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Columbia Campus    
2018-2019 Graduate Studies Bulletin 
    
 
  Mar 29, 2024
 
2018-2019 Graduate Studies Bulletin [Archived Catalog]

International Business, I.M.B.A.



Graduates of the I.M.B.A. generally accept managerial positions whose responsibilities have a global component. The Moore School of Business has demonstrated its ability to equip graduates to perform in positions of leadership in global business. The I.M.B.A. program differs from more traditional graduate business degrees in the extent to which a global perspective is taken on all issues. The language and global issues components offer superb preparation for the internship. Significant assignments are undertaken in the internship. The numerous elective courses in international business and the high-quality elective courses available in all areas of the Moore School of Business allow I.M.B.A. participants who so choose to develop a significant area of specialized expertise. Graduates of the I.M.B.A. program are true internationalists, equipped to operate in the culturally diverse markets now open to the global firm.

The degree program prepares its graduates for global business careers. Each graduate has the opportunity to develop competency in a second language and will complete a rigorous program of graduate business study, develop an understanding of another culture and business environment, and integrate academic course work through the experience of an extensive internship. Each candidate for the degree is admitted to a language track or the global track. The language selected determines the culture to be studied and the region of the world where the internship is located. Language tracks currently offered are French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish (two-year programs), and Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese (three-year programs). Rather than learn another language, students in the global track pursue additional course work that focuses on the political, economic, and business factors affecting the investment climate of various regions of the world. The program must be taken on a full-time basis, with classes beginning each July. The courses in the program are taken in sequence over a two- or three-year period, depending on the track to which the candidate is admitted.

Learning Outcomes

  • Communication skills: Students will be able to be able to engage in effective business communication, with competencies demonstrated for both oral and written communication. 
  • Business Acumen: Students will acquire in-depth knowledge in the core foundational courses of business to understand the operations of the modern business corporation. 
  • Data-driven decision-making skills: Students will examine the role of quantitative data in managerial decision-making. They will understand the importance and roles of different types of data (financial, economic, accounting, etc.) Utilize appropriate format for presentation of data. 
  • Global business competencies: Students will be able to draw upon their understanding of the international business environment to address complex business or economic questions. 
  • Integrative understanding of business and government interactions globally: Students will possess the skills to capture and understand an insider s perspective of how business is conducted in a particular country 
  • Foreign Language Proficiency: Students will acquire effective communication skills in other languages as identified in their program of study. 
  • Global Leadership: Students will acquire the specific skills to enable them to work and lead across borders. 

Admission

Requirements for admission to the program conform to the general regulations of The Graduate School and the accreditation standards of AACSB International-the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Applicants submit the official graduate application, an official transcript of their complete academic record, and satisfactory scores on the GMAT or GRE. At least two years of meaningful work experience is expected.

International applicants whose native language is not English are also required to submit a satisfactory score on the TOEFL or the IELTS Intl. Academic Course Type 2 exam. Otherwise-qualified candidates are required to achieve a TOEFL score of at least iBT 100 or 600 paper-based or a score of at least 7.0 on the IELTS exam. The TOEFL is not required of international students who have a degree from an American college or university. Graduates of foreign universities or colleges who have completed an academic program equivalent to a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. institution are encouraged to apply for admission.

Please visit the Darla Moore School of Business  website for admissions information.

Degree Requirements (74 Hours)

Select 12 hours from the following:


Language Track

The Language Track consists of, but is not limited to, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, French, German and Portuguese.

Candidates in the language tracks will complete 12 credit hours of the following courses:

  • DMSB 700 - Language Training in International Business I
  • DMSB 703 - Language Training in International Business II
  • DMSB 705 - Language Training in International Business III

Candidates in the Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese tracks must also complete a prescribed overseas curriculum to meet the degree requirements. These three language tracks are full time programs that may require 36 months to complete. In such cases, students spend approximately one-and-a-half years abroad developing language competency and cultural understanding and completing their internship.

Candidates in the Language Track who demonstrate language capability to waive DMSB 700 or DMSB 703 must take additional Global track electives as approved by the Full-Time MBA Program office in place of the waived courses.

Global Track

Candidates in the Global Track will complete 12 credit hours of the following:

  • Approved elective courses
  • DMSB 708 - Global Business Issues I

European Track


Note: As of 2008, the European track is no longer admitting students.

Students with significant work experience may not need the on-the-job training that an international internship offers. To meet the needs of these students, the Moore School of Business has developed a joint program with the Wirtschaftsuniversitat Wien (WU-Wien, Vienna Economics and Business University), Austria’s leading business school. This all-English, 15-month program builds on the best of European and American management education.

Students gain international experience by taking classes at the WU-Wien for six months. Outstanding faculty from both institutions teach the internationalized business core. A distinguished speakers series and field trips reinforce material learned in class with actual European business practices. After finishing the core classes, students take two semesters of elective classes at the University of South Carolina along with students in the language and global tracks who have just returned from their internships.