David Bruce, Faculty Advisor
The Master of International Business program in the Institute of International Business is designed to provide graduates with specialized skills needed to function as managers in global business. The emphases of the program are (1) to extend functional skills to deal with managerial issues in the global marketplace and (2) to enhance students' intercultural awareness and sensitivity. Functional skills to deal with global issues are developed through program course requirements in international business. The development of these skills is further enhanced through their application in a supervised international work program (internship). Intercultural awareness is developed through foreign area study (culture, history, and politics of a foreign country), mastery of a business language other than English, and the international internship.
1. All Master of International Business students will complete the Business Communication Skills Requirement explained earlier in this chapter. The regulations, policies, and procedures given in the "Master's Enrollment" and "Master's Programs" sections of this chapter apply to the M.I.B. program. A maximum of nine semester hours of transfer credit is permitted in this 33-hour program.
2. Course Requirements. The course requirements for the M.I.B. degree and the format of the program follow. For descriptions and prerequisites of the undergraduate foundation courses, see the Course Descriptions chapter of the Georgia State University Undergraduate Catalog. This catalog is available on the Web at www.gsu.edu/es/catalogs_courses.html; click on Students then Catalogs.
a. Foundation and Prerequisite Courses (0-24 hours): The courses in this section are in addition to the 33 semester hours required for the degree. They are assigned as part of the admission process based on a review of each student's transcripts. These courses provide foundations for the rest of the program and should be taken first.
Accounting/Finance: MBA 8025, or Financial and Managerial Accounting Principles (Acct 2101-2102) and Corporate Finance (Fi 3300).
Behavioral Science: MBA 8165 or MK 3010 or MGS 3400
Economics: MBA 7035 or Macroeconomics principles (Econ 2105) and Microeconomics principles (Econ 2106).
Mathematics: College algebra (Math 1111).
Statistics: MBA 7025 or Math 1070.
b. Language Foundation. Each student must demonstrate mastery of a business language other than the native tongue. Demonstration of mastery in a language can be established by one of the following methods: (1) completion of this language requirement at a foreign institution through a study abroad segment. Certification of language proficiency must be provided; (2) passing an examination approved by the Georgia State University Department of Modern and Classical Languages (MCL), or other internationally recognized exam; (3) sit for a panel of examiners as determined by IIB and MCL to ascertain proficiency level of the student. There will be both an oral and written component. There are business language courses (French, German, Spanish) offered by MCL which are useful in this effort. Academic credit earned to satisfy the language foundation requirement is in addition to the 33 hours required for the degree.
c. Required Core Courses (9 hours):
Select one of the following two:
d. Designated International Business Electives (12 hours): With the approval of the faculty adviser, select 12 hours of coursework from the following list. Twelve hours is the minimum amount of coursework in this portion of the program; if prerequisites for the courses chosen have not been completed previously, they must be taken as additional hours. Consult the Course Descriptions chapter of this catalog for a listing of the prerequisites for each course.
Optional Groupings: These groupings are provided as guidance for selecting electives. They are only suggestions and are subject to availability of courses. The faculty adviser can discuss these and other options with students as they select electives.
International Management: MGS 8860, IB 8100, IB 8180, IB 8600, and IB 8680.
International Finance: Fi 8040, IB 8410F, IB 8080, and any of the following: Fi 8240, Fi 8340, Fi 8440, Tx 8300, RMI 8350.
International Information Technology: IB 8180, IB 8400F, IB 8680, IB 8690, IB 8710, CIS/CPI 8060.
e. Foreign Area Study (6 hours): Complete a minimum of six hours of graduate courses covering culture, history, politics, and/or the society of a foreign country. These courses may be taken at Georgia State University by choosing from the list below or at a foreign institution through the study abroad requirement.
f. Study Abroad (IB 8410). Within the program of study, a student may complete up to the equivalent of nine semester hours of pre-approved coursework at an institution outside the United States. The courses may cover the language, culture, society or business of the host country and may be used to meet the requirements of IB electives (D) and Foreign Area Study (E). The courses must be equivalent to graduate-level courses offered by Georgia State University. Normally, qualifying courses are those offered by institutions that are part of an exchange program with Georgia State University. In all cases, courses taken at foreign institutions to meet this requirement must be approved in advance by the director of the Institute of International Business. The 24-hour minimum residency for courses taken at Georgia State must be met. Students may also meet the language requirements through a study abroad program in a foreign institution.
g. International Internship (IB 8500—6 hours). This requirement is met by a supervised work program conducted at an organization outside the United States. Foreign nationals may intern with organizations in the United States. The internship must be for at least one semester (normally four months) of full-time work and must be related to the student's program of study. Fluency in the business language of the host country must be established before being approved for an internship. Certification of fluency is by examination or by completion of the language requirement in section B above. All internships must be approved in advance by the director of the Institute of International Business.
