International Business – BBus (Hons)

CAO Points: 291
Location: Athlone
years: 4

Course Code US853
Level 8
Course Type Undergraduate
Study Mode Full Time
Department Business & Management

Course Overview

Stand out from the crowd with an honours degree in international business, and with an option to take a language such as French you can further enhance your skillset. This course will open up a range of opportunities in terms of your future career direction and prospects from both a domestic and international perspective. The benefits of practical experience gained through the work placement element of this course will provide you with an opportunity to consolidate and apply business skills within an international business setting. It is likely to offer you a distinct advantage in securing graduate employment.
This four-year honours degree offers an opportunity to study the key international business subjects of accounting, finance, economics, management, marketing, human resource management and computing with a focus on how companies do business in an international setting.
The inclusion of a 20-week work placement in the third year of the course gives you an ideal opportunity to apply and embed your learning.

Further Information

After the recent sharp global recession and as Ireland move into recovery, skills shortages are now emerging in certain areas and occupations. Global trends and drivers of change such as changing consumption patterns and shifting power structures are shaping international markets and emerging enterprise sectors. Other core or transversal skills like languages and entrepreneurship will also underpin Ireland’s use of its talent offering as a global differentiator (National Skills Strategy, 2025).

The National Skills Bulletin (2018) highlights Ireland’s current skills shortages by occupation. These include: multilingual skills for associate professionals in ICT, sales & marketing, administrative staff in financial service, freight transport, distribution & logistics, customer service representatives and product/account managers. Foreign language and cultural awareness languages is in high demand for businesses. Languages of interest include: German, French Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and the Nordic languages.

Preliminary figures for 2018 show that goods exports were valued at €140,835 million in 2018, the highest total on record. This is an increase of €18,123 million (+15%) over 2017. The largest category of exports was Medical and pharmaceutical products. Exports of these goods accounted for a third (33%) of all exports.

Contact Details

Dr. Alison Sheridan

Head of Department

Email: Alison.Sheridan@tus.ie

What are the entry requirements?

Leaving Certificate

Grade H5 in two subjects plus Grade O6/H7 in four other subjects in the Leaving Certificate examinations. Two of these subjects must be mathematics and a language (English or Irish).

QQI

Any QQI Level 5 award with a minimum of Distinction grade in three modules.

Mature Applicants

Candidates applying as mature applicants may be required to attend an interview and may be requested to take an aptitude test to prove their suitability for a place on this programme.

International Applicants

International applicants should apply directly to the International Office at TUS, allowing plenty of time for completing the visa process. Applications for September start should be made by 1st June at the latest to ensure visas are processed in time. You should familiarise yourself with visa processing times for your country of origin to ensure you make a timely application. Find out more here.

Course Modules

Year 1

Critical Skills for Learning
Financial Accounting
Introduction to Management
Microeconomic Principles
Entrepreneurial Skills
Fundamentals of Marketing
Computer Applications
Business Mathematics
Macroeconomic Principles
French for International Business (Elective)
European Business Studies (Elective)
Banking (Elective)
Sales and Selling (Elective)
Business English 1 (Elective)

Year 2

IT and Computer Applications
Operations Management
Applied Entrepreneurship
Business Law Fundamentals
Management Accounting
International Trade and Tax
Introduction to HRM
Applied Economics (Elective)
Services Marketing (Elective)
French for International Business (Elective)
Financial Accounting (Elective)
International Economics (Elective)
e-Commerce (Elective)
Business English 2 (Elective)
Insurance (Elective)

Year 3

Business Modelling & Enterprise
Contemporary Issues in International Business
Managerial Finance A
International Business Negotiation
Industry Placement
French for International Business (Elective)
Sales Management (Elective)
Market Research and Analysis (Elective)
Personal General Insurance (Elective)
Business English 3 (Elective)
International Marketing (Elective)
Strategic HRM (Elective)

Year 4

Applied Business Research
Cultural Diversity & Employability
Strategic Analysis
Supply Chain Management
Global Finance
Applied International Consulting Project
Strategic Implementation
Advanced Spreadsheets
French for International Business (Elective)
Ethical Decision Making (Elective)
Financial Management (Elective)
Alternative Dispute Resolution (Elective)
Business English 4 (Elective)
Contemporary Issues in Marketing (Elective)
Data Protection Law and Practice (Elective)
Financial Markets and Derivative (Elective)
Managing People
Organisational Change (Elective)

What can you do after this programme?

Career Opportunities

Responding to identified employer needs, this programme aims to produce a capable and competent graduate with the ability to work, operate and manage in an internationally focused business environment. In addition to core business subjects in the early semesters of the programme, modules such as International Business Negotiation, Contemporary Issues in International Business, Cultural Diversity and Employability, combine with the mandatory work placement in year three and the applied international research project in final year to leave graduates well placed to pursue a range of opportunities globally. The following list is a small sample of the future career opportunities which may be available to graduates of this programme:

Business Development Manager
Diplomat /roles within the Department of Foreign Affairs
Event Management
Global Brand Manager
International Finance Manager
International Marketing Executive
Investment Fund Manager
Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Management Consultant
Policy Officer (European Union)
Procurement Assistant (European Union)
Procurement Officer
Programme Officer (European Union)
Recruitment Consultant
Research Assistant (European Union)

Further Study

Successful graduates of this programme are eligible for Level 9 and 10 postgraduate programmes within TUS or elsewhere. Students will be eligible to apply for a place on either the Master of Business or the MSc in Digital Marketing programme.