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If you’re interested in learning more about Hult International Business School’s Programs, here’s your chance! As one of the world’s most prestigious business schools, we took the time to research and collect information we found helpful and informative beginning with its history. In 1964, Hult International Business School was first established by Arthur D. Little, the globe’s oldest multi-national management consulting firm.

With a quick flash forward to today, Hult stands as a private, nonprofit B-school with over 3,000 students from 130+ nationalities. Although it’s based in Cambridge, Hult International Business School offers courses on rotation in San Francisco, London, Dubai, Shanghai, and New York to develop global awareness. Hult is regionally accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and British Accreditation Council (BAC).

Immersing oneself in practical business education that spans the globe is Hult’s mission. The Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program allows undergraduates to specialize in Management, Finance, Entrepreneurship, Accounting, or Marketing for career-ready skills. At the post-baccalaureate level, Hult International Business School offers a Global One-Year MBA and seven specialized master’s degrees, including a Master of Disruptive Innovation. Leaders with 5+ years of experience can enter the 18-month Executive MBA program instead. On average, Hult charges $38,450 to $45,000 for its annual tuition.

The AACSB member has earned several prestigious rankings in the business community. In 2016, Bloomberg placed Hult 17th for best International MBA program. According to The Economist, Hult International Business School has the 60th best MBA worldwide with the second most diverse recruiters. Financial Times applauded Hult for the 22nd top executive education programs globally. On PayScale, Hult is recognized for a high mid-career salary of $92,500. Students interested in Hult International Business School should get ready to compete because there’s an acceptance rate of 25 percent.

In recent years, the Internet has become dominated by MOOCs, or “massively open online courses.” These courses offers students the chance to study everything from Starbucks coffee to serious banking topics, and they’re a great resource for aspiring business students who are looking to brush up on basic or unconventional topics during their time in academia.

Great Courses in All Kinds of Topics

Whether it’s the basics of marketing or the fundamentals of irrational economic decision, business students and other professionals have never had a better selection of online coursework to choose from. With some of the best names in American higher education offering these exciting courses, students have nothing to lose and a vast amount of unique knowledge to gain.

With plenty of options available, business students owe it to themselves to pick the most intriguing or helpful options available. From statistics to artificial intelligence, ten online courses stand out as among the best possible options for today’s business professionals and students. Here are the Top 10 Free Classes Available Online For International Business Majors.

1. Coursera’s An Introduction to Accounting

Few names are as respected in the business world as the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. There’s good reason for that: Over the course of Wharton’s existence, it’d produced an unparalleled number of high-ranking executives that run corporations in the United States and all around the world. It should come as no surprise, then, that Penn’s online course introducing financial accounting remains a major draw. The general goal of this course is teach the very basic elements of accounting, including creating and reading a balance sheet, distinguishing between profits and losses, and learning the basics of ethics in the profession.

Accounting is a central piece of any business education, whether in high school, college, or graduate school. Wharton’s non-credit online program is the perfect way for students to get in on the ground floor, learning the basics that will help their classroom endeavors at every level of their future business education.

For Coursera’s Free Online An Introduction to Accounting Course, go here.

2. Udacity’s Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

Lots of courses are equipped to tell students about where business has been and why that matters, but precious few are willing to take a guess at where business will end up in the future. That’s where this course in artificial intelligence breaks from the mold and becomes a real asset to aspiring business professionals. Taught by a former NASA scientist and Google’s head of research, the course looks at existing and future implementations of artificial intelligence.

A central focus is placed on how AI will automate everything from basic business transactions to consumer relationships, and a great deal of emphasis is placed on how artificial intelligence might make it easier to create and maintain a successful organization. For sci-fi geeks and those who simply want a good idea of where the future is headed, this course is indispensible.
For Udacity’s Free Online Introduction to Artificial Intelligence Course, go here.

3. Coursera’s A Beginner’s Guide to Irrational Behavior

Offered through Duke University, this class might easily be the most provocative class that any aspiring businessperson takes. That’s because it focuses on economic theory without resorting to the boring passages of a standard macroeconomics textbook. The class focuses on economic decisions considered “rational” or “normal,” and then showcases people who made decisions counter to those metrics.

