Presentation

Teaching goals

The objective of the course is to provide graduates in International Business Economics with special training in the ability to interrelate contents, methods and views of the world's complexity in the economics and business field in a multicultural context, as a result of the need for qualified graduates that can meet the challenges of business management and administration with an in-depth analytical grounding and a complete international orientation.

The degree in International Business Economics provides knowledge of economics and the skills necessary to work in management in the various areas of the work of business, in both multinationals and small and medium-sized enterprises.

As the entire course is taught in English, graduates become fully internationalised, and can undertake a career in businesses of any type oriented towards international markets.

Graduates in International Business Economics from the UPF will be able to manage projects within organisations and adapt to complex and changing economic, socio-political and technological environments.

Description of the course

The degree in International Business Economics is a commitment to the internationalisation of degree course studies, in the context of a society that is increasingly aware of the importance not only of multilingualism, but also of multiculturalism. For this reason, and due to the international nature of the UPF teaching staff, all the subjects in this programme are taught in English, and a stage abroad is compulsory, preferably in an English-speaking country.

Basic and compulsory subjects which are essential to knowledge of economics and business, are taught during the first year of the degree, such as Mathematics, Introduction to Game Theory, Introduction to Economics, Introduction to Company Law and Introduction to Financial Accounting. The various areas are covered in more depth in the second year: microeconomics, macroeconomics, probability, statistics, econometrics and accounting analysis, among others. In the third and fourth year, students must take a total of 120 credits in both compulsory subjects in the business area (Commercial Management, Financial Management, Strategic Management and Human Resources, among others) and optional subjects in the various areas of economics and business. These will always have an international perspective.

University mobility credits, with a compulsory minimum of 20 and a maximum of 40, are a particular feature of this degree; they can be counted as optional credits or, providing that they have been recognised beforehand, as compulsory third and fourth year credits or for the end-of-degree dissertation, and can be taken in the third and fourth year. The structure of the course in the final two years is designed to facilitate this mobility, so that students can choose to undertake mobility stages in any term during these two years as well as taking all the compulsory credits within the Faculty, if they so wish.

The external internship is optional, can be undertaken in the third or fourth year and is worth 14 credits.

The credits for the total progress made are defined at both the end of the first cycle and the end of the second cycle; in the third term of the second year, this is the Seminar Paper (5 credits) and in the fourth year it is the End-of-Degree Dissertation (6 credits).

Skills acquired by graduates in International Business Economics

At the end of the course, all students must have a full command of the following skills in English:

• The ability to reason independently.
• Consolidated habits of self-discipline, self-imposed standards of excellence and thoroughness.
• The ability to understand and interpret high level texts of an economic nature and texts of an academic nature in a relevant and reasoned manner.
• Application of economic reasoning to decision-making.
• A good grasp of computer tools and mathematical and statistical language.
• The ability to work as part of a team.
• Awareness of the various contexts in which they work: the economic situation, the sector, the market, the business and the department.
• Understanding of microeconomic strategies and their implications in management.
• Identification of situations for optimising resources and costs.
• Creation and maintenance of a network of professional contacts that enables them to take advantage of synergies and opportunities.

Career prospects

• International investments and finances consultant
• International markets analysts
• Tax accountant
• Auditor
• Business consultant
• Sales director and marketing expert
• International projects assessor
• International accounting expert
• Business administration and management
• Consultant for European and international organisations
• Human resources and knowledge management specialist
• Systems administration and analyst, management in public and non-profit making institutions
• International logistics expert
• Head of sales
• Sales director
• Expert in international business management and administration
• International taxation expert
• Body of European  and international organisation officials

Tracks

No tracks are defined in the degree, as one of the main objectives of the syllabus is to enable the highest level of flexibility possible by means of a significant number of credits in optional subjects. This will enable students to increase and broaden their knowledge in the areas in which they want to specialise.