International Business

Prof. Luchien Karsten (57) Lecturer in International Business

"What I think is unique in International Business is the way the programme looks at the world around us. We never confine ourselves to our own country but look at other countries and cultures as well. We are very fond of making comparisons. We use the terms cross-border, cross-cultural and cross-functional to refer to this.

By cross-border and cross-cultural we mean that we look over national boundaries and at other cultures, and by cross-functional we mean that we do not limit ourselves to one function within a company. This approach makes the programme properly international and differentiates IB from other programmes in the field.

The reasoning behind this is that more and more companies, including small and medium-sized businesses, are being confronted with internationalization. Managers need to know about other markets and have skills in the field of dealing with people and customs from other cultures.

I really enjoy stimulating our students to develop a cosmopolitan vision and attitude. But the students have to be open to this. You have to enjoy the confrontation with other dimensions. This means that IB is particularly suitable for students who want to broaden their career horizons."

“After spending a semester abroad in the USA, I was sure that I want to study business and that I would like to continue studying in English. When I visited Groningen, I knew that this would be the perfect place to study. The International Business programme met my expectations. The programme is challenging in a positive way. I believe that it is important to have variety in your studies. Both the lectures and tutorials help us to get a broader understanding of the subjects. The students here are talking English in their daily life and are surrounded by people from all over the world. During tutorials, we work in multicultural groups and this prepares us for succeeding in an international company surrounding. For one of the presentation, I worked together with students from Cyprus, Russia and the Netherlands. In short, beautiful, exciting, loving and in my opinion the perfect place to study.”

The International Business study in Groningen is multidisciplinary, I am learning about the fundamentals of business including finance operations, marketing and management. Working on project groups has helped me with my leadership skills, and how to think critically and communicate effectively. What I like the most is how diverse the programme is, with students from many different countries. Students come together to study, work and connect in the youngest and most vibrant student city in the Netherlands.

The BSc International Business was the perfect choice for me because of the different but interrelated courses you study. I like how the disciplines are taught through lectures and tutorials. I chose the programme in Groningen because of the unique opportunity to connect with different cultures. This programme is not only internationally focused but also offers extensive opportunities to gain practical experience. Furthermore, you work on business case analysis, you can choose to do an internship or to study abroad.