International Business fulltime

The Hogeschool Rotterdam Business School is student-centred, contextual and ethically and socially responsible. Our programme is inclusive and the support our lecturers offer is based on your personal need and individual learning style. You will get the opportunity to follow your own learning route, by choosing one of four specialisations within the curriculum. Apart from those specialisations, we offer you more choices. Choices you can make based on your background, ambitions and talents. Choices that will help you achieve your goals during the programme.

During your studies you will learn to understand all aspects of international business, while you have outstanding opportunities to specialise in the field of your interest later in the programme. Throughout the four years of the International Business programme these three learning lines are central: Business, Languages as well as Professional & Academic Skills. 

Every year has two semesters. Each semester consists of clearly defined, practice-oriented blocks. Each block is focused on a single theme and includes a limited number of subjects. A coach is ready to personally assist you in areas such as study skills, career planning and personal development. Other important elements in the study programme are applied research and critical self-reflection. Especially during your last two years, you will have plenty of opportunities to structure your own personalised programme.

If you are passionate about learning a language alongside your study then our commerce track is ideally designed for you. Through the choice of Dutch, French, German, Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia), Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, Spanish or Russian you will continue to study this language alongside your business studies. 

In the third year you are required to go on an internship, due to you selecting our commerce track, you must go to a country which speaks the language you choose. The idea here is you emmerce yourself in the life and culture of this country, not only for a social side but also a working environment. Through your internship you will continue to develop the right business language in your chosen language. 

You also have the wonderful opportunity of completing an exchange period abroad at one of our partner universities in the third or fourth year. This is once again another opportunity for you to explore another city or country, build your network and you may discover whether this might be a future home for you after you graduate. 

Within this commerce track a lot of our students would like to follow an asian language as HRBS is a leader in this education within the Netherlands. If you would like to choose Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese or Bahasa Indonesian there are some VISA related requirements and restrictions when it comes to your internship and exchange but we will inform you more about this later on. 

From the first year onwards the three learning lines take center stage; Business, Languages and Professional & Academic Skills. During this first year, you have the time to discover your specific interest by touching upon all the different subject areas of international business. This will prepare you for choosing a specialisation in the second year. In your assignments the learning lines of Business and Professional & Academic Skills will be integrated wherever possible. Finally, in your first and second year you can choose elective modules that offer you the opportunity to look beyond your own study programme.

A breakdown of the programme and themes you will experience are shown below on this page.

As of year two of your studies, it is time to start defining what kind of international business professional you want to be. We offer the following specialisations which cover the fields of marketing, trade and sales, supply chain management, organisations and strategy:

In the third and fourth year of your studies you focus on growth and innovation. You will continue your education with at least one semester abroad. This could either be an internship at a company or an exchange programme at one of our partner universities around the world. You will conclude your studies with your final assessments and a graduation assignment in which you will solve a real business problem with the proper research skills.  

In addition to the regular 4-year bachelor programme we also offer a fast-track three-year version for students who have completed Dutch vwo, the International Baccalaureate or an equivalent. For more information read the admission requirements. 

Support

Every student is unique and has his own ideas about what he wants to achieve during his studies. We will support you by making you aware of your abilities, opportunities and challenges. Sometimes, during or even before the start of your study programme it becomes clear that you are struggling with a particular subject. It will be useful to brush up your knowledge in that area. As a student you will be assigned a coach (a lecturer) who will guide you and who will monitor your progress. It is also possible to ask for a peer coach, a senior student who trains younger year students.

Studying with a disability

If you have a disability and therefore require some extra facilities, we offer various options (information in Dutch).

After completion of your studies, you will receive your Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree. You will also receive a diploma supplement with a DS-label. With this English document you can show the value of your degree abroad when you apply for further study or when you look for a job.

If you participate in the honours programme, you will also receive an honours degree.

Many students start working after finishing their bachelor studies. However you may also choose to continue your studies at Master level. For example: 

• Consultancy and Entrepreneurship
• International Supply Chain Management
  

As an International Business graduate you are competent in intercultural leadership, critical thinking, and intercultural sensitivity. You will be able to execute international projects, while working in groups and conducting business research. You can adapt to the fast changing job market requirements.

As an IB professional in small and medium-sized companies you will often be the generalist with a wide range of duties, mostly in an international context. In larger, internationally operating companies or multinationals, you will generally have a more specialist role.

Our graduates work in various industries on a general management level, or in business areas such as (digital) marketing, sales, financial services or logistics management. Want to join them? Then come join us at the Hogeschool Rotterdam Business School!