The International Business Program is jointly offered by the ESCI-UPF International Business School and the UPF Education Abroad Program. The program is aimed at undergraduate students with a major or minor in business who wish to acquire an international perspective and a better understanding of the successful management practices needed to compete in the global economy. Moreover, the program is designed to offer students insight into international business from a multicultural perspective and to improve their professional qualifications.
Our experience with summer programs and regular exchange agreements with many European, American, and Asian academic institutions make us confident that the program is a useful and enjoyable experience for all participants. Our faculty is looking forward to working with international students interested in learning how to manage companies in the global economy and to providing them with the skills and knowledge they need for a successful start to their business careers.
All students who complete the ESCI-UPF International Business Program will be awarded a joint certificate from the ESCI International Business School and the UPF Eduation Abroad Program attesting that they have successfully completed at least two international business courses.
Key Areas
- International Business
- International Management
- International Finance
- International Economics
(!) All ESCI courses will take place at ESCI-UPF Edifici Born, which is about a ten-minute walk from our Ciutadella Campus. They have different codes for the Fall/Winter terms. Please, be aware of this when configurating/registering your class schedules.
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Program Requirements
The ESCI-UPF International Business Program is designed primarily for students majoring or minoring in business. Most students pursuing a degree in business administration or economics will not need to complete any additional prerequisites. Applicants pursuing degrees in other fields should make sure they have fulfilled the recommended prerequisites specified for each course.
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Applicants should have a 3.0 GPA minimum at their schools of origin.
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The program is suitable for both students with a strong command of Spanish and for those wishing to take courses only in English, as it includes courses taught in both English and Spanish.
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Please, note that to take courses taught in Spanish, students are strongly advised to have completed at least four semesters of college-level Spanish.
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Applicants should come from a university or study abroad provider that has a study abroad partnership with UPF
Academic Structure
The certificate requires a full semester course load (normally 4-5 courses, equivalent to 24-30 ECTS credits) with the following breakdown:
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One compulsory core course: International Management
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At least one of the program elective courses: International Finance, International Economics, Doing Business in Europe, Corporate Finance, New Trends in International Marketing, Economic Global Order, Financial Risk Management, Strategic Brand Management, Consulmer Behavior or Cross Cultural Management and Intercultural Communication.
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Two or three additional courses, to be chosen from among the following:
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Another program course
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The ESCI-UPF undergraduate course offering
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The Barcelona Program for Interdisciplinary Studies course offering (culture and Spanish language courses)
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Deadline for applications:
Fall: May 30 | Winter and Spring: October 30
Academic offerings:
Compulsory core course
51634 / 51701 - International Management
Credits: 6 ECTS
Term: Fall 20 (online and face-to face learning options) & Winter 21
Recommended prerequisite: Business Organization
Globalization has created new opportunities for businesses worldwide. This course is designed to prepare students to better analyze and understand the challenges and chances that companies face when expanding their activities internationally. Special attention will be placed upon the different tools and analytical skills available to and required for various specialized managerial roles when businesses are competing internationally.
The course is comprised of 3 segments: The first is designed to offer students insight into the challenges posed by the international environment. Emphasis is placed on the analysis of differences in political economies and risks, as well as cultural and social heterogeneity among different countries. The second will focus on the analysis of global organizational structures and international strategies. Finally, the third will deal with international management operations, with a particular focus on import and export strategies and financing. It will also examine some of the keys to global marketing and human resource management.
Elective Courses
51635 / 51702 - International Economics
Credits: 6 ECTS
Term: Winter 21
Recommended prerequisite: Introduction to Economics (Microeconomics and Macroeconomics)
As markets are increasingly global, it is important to understand the implications of various scenarios for consumers, entrepreneurs and governments. This course will approach these issues from both a theoretical and empirical point of view. Specifically, the course is divided into two blocks: in the first block students will analyze various trade models and policy instruments, as well as the behavior of "real economic variables." In the second, they will explore topics related to international finance, such as the foreign exchange market, the international financial architecture, or the balance of payments and the relationship it bears to the forex market.
51633 / 51703 - International Finance
Credits: 6 ECTS
Term: Winter 21
Recommended prerequisite: Finance
This course aims to provide students with a good understanding of the international financial markets and their impact on financial decisions and management at international firms. The course covers a range of topics related to the international monetary system, the foreign exchange and derivatives markets, the financing of international firms, foreign investment operations, and foreign exchange risk management.
51636 / 51704 - Doing Business in Europe
Credits: 6 ECTS
Term: Winter 21
Recommended prerequisite: Business Organization
This course aims to provide a comprehensive and integrated view of the European market. The course is structured into two sections: the first offers a global view of Europe (historical background, evolution of the E.U., its institutional structure, and its domestic and foreign policies). The second analyzes the European business environment, paying special attention to differences in managerial and consumer behavior in order to understand and identify economic, political, social, and cultural dimensions of the E.U. that might represent opportunities for business development in the region.
