey and practice specific methods that are indispensable for each students’ chosen study program. Students are required to take 20 CP in the Methods area. The size of all Methods modules is 5 CP.

To pursue IBA as a major, the following Methods modules (15 CP) need to be taken as mandatory modules:

  • Methods Module: Applied Calculus (m, 5 CP)
  • Methods Module: Applied Statistics with SPSS (me, 5 CP) or Methods Module: Applied Statistics with R (me, 5 CP)
  • Methods Module: Qualitative Research Methods (m, 5 CP)

Furthermore, IBA students must choose either

  • Methods Module: Econometrics (me, 5 CP) or
  • Methods Module: Data Collection and Empirical Research Methodologies (me, 5 CP)

New Skills Modules
This part of the curriculum constitutes an intellectual and conceptual tool kit that cultivates the capacity for a particular set of intellectual dispositions including curiosity, imagination, critical thought, and transferability. It nurtures a range of individual and societal capacities, such as self-reflection, argumentation and communication. Finally, it introduces students to the normative aspects of inquiry and research, including the norms governing sourcing, sharing, withholding materials and research results as well as others governing the responsibilities of expertise as well as the professional point of view. Students in this study program are required to take the following modules in their second and third year:

  • New Skills Module: Logic (m, 2.5 CP)
  • New Skills Module: Causation and Correlation (m, 2.5 CP)
  • New Skills Module: Argumentation, Data Visualization and Communication (m, 5 CP)

Furthermore, they must choose either

  • New Skills Module: Linear Model/Matrices (me, 5 CP) or
  • New Skills Module: Complex Problem Solving (me, 5 CP)

as well one of the following modules:

  • New Skills Module: Agency, Leadership and Accountability (me, 5 CP) or
  • New Skills Module: Community Impact Project (me, 5 CP).

German Language and Humanities Modules
German language abilities foster students’ intercultural awareness and enhance their employability in their host country. They are also beneficial for securing mandatory internships (between the 2nd and 3rd year) in German companies and academic institutions. Constructor University supports its students in acquiring basic as well as advanced German skills in the first year of the Constructor Track. Non-native speakers of German are encouraged to take 2 German modules (2.5 CP each), but are not obliged to do so. Native speakers and other students not taking advantage of this offering take alternative modules in Humanities in each of the first two semesters.

The curriculum of the study program is outlined in the schematic study plan:

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iba study plan
Study program handbook Fall 2024 - International Business Administration
Study program handbook Fall 2023 - International Business Administration
Study program handbook Fall 2022 - International Business Administration
Study program handbook Fall 2021 - International Business Administration

 

 

Online mode

The online mode enables students to join, who might not be in there in time. Furthermore, it has the following features:

  • students who choose the online mode in Fall 2023 will have the option to continue in the same mode in the second and third years, as the online option will also be available in 2024/25 and 2025/26
  • the online mode involves participation in online modules that feature predominantly lectures and exercises, supplemented by tutorials  
  • all first-year modules will offer an online option

Disclaimer: the minor option may differ for in-presence and online studies: online students can only take the minor in Data Science

Career perspectives

Careers in a broad range of businesses, especially international and internationalizing firms with a focus on future-oriented industries, e.g. renewable energy, health, information technology, automotive and aerospace industries.

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Students
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Phone: 0421 200 4200
Email: study@constructor.university

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Students & alumni
Airinë Nuqi
You will find yourself applying what you learn in this program to your everyday life in ways that you couldn’t have before.
Airinë Nuqi
Timo Behrend
In a world ever more globalized, studying here grants you the possibility to participate in course discussions from various regional and cultural points of view.
Timo Behrend
Students learning
Research

The department of Economics and Management research covers various topics, such as International Business, Organization, International Economics, Management Information Systems, Organizational Behavior, Cross-Cultural Analysis, and Diversity Management.

Specializations include China and BRIC countries, trust, energy and sustainability, and diversity.

School of Business, Social & Decision Sciences

This study program is part of the School of Business, Social & Decision Sciences.

The School of Business, Social and Decision Sciences focuses on interdisciplinary research and education in business sciences, finance and economics, political sciences, as well as in fields related social interactions and to cognitive processes underlying behavior of individuals, groups, or institutions.

Key disciplines in the school include Management Science, Finance, Economics, Industrial Engineering, Logistics, Political Science, Cognitive Psychology, and Sociology.

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Global Community
Life on campus

Become part of a global community

Constructor University Students come from all over the world to live and learn at Constructor University. Our student body represents 110 nations. They form an ambitious campus community whose internationality is unprecedented in Europe. Constructor University’s green and tree-shaded 80-acre campus provides much more than buildings for teaching and research.

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