What Can I Do with an International Business Degree?

degreeThe global nature of the business community means that a number of undergraduate students and MBA candidates are looking into programs with an international focus. These programs produce a number of robust career opportunities, each of which is on the rise due to a larger number of multinational businesses and politically expedient trade agreements. For those who are about to graduate with such a degree, or those who are considering beginning a course of study in international business, it’s worth noting the most common career choices for those with an education in the field offering great career opportunities for the qualified international business graduate.

Everything from supply chain management to overseas regulations and client investments depends on an international business degree. With a strong education in foreign laws, regulations, cultures, and languages, graduates will be primed to seize new and exciting job opportunities that will lead to a long and rewarding career.

Here are a few career options for graduates:

Global Marketing Positions

Increasingly, businesses are finding that they must adapt their marketing strategy to each unique market that they serve. This is especially true for businesses that serve a vast array of countries that cover eastern and western cultures as well as other perspectives around the world. A global marketing professional leverages the skills they learned during their international business program to develop strategies that are culturally sensitive to each target demographic and nationality. These marketing programs can involve adapting slogans to certain markets, creating product names and brands that resonate with a certain country, or even creating entirely new products that cater only to those individuals in a specific demographic.

Import and Export Management

Though global business is increasingly the standard way of doing things for today’s growing companies, it’s not necessarily the easy thing to do. That’s because virtually every company has a different set of laws, regulations, and best practices for managing imports or experts. Many global companies require a dedicated team of professionals who can analyze national regulations, as well as international trade agreements, to ensure the company’s compliance with the law. Furthermore, these professionals may be asked to use their skills in order to find lower-cost ways of importing or exporting products to avoid high fees or tariffs.

Foreign Investment Advising

While business has long been a global industry at the highest levels, foreign investments are still a new thing to many companies and to many individual investors. Those with an international business degree often have the right skills to become a foreign investment advisor. Using their knowledge of certain international economies and markets, they can guide their clients toward smart investments that isolate their portfolio from risk and embrace the potentially lucrative investment prospects found in developing economies. Furthermore, their skills can often help clients land investments with global startups that can pay real dividends over time.

Global Operations Management

Multinational companies typically have headquarters and other operations in countries all around the world, and it takes a student of international business to effectively manage each of those operations and keep them running at peak efficiency. Typically, this is the role played by an international business graduate. They’ll be assigned to a specific region or to a specific headquarters, and their job will be to oversee daily operations and long-term outlooks. By keeping the company efficient and operating smoothly, they’ll cut costs and boost the company’s bottom line over time. Successful execution of this responsibility can pay dividends for those in the field, leading to internal promotions and a healthy career outlook overall.

Licensing Services

Businesses that aim for international expansion often need to be licensed and regulated by the foreign country where they’re setting up a new headquarters. This job is perfect for international business graduates, since they already have a thorough understanding of local regulations, the local culture, and even the language spoken by those in positions of power. They’ll be perfectly suited to negotiate, file applications, and ensure a smoother licensing process that will keep the company in lien with local regulations.

Supply Chain Management

As most business students probably know, the supply chain increasingly requires international negotiation, cooperation, and regulation. It’s no small task to manage a global supply chain, but international business graduates are the ones best suited to step up and take on the task. Using an understanding of the local language, local laws, and traditional management strategies, those in charge of the global supply chain will boost efficiency, increase worker conditions, and help the company comply with both domestic and international regulations regarding their product’s development, manufacture, and sale.