International Business Studies BA

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Jade University of Applied Sciences

Program Overview

International Business Studies is a seven-semester program that combines rigorous business fundamentals with real-world international experience, preparing you to lead in the globalized economy. You'll study alongside students from different nations, gain hands-on experience through a mandatory 20-week international internship, and choose from four specialized focus areas—all while developing the cultural intelligence and English proficiency that employers actually want.

Curriculum Structure

Years 1-3: Building Your Foundation

Your first three semesters establish the core competencies you'll need as a business professional. You'll dive into essential courses like Accounting and Financial Statements, Introduction to Business Administration, and International Finance, alongside methodological training in Mathematics with Applications to Commerce and Economics and Business Information Technology. Beyond the numbers, you'll develop cultural and language skills through Intercultural Management and English Language and Communication Skills, ensuring you can operate effectively across borders from day one.

Year 2: Your International Internship Semester

The fourth semester is your chance to step out of the classroom and into the real world. You'll complete a minimum 20-week internship in an international organization or company in a country where you don't speak the native language—this isn't just work experience, it's strategic learning. You'll tackle actual business problems, integrate everything you've learned theoretically, and gain deep insights into your desired specialization while building professional networks that can shape your entire career.

Years 3-4: Specialization and Choice

In semesters 5 and 6, you gain real flexibility to tailor your studies. You can choose to study two specialized focuses and additional electives, spend one or two semesters at one of Jade's partner universities, or flexibly combine any modules that interest you. Your options include Sustainability Management, International Economics & Emerging Markets, Digital Business Management, and Business Psychology—each designed to give you cutting-edge expertise in future-critical areas.

Year 4: Your Final Thesis

The seventh semester gives you 12 weeks to complete your bachelor thesis, with the option to write it abroad or with a company partner, plus additional internship or elective coursework. This capstone project lets you apply everything you've learned to a real challenge that matters to you.

Focus Areas

Choose from Sustainability Management, International Economics & Emerging Markets, Digital Business Management, or Business Psychology—or combine elements from multiple focuses depending on which option you select.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates gain in-depth economic knowledge across multiple business areas, develop interpersonal skills for communicating effectively across cultures, master problem-solving and management skills, and achieve English proficiency at C1 level (the Common European Framework's highest standard). You'll be equipped to work in large multinational corporations or smaller international companies, with qualifications in General Management, Marketing Management, Human Resources Management, and Strategic roles.

Professional Alignment

The program is accredited by ZEvA and specifically designed to meet future competencies emphasized by the OECD, including sustainable management, behavior-oriented corporate management, and digital transformation leadership.

Reputation & Employability

Graduates are particularly attractive to internationally operating companies and organizations, with the breadth of your internationally oriented economic education—combining business competencies, economic competencies, cultural and social competencies, and methodic-analytic competencies—making you stand out in a competitive market.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

In the International Business Studies BA at Jade University of Applied Sciences, you'll dive straight into hands-on learning from day one, building real-world skills through practical modules like Business Information Technology and International Finance, where you apply concepts to actual business scenarios. The program's international phase in semester 4 puts you in a foreign company for at least 20 weeks, tackling real problems and blending theory with on-the-job experience to boost your intercultural edge. With focuses like digital business management, sustainability, and emerging markets in later semesters, you'll use university facilities tailored for business students to collaborate, analyze data, and prepare for global careers.

This practical focus is supported by dedicated spaces across our Elsfleth and Wilhelmshaven campuses:

- Mandatory international internship: 20 weeks in semester 4 at an overseas organization, solving authentic business challenges for deep practical insight.
- Group projects and collaborative work: Integrated into modules like English Language and Communication Skills, where you practice presentation techniques, intercultural communication, and conveying complex ideas in teams.
- Digital tools and IT facilities: Computing centre in the South building for business information technology modules, plus the Laboratory for Virtual Worlds on the top floor of Wilhelmshaven's Main building to simulate international business environments.
- Deanery support for economics faculty: Located in the South building (Elsfleth), providing direct access to advisors, the International Office, and resources for your business studies.
- Library and research spaces: Full library in the South building for accessing business resources, module handbooks, and study materials.
- Internship Centre: In Wilhelmshaven's Main building to guide your international placements and career prep.

Imagine gaining these skills in a vibrant, all-English program with German and international classmates—it's designed to make you job-ready. Ready to apply? Check the full facilities list here: https://www.jade-hs.de/en/the-university/introduction/locations/

Progression & Future Opportunities

At Jade University of Applied Sciences, our International Business Studies BA program dives right into hands-on learning from day one, building real-world skills through practical projects, international placements, and specialized modules that mirror what you'll face in global business. You'll tackle actual business challenges in an all-English environment, blending core competencies like finance, analytics, and intercultural communication with exciting specializations—think digital business management or sustainability—while gaining deep intercultural experience alongside German and international classmates. The program's structure ensures you apply theory immediately, especially during the mandatory international phase where you work 20 weeks in a foreign company solving real problems.

This practical focus is powered by top-notch facilities right on our Elsfleth and Wilhelmshaven campuses, tailored for business students like you:

- Mandatory 20-week international internship in semester 4 at a company abroad, integrating your classroom knowledge with on-the-job problem-solving in a non-native language environment.
- Group projects and collaborative modules like Business Information Technology (using foundations, models, and methods for IT in business), English Language and Communication Skills (honing presentations and intercultural pragmatics), and International Finance/Cost Analysis—perfect for teamwork in an international setting.
- Computing centre in the South building for hands-on work with business software, data analysis tools, and digital business simulations tied to your focuses like digital business management.
- Library in the South building, stocked with resources for economics, international business, and research, plus the Infothek as a central info hub with study spaces and snacks.
- Deanery of Economics faculty in the South building, offering direct support from advisors and the Internship Centre in the Main building (Wilhelmshaven) for placement guidance.
- Laboratory for Virtual Worlds on the top floor of the Main building (Wilhelmshaven), ideal for digital tools, simulations, and virtual international business scenarios in modules like digital business management.
- Seminar and functional rooms across campuses for group work, events, and presentations, including the atrium for exhibitions and the Student Service Centre for career advising.

Imagine finishing with a resume packed with global experience that employers love—spots fill up fast, so apply now through our eCampus portal and let's get you started! Check the full facilities list here: https://www.jade-hs.de/en/the-university/introduction/locations/