51655 / 51705 - Corporate Finance
Credits: 6 ECTS
Term: Fall 2020 (online and face-to-face learning options) & Winter 2021
Recommended prerequisite: Business Organization
This course aims to provide a comprehensive and integrated view of the European market. The course is structured into two sections: the first offers a global view of Europe (historical background, evolution of the E.U., its institutional structure, and its domestic and foreign policies). The second analyzes the European business environment, paying special attention to differences in managerial and consumer behavior in order to understand and identify economic, political, social, and cultural dimensions of the E.U. that might represent opportunities for business development in the region.
51669 / 51706 - New Trends in International Marketing
Credits: 6 ECTS
Term: Fall 2020 (online and face-to-face options) & Winter 2021
Recommended prerequisite: Introduction to Marketing
Neuro-marketing. Social Responsibility in Marketing. Last trends in giving services through innovation. To be able to develop the marketing-mix strategy, define the brand extension as well as the communication strategies and distribution alternatives, striving to look towards the future and provide insights for a successful relationship with customers and clients
51700 / 51707 - Applied Marketing Research in the Digital Era
Credits: 6 ECTS
Term: Winter 2021 only
Recommended prerequisite: Introduction to Marketing
Key principles of how to design and plan marketing research. Relevant research designs for B2B and B2C sectors. Data transformation and analysis. New trends in marketing research. To be able to understand the critical details of modern marketing research. To introduce students to the practical tools they will be able to apply in real-life situations.
51710 / 51711 - Strategic Consumer Insights
Credits: 6 ECTS
Term: Winter 21
Recommended prerequisite: Introduction to Marketing
The goal of this course is to use a variety of insights from the social psychology literature in order to understand how consumers behave and, particularly, the reasons behind such behavior. With this knowledge, students should be better equipped to answer important marketing questions such as how to boost product awareness or how to increase purchase intentions.
Strategic Consumer Insights is divided in two blocks: in the first block, students will learn about perception, memory, motivation and personality. These topics have important marketing applications in the contexts of product awareness, product recall, and product attitude formation. In the second block, students will learn about decision-making models and influence techniques. These topics have important marketing applications in the contexts of product choice and brand loyalty.
51721 / 51722 - Economic Global Order
Credits: 6 ECTS
Term: Winter 21
Recommended prerequisite: Introductory Economics
It is no secret that, since the aftermath of WWII, the international arena is increasingly becoming more and more interconnected. Among many other factors, the consequences of the war, the globalization of markets, the cross-border nature of the many challenges that threaten our societies and the speed of the technological development are all contributing to the emergence of scene in Economic Global Order.
In this context, a number of International Organizations and Institutions of all sorts have mushroomed worldwide to cope with this ever-increasing complexity. Moreover, even paradoxically, they have also contributed to make the network of actors and interests of Global Governance even more complex.
This course will basically focus on the economics and trade. As a result, it has a two-folded objective. Firstly, it aims at presenting the key issues and the most critical moments of the historical path to the current state of the art in Global Governance. Secondly, it aims at presenting the most relevant Institutions that deal with global economics and international trade, as well as the outcomes of the expected (and unexpected) outcomes of the current globalization (economic imbalances, transnational migrations, environmental concerns …). In so doing, attention will also be paved to specific empirical cases to illustrate the development of the international political economy trends since 1945.
51728 / 51729 - Financial Risk Management
Credits: 6 ECTS
Term: Winter 21
Recommended prerequisite: Corporate Finance
Financial risks: currency risk exposure, interest rate risk, price volatility risk, among others. Hedging financial risk with varios risk management concepts, tools and techniques held by the derivative products: Futures, Forwards, Options and Swaps.
Discussion on the design and implementation of risk management practices. Realize and understand various state-of-the art risk management theories and practices (such as loss control, loss financing, and internal risk reduction mechanisms) as well as their advancement in the future.
51730 / 51731 - Strategic brand management
Credits: 6 ECTS
Term: Winter 21
Recommended prerequisite: Marketing Management
The strategic role of branding. Designing an effective brand strategy. Developing a brand value proposition that engages customers. Brand architecture and dynamics (brand porfolios, brand repositioning brand extensions and cobranding). Building lifestyle and premium brands. Brand ethics and social responsibility.
Building enduring brands in competitive markets and creation of market value. Developing managerial perspective regarding strategic brand management in a global framework.
51745 / 51746 - Cross Cultural Management and Intercultural Communication
Credits: 6 ECTS
Term: Fall 2020 (online and face-to-face learning options) & Winter 2021
Recommended prerequisite: Business Organization
51751 / 51752 - Consumer Behavior
Credits: 6 ECTS
Term: Fall 20 (online and face-to-face learning options) & Winter 21
Recommended prerequisite: Introduction to Marketing . Not compatible with 40204
51785-Sustainability Management
Credits: 6 ECTS
Term: Winter 21
Recommended prerequisite: Business Organization
Download syllabus
Distinguish, choose and apply the main assessment methodologies, improvement and environmental communication of products and services. Assess the internalization of sustainability in businesses.