Bachelor of Business (International Business) (Applied)

Gain the skills to manage and lead

In this four-year program you will have the opportunity to integrate work with your learning activities through the cooperative education program – a compulsory paid industry placement undertaken during the third year.

International opportunities

You are actively encouraged to experience the wider world inside both traditional and virtual classrooms. Exposure to different types of cross-border collaboration during your studies will provide insights into how organisations develop ideas, and present you with different behaviours, learning styles and practices that you will encounter after graduation.

Options include:

participating in a student exchange
participating in a study tour that combines an overseas travel and cultural experience with coursework completed in intensive mode which is credited towards your degree
collaborating on projects across campuses and locations with students from business and other disciplines
undertaking an overseas internship as part of the Global Entrepreneurship and Internship Program (GEIP).

Find out more about international opportunities in the College of Business.

Electives and program structure

The program consists of 28 taught courses including core business and international business courses, work-integrated learning courses, flexible courses, a one-year compulsory industry placement and a business design project. The business design project in final year consolidates this practical experience, theory and your problem-solving skills.

Flexible courses may be chosen from a business minor that is different from your major area of study, or a minor from another discipline, or from general student electives.

Year 1

You will do 7 of the compulsory common business core courses plus 1 international business major course.

Year 2

You will study the final compulsory common business core course, and focus on your major by completing 7 international business courses. The courses in years 2 and 4 of the degree cover the following topics.

Financial markets. You will be introduced to the financial markets environment in which business organisations operate globally, and you will collaborate in small teams to critically analyse problems in real-life treasury dealing situations using live data in the RMIT Trading Facility.
Economics and trade. You will be introduced to the economic theory of free trade and the effect international trade (or intervening in the trade process) has on economic welfare, economic growth and income distribution.
Global trade operations. You’ll gain insights in to the operational and strategic aspects of global trade operations related to the exchange of goods and services across international borders, as well as the politics of global trade and the regulatory environment.
Cross cultural management. Equips you with the awareness, knowledge and skills needed to work in a multicultural workplace and successfully lead in organisations by considering behaviours, intercultural sensitivity, cross-cultural communication and diversity.
Socially responsible management. Provides you with knowledge and skills to think innovatively about how to take social and environmental issues into account in ways that both contribute to core business strategy, and also improve outcomes for society through engagement with stakeholders in the value chains of international business.
Political economy. Consolidates and deepens your understanding of the political, economic and cultural environments in which international business operates, and the role of global business as actors in the international political economy, including relationships with the key international institutions and actors.
Design thinking. You will explore creativity, innovation and design and their importance within organisations and business in the context of increasing levels of risk and uncertainty globally, thereby gaining a uniquely RMIT perspective on contemporary challenges and opportunities in international business.

Year 3

The third year involves a compulsory industry placement as part of the Cooperative Education program.

Year 4

After completing your industry placement, you will return for your final year of study. You will complete flexible courses, Business Design Project courses, and courses in your international business major including the specialist core course, Sustainable Futures.

In Sustainable Futures you will explore interactions between the local and global dimensions of the big sustainability challenges we face. You will be introduced to key concepts, sustainability principles and techniques that you can apply within households, communities and workplaces.

In the Business Design Project courses you will bring together the theoretical learning from the first two years and your supervised industry placement. You will need to produce a brief that outlines a current or potential business issue. You must then reflect on theory, test creative solutions, communicate the issue; and demonstrate your ability to analyse and problem-solve in a coherent manner.

Your flexible courses can comprise a business (or other discipline) minor; or four electives.

Business minors include:

accounting
behavioural business
business analysis
economics and finance
entrepreneurship
finance
financial planning
financial planning and taxation
human resource management
human resource practice
information systems
IS security and risk management
law
logistics and supply chain management
management
marketing
flexible business minor

Other minors (PDF 201KB 14p) can be chosen from many disciplines offered across RMIT. Examples of these minors or elective streams include foreign languages, international studies, sustainability and environment, geospatial studies, statistics and data management, politics, social justice, gender studies, and conflict mediation.

When planning your studies, you are advised to check which elective and minor courses are offered each year.