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The International Business Certificate is intended to benefit those students seeking to broaden their understanding of international business and foster the development of their global mindset. The certificate program is open to all undergraduate students from any major with the approval of the program directors. Students who successfully complete requirements for graduation and who complete the IB Certificate requirements will be honored with a certificate at the Lehigh Business Honors Celebration.
The International Business Certificate is a 12 credit program that encompasses a mix of courses relating to international business and management, courses designed to broaden a student’s functional knowledge and or cultural competencies, and a study abroad experience.
*Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Global Experience requirement for the International Business Certificate has been waived until further notice.
Click below to download the application. Once complete, please submit to Patti Lawrence in the Department of Management at pll2@lehigh.edu.
Upon completion of the IB Certificate program, students will achieve the following learning objectives:
Acquire a core body of knowledge relating to the influence of economic, political, and sociocultural factors on the international business arena
Achieve the ability to communicate and engage in diverse cultural settings through an immersive global experience
Gain a global mindset that will allow the student to not only recognize and analyze important differences that occur when doing business internationally, but also have the ability to implement the proper tactics and strategies for dealing with these differences
Having an international experience affords many students the opportunity to enhance their awareness of global business issues. Lehigh University and Lehigh Business offer an array of immersive international programs beyond the traditional semester long study abroad programs. Financial aid will be available for qualified students to help defray the cost of participating in a global immersive program.
Students are required to complete a minimum of 12 credits. Students are required to take at least one of the following two courses:
MGT 342 Managing in the International Organization - This course introduces students to the challenges of managing and leading organizations whose operations and activities span national boundaries. Particular attention will be given to the critical human resource issues confronting managers in the global marketplace. Topics discussed include: contemporary and emerging international organizational structures; fostering a global mindset; managing across cultures; developing global leaders; reward systems; performance management; and managing global careers.
MGT 346 International Business - This course introduces students to important issues that firms face when doing business internationally. Particular attention is paid to salient differences across countries, the global trade and investment environment, and the strategy and structure of multinational enterprises. Topics covered include globalization, political and cultural differences across countries, foreign direct investment, foreign entry strategy, competing pressures for global integration and local responsiveness, global alliances, and cross-border mergers and acquisitions.
To successfully complete the program, students must take at least one other approved Lehigh Business course and then any combination of qualifying Lehigh Business or non-Lehigh Business courses to reach the 12 credit hour requirement. To count toward the IB Certificate, the content of courses must be highly salient to international business and the student must obtain a grade of C- or higher. The following courses have been pre-approved to count toward the certificate requirements. Additional courses, including courses taken abroad, may be considered with the advanced consent of the Program Directors. If you are considering a course that does not appear here but that you believe is highly salient to international business, please contact the Program Directors so they can evaluate whether the course would qualify toward the certificate.
This component enables students to develop their competencies while immersed in a cultural context different from their own.
There are a number of international experiences open to students at Lehigh University that meet the requirements for the International Business Certificate. Short-term study abroad programs and experiences (i.e., those of a duration of less than one semester) must demonstrate high salience to international business to qualify as an applicable global experience. Listed below is a sampling of programs currently offered, for an up-to-date list, consult the Study Abroad Office. Global programs offered for credit can be used in partial fulfillment (maximum of three credits) of the 12-credit requirement.
Douglas Mahony
Associate Professor of Management
610-758-4935