The idea of the course is to highlight how people can go about making perfectly irrational decisions that actually benefit their business in the long run. Students learn how to think outside the box in terms of making fiscal policy decisions, examining and analyzing their market, and taking on real risk. The course has been called a life-changer and a career-changer by those who have completed it, largely because it enables them to think in entirely new ways about how their business should proceed within its nice and with its given set of resources.

For Coursera’s Free Online A Beginner’s Guide to Irrational Behavior Course, go here.

4. Coursera’s An Introduction to Marketing

The successful business is one that knows how to craft, communicate, and stick to a strict messaging protocol. That means knowing marketing inside and out, and it’s something that the University of Pennsylvania is prepared to help with. The school offers an introductory marketing course online through Coursera that is easily the top-ranked of any online marketing education program. That’s largely because it’s taught by three of the biggest names in the field, all of whom work within Wharton to teach students both online and off.

Students will learn how to analyze markets and interact with consumers. They’ll create marketing plans and they’ll learn about the best ways to actually sell their products through clever persuasion and presentation. Considering Penn’s marketing program itself is ranked among the top in the entire world, this is a class that will give students a great foundation for future growth in whatever profession they choose.

For Coursera’s Free Online Introduction To Marketing Course, go here.

5. MIT’s Introduction to Microeconomics

MIT is one of the leading sources of online education, especially when it comes to massively open online courses that can be used for business or technological purposes. The university’s microeconomics course is taught by Jonathan Gruber, the influential Massachusetts economist who frequently makes appearances on cable television and in the New York Times. In fact, Gruber actually helped design Massachusetts’ healthcare reform legislation eventually became the blueprint for the wider American health insurance industry. His economic credentials are real and impressive.

The course does require at least a high school understanding of calculus, but everything else will be gone over extensively as the course winds from start to finish. Students will enjoy a unique perspective on microeconomics, learning how to make crucial decisions in smaller environments when both time and resources are relatively scarce. This understanding will go a long way toward making businesses more successful, especially for those with a more entrepreneurial streak.

For MIT’s Free Online Introduction to Microeconomics Course, go here.

6. Udacity’s How To Build A Startup

Building a business from the ground up is no easy task, and it’s one that has seen many people simply give up and seek more traditional employment instead. The best way to avoid that outcome is to take this course, taught by a successful entrepreneur who built a large company from virtually nothing. Students will learn everything from basic marketing to time management and niche analysis. It’s a great way to quickly acquire the skills needed to create a sustainable business that sticks around for the long-term.

For Udacity’s Free Online How To Build A Startup Course, go here.

7. Coursera’s Health Policy And Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare, has been controversial since it was first drafted in 2009. That said, it’s now the law of the land and it’s having a major impact on how people buy, compare, and issue insurance policies from coast to coast. The impact of the law will continue to transform over the next few years, with the health care industry focusing on greater efficiency, easier access, and universal coverage of all Americans under a strict government mandate.

This course helps students learn how the ACA will affect their business, their benefits, and the course of their healthcare services over the next several years. Offered through the University of Pennsylvania, this introduction to the future of healthcare policy is an instrumental way for people of all backgrounds to understand why the legislation was needed and why it’s a critical component of America’s economic future.

For Coursera’s Free Online Health Policy And Affordable Care Act Course, go here.

8. Coursera’s Economics of Money And Banking

The banking industry is a controversial one, loved by those who do the banking but loathed by virtually everyone else. Business students will likely spend more time working in, or interacting with, the banking industry than roughly any other profession. For this reason, it’s worth understanding how economics affect banking and how banking itself can have a major sway on the economy.

Columbia University offers this course as a showcase of the ways that banking and economics come together to forge a single economy that, in an ideal world, serves the needs of people at all levels of society. Studies in things like banking ethics and regulation are also included for good measure, giving students insight into exactly how this industry gets the job done on a daily basis.

For Coursera’s Free Online Economics of Money And Banking Course, go here.

9. Udacity’s Introduction to Statistics

The Udacity platform is full of great courses that span from basic to relatively unique, and the platform’s Introduction to Statistics class lies roughly toward the basic end of the spectrum. That’s not a bad thing, however. As most people know, or should know, statistics lies at the center of virtually every major business decision. Whether it’s analyzing a product’s success, turning sales numbers into strategy, or deciding whether to entire an entirely new market, the ability to analyze numbers and come to a logical conclusion is a must-have skill.

