2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog Major in International Business Degrees offered: B.A. or B.S.

Major Requirements

Minimum required credit hours: 86

Take 1 of the following

Take 1 of the following

Take 1 of the following

Take 1 courses (3 credit hours) from the following 

Take 2 additional course (6 credit hours) from the following 

Take 3 courses (9 credit hours) within the COB that provide a focused area of functional specialization

Students should see https://business.illinoisstate.edu/ib/specialization/ for examples including career paths and course combinations to consider. Students should get approval from their advisor before enrolling in their specialization.

Take 2 courses (6 credit hours) in the following areas 

Consult advisor for specific approved internationally focused courses

  • Languages, Literatures, & Cultures
  • Geography
  • History
  • Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Politics & Government
  • Sociology and Anthropology
  • Fine Arts

Notes

Enrollment in 200-level business courses requires 45 completed credit hours. Enrollment in 300-level business courses requires 75 completed credit hours.

Courses for the language requirement and area studies requirement are often able to also meet general education requirements. Thus, careful consultation early in the IB program can reduce the number of hours needed to complete it.

IB majors are required to have an international experience consisting of a least one month abroad for a study abroad or an international internship. If this is a concern, there is an exemption process through the Director of the Carson and Iris Varner International Business Institute.

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Graduation Requirements

These are general requirements for all students. Students may apply for and receive two bachelor's degrees at the same time. Refer to the Academic Policies and Practices section of the catalog for details.

  • 120 minimum total credit hours
  • A minimum of 40 of the 120 total hours must be senior college hours (200-300 level courses)
  • AMALI requirement (certain courses in General Education and/or major may fulfill the AMALI requirement)
  • IDEAS (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access in U.S. Society) requirement (certain courses in General Education and/or major may fulfill the IDEAS requirement)
  • Students completing a Bachelor of Science degree must complete a B.S. - Science, Math, & Technology degree requirement (beyond the General Education requirements) 
  • Students completing a Bachelor of Arts degree must complete a B.A. - world language degree requirement: LAN/FRE/GER/SPA/ITA/JPN/POR 115 (or equivalent) 
  • Some majors complete other types of degrees that do not include additional graduation requirements. For example, the Bachelor of Science in Education (B.S. in Ed.) or the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.). 

Specific Program Requirements

2 courses (6-8 credit hours) language courses at least through 116-level or  an equivalent route - B.A. Foreign Language 

General Education Requirements

There are three ways to complete general education requirements for Illinois State University. These three general education programs have different requirements and affect only certain types of students.

  1. The first way is to complete Illinois State University's General Education Program (see below for details).
  2. The second way is to complete the Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum available through the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) (see below for details).
  3. The third way is to complete a baccalaureate-oriented Associates Degree (A.A. or A.S.) from a regionally accredited post-secondary institution. For those transferring from an Illinois college or university, the A.S. degree must include the complete IAI General Education Core Curriculum (GECC) or the student must complete the GECC to fulfill Illinois State’s General Education requirement.

Illinois State University's General Education Program

The complete General Education Program consists of 13 courses (39 semester hours). Because of laboratory or recitation requirements, some courses are listed as four or five credit hours in this catalog. All four or five hours will be credited toward graduation requirements, but only three hours will be credited in General Education for these courses. Depending on their major, students may be exempted from one General Education category (maximum of one course) because of disciplinary expertise gained in their major.

Program requirements that also fulfill General Education Program Requirements

Illinois Articulation Initiative for Transfer Students

To be eligible for IAI, at least one transfer course must have been articulated to an IAI core requirement. Refer to the Undergraduate Catalog for a complete list of IAI courses and policies. The Illinois Transferable General Education Core curriculum consists of 12 to 13 courses (37 to 41 hours of credit) within a five-category designation.

Program requirements that also fulfill IAI Program Requirements