What can I expect as a student minoring in international business at Gies?
By minoring in international business, you will gain a clear understanding of the opportunities, challenges, and complexities involved with global business. Global managers face a diverse set of circumstances when engaging in cross-border business activities, and this minor prepares students to successfully navigate such complexities when engaging in global business, operating multinational enterprises, and completing international transactions. The International Business Minor also provides a program of study that is designed to complement your existing undergraduate studies in Accountancy, Finance, Information Systems, Management, Marketing, Operations Management, Supply Chain Management, and Strategic Business Development & Entrepreneurship.
Career opportunities
The international business minor educates and trains future business leaders, decision-makers, and strategic thinkers to skillfully lead in the evolving global business environment. With this minor on your transcript, future employers know that you have developed a deep understanding of the issues related to international business. Substantive training and exposure to global business activities provide you with an advantage in a competitive job market. Past Gies Business students who focused on international business have obtained full-time positions in such organizations as Boeing, PepsiCo, Amazon, and Nike among others.
Who can obtain an international business minor?
This minor is open only to undergraduate students in Gies College of Business. It is not open to students earning degrees in any other University of Illinois college. To declare an international business minor, you must complete a minor declaration form.
International business minor program enrollment policy
The international business minor program is made up of five core courses plus one elective. Students should be able to complete this minor within three academic years. Students can enroll in either in-person or online sections of the courses that complete your curriculum requirements.
Please note that not every international business minor course will be offered every semester or term. You must select judiciously and enroll in the appropriate international business minor courses when they are offered throughout any academic year. The enrollment instructions are noted in the semester's class schedule course’s Section Detail & Information in Course Explorer.
Typical Plan of Study
The international business minor consists of five core courses and one elective, all completed with letter grades. Students must also successfully complete all listed prerequisites needed to enroll in the courses. Note that the BADM 383 taken to fulfill the elective requirement option must be on a topic different from that taken to fulfill the core course requirement. The academic director of the minor will also consider substitutes for the elective requirement (e.g., study abroad courses) upon petition.
Core courses requirements
Elective course requirements
- BADM 383: Topics in International Business course
- Any 200-level language course taught in any modern foreign language*
*Any course taught in any modern foreign language beyond beginning and intermediate language instruction (which in most, but not all, language departments is numbered in the 200-series) will be counted.
Study abroad courses
It is possible for courses taken through a University of Illinois study abroad program to fulfill the core and elective course requirements. However, requirements are fulfilled only if the course taken through study abroad exactly matches the course articulations of the Gies Business course. For example, the study abroad exact equivalent course to our campus’s BADM 380 course is an acceptable international business minor course. For study abroad courses that are not an exact match, the academic director of the minor will consider substitutes for the course requirements (e.g., study abroad courses) upon petition.
Transfer credits
Very few off-campus transfer courses can be used to fulfill the minor core and elective course requirements. You should use the Transferology Program to confirm the off-campus course's transferability to fulfill the minor's core and elective requirements. You may confirm with the international business minor program if an off-campus course will fulfill the minor's core and elective requirements.