That’s exactly what students learn through this course, taught by a number of leading statisticians. The course requires only a basic understanding of algebra and serves as a fundamental building block for both undergraduate and graduate-level study in a business-related field.

For Udacity’s Free Online Introduction to Statistics Course, go here.

10. EdX Software As A Service

Anyone who has used the web-based version of Microsoft Outlook or Apple iWork has experienced software as a service. What goes into this software, and how does it affect business? That’s exactly what this online course from UC Berkeley is interested in teaching. Students must have a background in programming, and they must be willing to learn even more programming methods associated with created web-based applications before enrolling.

Throughout the course of this online program, students will learn what SaaS is, how it works, and how it’s transforming today’s routine business and personal tasks. They’ll learn how to put their own stamp on SaaS setups as well, giving them solid footing for future growth in a high-tech world.

For EdX’s Free Online Software As A Service Course, go here here.

There is no doubt as to the effectiveness and credibility of many fine business administration curricula being offered today from the Internet via online courses. In fact, in a recent Sloan Consortium report, a full 62 percent of those surveyed responded in the positive that students actually learned better from online courses than through on-site and in-class environments.

However, when it comes to online international business courses, another image emerges as to whether they are on the same par as on-site courses. Several distinctive advantages and disadvantages come to the forefront, and it is these differences that this article addresses.

Benefits of Online International Business Courses

Via the Internet, students, educators and business people in general become better informed of what is taking place in other foreign business platforms in an unprecedented manner.

Rapid-paced changes, developments and paradigm shifts in political, economic and peace/war situations lend themselves to use the Internet to keep one or several steps ahead of prevailing circumstances–in real-time. However, there are many more advantages including those listed below.

Online International Business Courses And Their Advantages

Flexibility

When comparing the flexibility of online programs versus the flexibility of on-campus programs, there is no doubt that on-site courses offer a wide range of schedule flexibility. However, online international business courses are rapidly catching up and soon will bypass the courses traditionally available on-campus.

Privileged Information

Protection from business and commercial trends that develop as a result of not having direct lines of communication on a regular daily basis is one major advantage. For instance, someone studying via online courses in the US, knows through other social network platforms that India prefers popular beverages infused with honey and not with sugar. However, another country’s market finds sugar-laced drinks preferable. So, a shift in business focus is warranted by selling that sugar-laced product to the other nation.

Convenience

The relative peace of mind of knowing a busy mom can put the children to bed at night and then access her final examination on the kitchen table laptop is just too valuable an asset to pass up. Convenience and comfort now becomes an overwhelming plus for many students.

Instructor Availability

While the contrary is many times thought true, many student actually find they have more access to their instructors when they are online and not in their offices.

Learning Skills

Through the participation in online international business courses, students become cutting-edge savvy on latest technological trends in specific countries. Students can better access data on a particular country’s hiring requirements, hiring practices, job availability per profession and even if that country has a hiring scenario at all.

As students learn of trending skills and foreign languages, they become more marketable and are eagerly sought after as candidates for top position availability.

Costs And Expenses

Traditionally, online courses offered at many reputable and distinguished schools of business have tended towards being less expensive than on-campus courses. However, this is a moving constant that is beginning to move once again.

When housing arrangements, food costs, and transportation benefits are not considered, online courses today are slowing spiraling up from earlier marks on to a level more on par with on-campus course expenses.

Online International Business Courses And Their Disadvantages

There is another side to every coin and taking international business courses online is not an exception to this adage. Here are the disadvantages to enrolling in online programs:

Increased Complexity

With the emphasis now being on “global,” the markets now become more highly complicated and complex. Ethnic, religious and/or racial diversity with all accompanying peculiarities now make business managers more prone to avoid common workplace or even student conflicts.

However, in business it is not only what you know but whom you know that is vitally important. While online courses may foster a platform for networking and business connections, face-to-face interactions and social skills may tend to decrease. Generally, no meeting at the water-cooler event or a Happy Hour drink to discuss latest management strategies result from an online business course. The best way to interact with a foreign client is still face-to-face.