3. Program of Study/Course Selection. Each student's program must be planned in consultation with the faculty adviser for the Master of International Business program and a copy of the program filed with the Office of Graduate Student Services for review and approval. Progress toward the degree, including clearance for graduation, cannot be confirmed without an approved program of study. The program of study should be planned before the student takes a non-required 8000-level course. Any changes in the program must be approved by the faculty adviser and a copy of the changes sent to the Office of Graduate Student Services. Students always must consult the Course Descriptions chapter of the current graduate catalog to determine if they have met the prerequisites for any course to be taken. If prerequisites are listed that cannot be incorporated within the 33 hours of 8000-level coursework for the degree, they must be taken as additional hours.
4. Time Limit. The time limit for completing the MIB program is five years from the first semester a course in C, D, E or G (above) is taken.
5. In addition to attending the MBA orientation, MIB candidates are required to participate in the MIB orientation during the first year of their program. In addition, MIB candidates are asked to participate in the Mentor Program. The Mentor Program matches each participate with a seasoned business executive. For more information, consult the Institute's website at www.iib.gsu.edu or email iib@gsu.edu.
6. MIB candidates pay a program fee of $1,200 per semester for their first three semesters for a total of $3,600. The fee is collected at the same time as payment of tuition.
In cooperation with the College of Arts and Sciences, the Robinson College of Business offers a five-year program leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in French, German, or Spanish plus the Master of International Business degree. This is a rigorous, cross-disciplinary program for highly motivated students with an interest in language, intercultural study, and international business. Graduates of the program are equipped with both global marketplace management skills and intercultural business language expertise. For further information, contact Dr. Fernando O. Reati, Department of Modern and Classical Languages, 841 General Classroom, 404/413-5984 or Dr. Daniel Bello, Institute of International Business, Ste. 1430 Robinson College of Business, 404/413-7275, email: iib@gsu.edu. To be accepted to the five-year program, students must be admitted separately to each degree program and satisfy prerequisites for each program.
The joint degree program allows students to use 12 – 15 hours from the Master's degree to satisfy the requirements of the Bachelor's degree. Students reduce the total number of credit hours needed to complete both programs from 153 to 138 by pursuing the joint degree. Upon completion of the requirements for both degrees, students in the five-year AB/MIB program will be awarded both a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master's in International Business.
The purpose of the joint degree is to prepare students for business and/or governmental careers in the new global economy. Increasingly, international businesses influence nation-states just as national politics and international agreements impact business operations. The joint curriculum that this program offers proposes to combine political economy and international processes in order to meet this emerging education and professional need.
Each student must apply and be accepted separately to the graduate programs of the Department of Political Science and the Department of International Business. Students must complete the requirements for each degree. For students who are applying to the Political Science program as part of the joint degree program, GMAT and GRE scores are accepted by each program respectively. Upon completion of the requirements, students will be awarded both a Master's in Political Science and a Master's in International Business. The joint degree program allows students to use some courses in each department to satisfy the requirements of the other. Students reduce the total number of credit hours needed to complete both programs from 66 to 48 by pursuing the joint degree. Please see the Master of Arts in Political Science section for more information on the M.A. degree, or contact Dr. William Downs, Department of Political Science, 1004 General Classroom, 404/413-5169/ polwmd@langate.gsu.edu or Dr. David Bruce, IIB, Ste. 1441 Robinson College of Business, 404/413-7275 / iib@gsu.edu.
A dual-degree is available in which students earn a master's degree from the Robinson College and a Master in Management degree (MIM) from Groupe Ecole Superieure de Commerce in Toulouse, France. The program requires a one-year residency in Toulouse, France and written and oral proficiency in French. Students benefit from an internship program during the spring term. For more information, contact Paula Huntley, IIB, Ste. 1430 Robinson College of Business, 404/413-7275 / iib@gsu.edu.