International Business and Economics – Penn State School of International Affairs

Purpose:

This concentration prepares students for entry into the private sector. Emphasis is placed on the provision of a core skill set for work in business, and the challenges that arise for businesses that operate in international markets.

Description:

The vast majority of economic and social activity takes place in the private sector. Globalization has ensured that the international economy strongly influences the strategies of businesses. Preparation for the modern job market thus benefits from obtaining skills geared toward private sector business, and an understanding of the requirements of operating in the global economy. Core requirements cover topics in business administration, project management, corporate finance, strategy, the international legal context, and international trade and finance. A set of essential analytical tools for the analysis of data and strategic interaction is provided.

Requirements:

Students wishing to receive attestation certifying the depth of their specialization in this particular area will be required to successfully complete at least four of the courses listed below.

Please note that this list will be reviewed from time to time depending on the available course offerings at any given time. Students should check the availability of these courses with the SIA academic adviser and the individual course instructors. Students should also determine if there are prerequisites for enrolling in a particular course.

Courses:

SIA is unable to guarantee enrollment in most courses offered by the Smeal College of Business due to departmental controls. However, SIA has been able to identify several International Business and Management courses that are open to SIA students for a limited time each semester. Please see the SIA academic adviser for information on how to request such classes.

In addition to the Smeal courses noted below, SIA has also identified other economics and business-related courses that may be available to SIA students with faculty and/or departmental approval; however, there is no guarantee as SIA does not control enrollment or prerequisites for such courses. These additional suggested electives are grouped by level of importance, with Tier I courses indicating foundational courses for the business and economics concentration, Tier II courses offering more generic skills, and Tier III courses offering more specific skills relevant to more focused concentrations.

Controlled courses taught by the Smeal College of Business which open to SIA students, space permitting. (See SIA academic adviser for more registration information)

1. IB 403 International Business and National Policies – both fall and spring
2. IB 404 Contemporary Issues in International Business – spring only
3. IB 450 The Business Environment of Europe – both fall and spring
4. IB 460 International Business in Emerging Nations – fall only
5. IB 470: International Development in African Context – spring only
6. IB 497 Sustainability and International Business – both fall and spring
7. IB 497: The Global Financial Crisis – spring only
8. MGMT 402 Negotiation and Conflict Management – both fall and spring
9. MGMT 425 New Venture Creation – both fall and spring
10. MGMT 426 Invention Commercialization – both fall and spring

The following are potential electives taught by other academic departments (i.e. Smeal College of Business, Department of Economics) which may require faculty and/or departmental approval. *MBA Program classes – students must seek approval from the professor to enroll in the class. If approved, an Add/Drop form must be submitted to the Smeal MBA office, 220 Business Building, for processing.

Tier I

1. Multinational Corporations — BUSLW 968 (3 credits)
2. Security Analysis and Portfolio Management — FIN 406 (3 credits)
3. International Business Management — I B 500 (3 credits)
4. International Finance and Open Economy Macroeconomics — ECON 434 (3 credits)
5. Project Management* — B A 421 (3 credits)
6. Strategy, Conflict and Peace – INTAF 505 (3 credits)
7. International Trade – ECON 507 (3 credits)

Tier II

1. Time Series and Long-T Panel Analysis — INTAF 597 (3 credits)
2. Applied Time Series Analysis — STAT 463 (3 credits)
3. Business Analytics* — BAN 530 (3 credits)
4. Business and Government Relations — PL SC 446 (3 credits)
5. Business, Government and International Economics* — B A 545 (3 credits)
6. Business Forecasting Techniques — ECON 481 (3 credits)
7. Cross-Sectional Econometrics — ECON 465 (3 credits)
8. Economic Forecasting — ECON 483 (3 credits)
9. Global Finance — I B 555 (3 credits)
10. Government and the Economy — PL SC 444 (3 credits)
11. International Law and Organizations — PL SC 487 (3 credits)
12. Managerial Economics — ECON 442 (3 credits)
13. Strategic Business Planning* — B A 422W (3 credits)
14. Strategic Leadership* — B A 565 (3 credits)
15. The Business Cycle — ECON 450 (3 credits)
16. Advanced International Trade — ECON 433 (3 credits)

Tier III

1. Political Economy of Development and Growth — INTAF 504 (3 credits)
2. Property, Poverty and Development — INTAF 597 (3 credits)
3. Economic Challenges of Africa — INTAF 597 (3 credits)
4. Energy, International Security and the Global Economy — INTAF 810 (3 credits)
5. Dynamics of International Economics Order: Law, Politics, and Power — INTAF 815 (3 credits)
6. Agency, Partnerships, and Limited Liability Entities — CCLAW 955 (3 credits)
7. Analyzing Business and Industry* — B A 411 (3 credits)
8. Applied Statistics — STAT 500 (3 credits)
9. Behavioral Economics – ECON 411 (3 credits)
10. Decision Making and Strategy in Economics – ECON 402 (3 credits)
11. E-Business Marketing* — MKTG 543 (2 credits)
12. Economic Development and the Environment — INTAF 597 (3 credits)
13. Economics of Arts and Entertainment — ECON 403 (3 credits)
14. Economics of Developing Countries — ECON 476 (3 credits)
15. Economics of Energy and Energy Security — ECON 427 (3 credits)
16. Economics of the Financial Crisis — ECON 452 (3 credits)
17. Economics of Global Climate Change — ECON 415 (3 credits)
18. Economics of Labor Markets — ECON 410 (3 credits)
19. Economics of Law and Regulation — ECON 443 (3 credits)
20. Energy Economics — E B F 484 (3 credits)
21. Environmental Economics — ECON 428 (3 credits)
22. European Union Law Seminar — SEM 913 (3 credits)
23. Foreign Investment in Russia and the CIS — INTER 954 (3 credits)
24. Labor Economics and Labor Markets: Theory, Evidence and Policy — ECON 412 (3 credits)
25. Insurance and Corporate Governance* — INS 575 (2 credits)
26. International Business and National Policies — I B 403 (3 credits)
27. International Business in Emerging Markets — I B 460 (3 credits)
28. International Political Economy — PL SC 563 (3 credits)
29. International Real Estate Markets — I B 480 (3 credits)
30. IT Strategy* — BA 523 (2 credits)
31. Marketing Analysis* — BAN 540 (3 credits)
32. Migration and Development — ECON 475 (3 credits)
33. New Product Development* — MKTG 542 (2 credits)
34. Public Finance and Fiscal Policy — ECON 429 (3 credits)
35. The Business Environment of Europe — I B 450 (3 credits)

*MBA Program classes – students must seek approval from the professor to enroll in the class. If approved, an Add/Drop form must be submitted to the Smeal MBA office, 220 Business Building, for processing.