Lack of College Memories

For many, college experiences vibrate throughout the years with fond memories. However, today’s lightening-fast online environments tend to leave some international students with a sense of being not rooted at all. Interestingly enough, although the globe is better connected at this time technologically speaking, many feel more disconnected than at any other time in history.

Lack of Exterior Motivation And Stimuli

Self-motivation is a “must” for ambitious business people. However, without basic interaction and mentor-ship by classroom instructors, students bear the full burden of responsibility and succeeding.

Lack of Reputable Accreditation Status

Unfortunately, many older established schools of business still have a sense of academia superiority over online business schools. Whether this is warranted or not, the stigma still persists in many circles.

Depending on a student’s circumstances and situations, online international business courses may offer the best alternative for some. However, it can be safe in assuming that today the advantages equal the disadvantages on an even level.

Sourcing scholarships and financial support for either a bachelors or masters degree in international business often requires careful investigating and uncovering of multiple resources. For the best results as a student seeks scholarships for this type of degree, much like other disciplines, consideration for scholarships is based upon prior academic performance, an applicant’s background, location, the school the person is going to, and current financial status. There are some resources that are available to all types of college students and others that are specific to international business students only. It’s best to pursue all potential scholarships to increase the probability of funding success each year of study.

Federal Grants and Scholarships

Every student, regardless of program, should be making a regular effort to capture federal aid where its offered. This resource application is first initiated by filing a FAFSA form with the federal government through a given college or university’s financial office. The FAFSA opens the door for a student to be offered a Pell Grant, a Perkins Grant, state government grants and subsidized school loans without any extreme grade performance required. The size of the grants alone can range from $1,000 to $10,000 or more per year. For grants, this is free money from the government, and the subsidized loans allow students to borrow without any interest being charged until graduation, which is an immense financial advantage. FAFSA-generated grants and subsidized loans often make up half to two-thirds of many students’ financial support in college programs. An application can be made online at FAFSA.Ed.Gov, and a new application is needed for each year of study.

Private Scholarships

A number of private scholarships exist that are made available for specific purposes and specific groups, helping students fitting these criteria to advance in their education. If a student finds a potential scholarship match, the scholarships should be pursued. Many are minor awards, ranging from $1,000 to $2,500, but even that can be helpful with books or, when combined with other awards, may pay for a semester of school. Some examples for international business include:

The Jane M. Clausen Women in Business Scholarship

is a resource available only to female students who enter business disciplines. It’s goal is to provide more female candidates for management and eventually board rooms.

The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship

is a scholarship designed to support students who need financial help to study abroad in business

School-Specific Scholarships

Some financial resources are offered only through specific colleges and universities. The restriction is intentional and is designed to help build an international business program within a specific educational institution and attract students of high caliber. Depending which school a student decides to attend, he or she can automatically apply to resources other students elsewhere will not be able to compete for. This reduces the potential number of winners and increases the odds for the eligible applicants to be picked. Examples of such programs include:

Th University of Akron’s Joyce Wortman Barnett Endowed International Business Scholarship for Excellence This is a merit-based scholarship for incoming students who will major in international business at Akron.

The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth offers various scholarships options through the efforts of the University, its alumni, and partners. Grants are also available to enrolled students to assist in their academic pursuits.

Student Honor Groups and Membership Awards

If a student becomes a member of a particular association or honors group while in school this too can make the student eligible for various scholarships from that organization. This approach includes the following examples among many:

The International Business Honors Society Scholarship This is a $500 scholarship awarded annually to IBHS members with a grade level of at least 3.5 GPA and in a college of business in a participating school.

The Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarships A scholarship program promoting international business understanding and relationships.

The best and most effective tools a student can use to find international business program scholarships are school guidance counselors, the Internet, college boards, prospective universities, and sometimes even private corporations. Best of all, searching for scholarships can begin anywhere you have an internet connection. Almost every major scholarship that comes from a credible source is listed on a website, often from the provider or from the college or university that provides the resource if school-specific. This easily available tool can be used to prepare grids of scholarship possibilities for planning purposes, allowing a student and parents to map out potential funding sources and which school program provides the best package of scholarship offers available. The value of this planning tool can’t be understated, especially when many students get one chance to go forward with an education in international business.