Nov 03, 2024  
2024-25 Western Washington University Catalog 
    
2024-25 Western Washington University Catalog

Business Administration — International Business Concentration, BA

Location(s): WWU - Bellingham


Department of Management, College of Business and Economics

88-90 credits

Introduction

The Business Administration program has been designed to prepare students for leadership roles in business and the community. One program objective is to provide students with the perceptual and analytical skills necessary to make decisions and evaluate policies in business; another is to develop student understanding of the social, economic and regulatory environments in business. The program is designed for students with a variety of career goals, including opportunities with financial institutions, manufacturing and retail firms, service industries and the public sector.

Learning Competency Goals

  • Demonstrate breadth of business knowledge
  • Produce quality business documents
  • Analyze problems using an ethical perspective
  • Analyze the legal implications of business decisions
  • Critically analyze problems and defend resolutions
  • Solve business problems using quantitative techniques
  • Apply a global perspective in conducting business
  • Identify and analyze social consequences of business activities
  • Understand the importance of environmental sustainability

Why Consider an International Business Concentration in Business Administration Major?

An International Business concentration prepares students to work with business relationships across borders in a variety of situations. Often combining some training in language and in other business areas, graduates should be able to help manage these business relationships that are central to the global environment that will define their careers. For more information, see the IBUS website.

 Contact Information

CBE Admissions & Scholarships
Dean’s Office
Parks Hall 419
360-650-3896
cbe@wwu.edu

Major Information:
International Business

Professor Tom Roehl
Parks Hall 211
360-650-4809
tom.roehl@wwu.edu

Management
​Department Chair

Mary Sass
Parks Hall 351A
360-650-2648
mary.sass@wwu.edu

Academic Department Manager
Cristina Nelson
Parks Hall 351
360-650-2902
cristina.nelson@wwu.edu

 Sample Careers

Import/Export Management | Law | Public Policy | International Non-Profit | International Marketing | Management of International | Relationships in Business | Analysis of International | Competitiveness

 Major/Career Resources

careercenter.wwu.edu/connectmajorcareer

How to Declare (Admission and Declaration Process):

How to apply: Students who meet the requirements will be assured of admission if space is available in the department program of choice. For consideration as a pre-major, provisional major or full major, complete the online application form at: cbe.wwu.edu/apply-cbe.

Pre-major: Students who have not completed their foundation course work may apply to the College and be given pre-major status. Pre-major status is granted to students who are at least sophomore level, or who have been identified as top quintile students, and who, at the time of application, meet the following requirements:

  • Minimum of a 2.50 cumulative college-level GPA including all previous institutions.
  • Minimum of 2.50 cumulative GPA in all courses taken at Western.
  • Students must have a WWU cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher to be considered in good academic standing with the University.

Students with pre-major status may only enroll for foundation or core courses listed. Their progress will be monitored by the College, and they will attain full major status upon successfully completing the foundation courses and meeting the admission criteria above.

Full major: For admission to the College of Business and Economics as a full major (except majors in economics and manufacturing and supply chain management) a student must meet the following requirements:

  • Minimum of 2.50 cumulative GPA after having completed all foundation courses. The cumulative GPA is calculated on all college-level course work completed by the student, including any transfer work.
  • Minimum of 2.50 cumulative GPA in all courses taken at Western.
  • Students must be in good academic standing with the University.

Students who meet the requirements will be assured of admission if space is available in the department program of choice. For economics and manufacturing and supply chain management admissions requirements, see the appropriate sections of this catalog.

Retention Standards

In order to remain in good standing in CBE for all programs excluding Economics, pre-majors and full majors must maintain a minimum Western cumulative GPA of 2.50.

Should a student fall below the 2.50 Western cumulative GPA retention standard, the student will receive a warning and have one quarter in which to repair the academic record. If the student’s academic record remains below the 2.50 Western cumulative GPA retention standard, the student will be dropped from the college.

For Economics degrees, excluding combined degrees (Accounting/Economics and Financial Economics), students with a Western cumulative GPA average below 2.0 will be dismissed from the economics or economics combined major until the deficiency is repaired.

All majors in the College of Business and Economics (CBE) must maintain good academic standing with the University. A student with a Western Washington University cumulative GPA average below 2.0 will be dismissed from the college immediately and not permitted to take additional courses in the College of Business and Economics until the deficiency is repaired. A transfer student with no Western GPA (no graded Western courses) at the time of CBE application must maintain good standing with the University moving forward.

Please note: No individual course grade lower than a C- will be accepted and credited toward degree requirements.

Academic Status

When students in CBE programs with pre-major status available are enrolled in their last foundation course(s), they will be considered provisional majors and allowed to register for major-restricted courses the following quarter. Students who do not successfully complete their last foundation course(s) and meet all requirements for full major status (cumulative 2.50 or higher all-college GPA, 2.50 or higher Western GPA) will be reverted to pre-majors and cannot enroll in major-restricted courses until they have successfully completed their foundation courses. Students are eligible for provisional major status in CBE only once. Provisional major status is not applicable for Economics. (Students are full majors immediately in this department.)

Requirements to apply for:

  • Business Administration, BA
    • Concentrations within the degree:
      • Finance
      • International Business
      • Management
      • Management Information Systems
      • Marketing
      • Operations Management
  • Business Administration General Concentration, BA (Poulsbo Campus only)

Application deadlines apply. Students with 45 or more college-level credits, an all-college GPA of 2.50 or higher, and a cumulative Western GPA (if any business courses have been completed at Western) of 2.50 or higher may apply regardless of how many business courses have been completed. Students who have not completed the business foundation courses will be admitted as pre-majors. Please note: For the BA in Business Administration, students have several choices of concentration, but are not guaranteed full major status in any specific concentration area. Requirements vary for full-major status depending on the concentration. See the CBE application webpage and department webpages for each concentration’s full-major admissions requirements.

Grade Requirements

A grade of C- or better is required for a student’s major or minor courses, and supporting courses for majors and minors.

International Business Concentration Courses