Study Guide

Descriptions

CURRICULUM
Bachelor of Business Administration, International Business (AMK), daytime studies

The graduates from the BBA programme in International Business are professionals who can later pursue more senior managerial and expert positions. During the studies, you will develop holictic understanding of international business and the prerequisites for profitable and customer-focused activity. The degree provides the foundation upon which you can plan and build your international career. During your studies you create contacts to companies and take part in versatile development tasks and company projects. Your studies can also include courses provided by European partner universities. It is also possible to graduate at a faster pace if you conduct internships or other studies during the summer periods. The Degree Programme in International Business is one of the institutions supporting education-based immigration and providing international students a path towards employment in Finland.

Degree

Degree title Bachelor of Business Administration
Extend 210 credits / 3.5 years

Description of Competences

Understanding the importance of customer experience and utilisation of customer data create a significant competitive advantage in international markets. In International Business studies at Karelia, you develop your competence in customer knowledge management and international marketing. You learn to plan and implement customer-oriented activities using versatile channels and tools. The core competences relate to international business, leadership and management, innovation and sustainable development. You develop your knowledge and skills in communication, finance, sales and management. Your studies take place in a variety of digital learning environments. When working in diverse and multicultural teams, your collaborative workplace skills can develop as you learn to evaluate and develop your own way of working as well as the work of your team towards the set objectives. You can also work independently and utilise digital solutions in a customer-oriented way.
After graduation,

• you can develop/ create profitable business in a systematic way using technological solutions,
• you can create and maintain long-term business/ customer relationships,
• you can improve customer experience and brand in different environments,
• you understand the needs of international markets and can utilise different distribution channels,
• you can work in project teams and understand the importance of leadership and management,
• you are able to build and work in networks with people from different cultures, and
• you have the necessary language, communication and interaction skills required in international business.

Competence Development and the Content of Studies

Your studies comprise professional common core studies and elective complementary studies. The extend of the common core studies is 180 credits and that of complementary studies 30 credits. The common core studies include 30 credits internship and 15 credits thesis.

At the beginning of your studies, you familiarise yourself with the business basics and develop skills in information retrieval and analytic thinking. You also study academic communication and reporting, as well as collaboration and interaction in diverse social settings. You expand your competence into negotiations and argumentation and improve your ability in decision-making and project coordination. As you progress in your studies, your understanding of business environments and ethical and sustainable business increases. The second year of studies focuses on international operative environments. You learn about procurement and supply chains, laws and regulations, customer communication and export and import procedures. At Karelia, an important focal point in studies is customer insight: How to create a customer-focused environment, how to influence customers and how to build a successful, multi-channel customer experience? Toward the end of your studies, you learn how to manage risks and utilise opportunities, how to use best practices in international business and how to influence customers’ purchasing processes. One of the important skills is to know how to bring added value to the customer effectively and sustainably.

For complementary studies, you can choose courses in innovative business development or in languages and culture. You can also go to a foreign partner university for four to five months in the spring of the second academic year. For international students, we recommend studies in the Finnish language. During your studies you will have an opportunity to develop your Finnish language skills up to level B2 (Common European Framework of Reference). In addition to the language basics, the language learning path includes courses in Finnish for professional purposes, which strengthen your skill set for the Finnish job market.

Moreover, your studies can include sports academy coaching for competitive and top athletes or student union and tutoring activities with a maximum of 15 credits. If the complementary studies presented above do not meet your professional objectives, you can discuss other options with your tutor or counsellor.

During an internship of about five months (30 credits), you can apply your knowledge into practice. The practical training can be carried out in Finland or anywhere in the world. During the internship, your duties may relate to:

• marketing and sales
• various responsibilities in communication, such as social media content creation
• import, export and international customer service and logistics
• market research and customer satisfaction surveys
• tasks of an administrative or executive assistant or
• various development tasks

At the end of your studies, you will apply the knowledge and skills you have acquired to the practical research or development task in a thesis. Thesis topics are often commissioned by companies or other organisations.

During your studies, you can apply to the Business Academy of Karelia University of Applied Sciences, where you study entrepreneurship in multidisciplinary teams. The Business Academy offers you the opportunity to combine entrepreneurship with studies. At Business Academy you will follow the curriculum of the Business Academy and its courses can replace a certain amount of International

Business studies according to a separate agreement

Work-Related Learning

International Business studies in Karelia are based on the needs of business and industry. Different learning tasks develop the skills needed at work in a practical way and enhance continuous self-development. Finnish companies have succeeded globally in developing technological, digital and responsible solutions. There are several international companies in our region and Karelia’s business partners include several growth companies that develop international business.

During your studies, you will build networks and develop your cooperation skills by solving various development tasks which you have received from companies. Company projects are included in many courses and study modules. At the same time, you deepen your customer-oriented, responsible and innovative business know-how in international cooperation networks. We collaborate with companies in different sectors. In addition to projects, cooperation enables company visits and guest lecturers. Students can also complete practical training, thesis or other studies in national and international research, development and innovation projects administered by Karelia UAS.
Pedagogical Choices
You are studying in English in an international, multicultural group of students. You apply what you have learned in lectures and online studies into practice in exams, in group and independent learning assignments and in simulation exercises. Learning takes place in diverse learning environments in cooperation with companies and international partner universities. While studying in different projects, you develop your ability to act responsibly and actively in a team, learn to evaluate information and results critically, and develop your self-assessment and problem-solving skills.
 
Flexible Course Implementations

The studies in International Business are mainly carried out in contact teaching on campus. Most courses also include online elements. Recognising and accreditation of prior learning and studyfying work can speed up your studies. You can also graduate earlier if you take complementary courses in the summer. We recommend that you apply for an internship already after the first academic year, which helps you create workplace contacts, supports your employability and speeds up your graduation. Moreover, you can choose courses from both Finnish and international higher education institutions to create an engaging competence profile.

Internationalisation

While studying in an international group at Karelia, you can develop your language skills, get a peek into a new culture and make new friends. In addition, international studies provide a good opportunity to develop other general workplace skills and to build networks.

The studies with strong international orientation facilitate the development of your professional competence and your language and interaction skills. They also support your ability to interact with different people. The need for the command of several languages is growing in business, especially in export trade. In the Degree Programme in International Business, you can study foreign languages for at least two years. Language studies help you improve your communication and interaction skills and enhance your cultural competence. While studying a new language, you learn to better understand different cultures, mindsets and ways of life, which enables you to operate in multicultural and diverse environments.

You can apply for exchange studies at an interesting partner university in different parts of the world, or undertake your internship abroad — or to do both. It is possible to apply for a scholarship for international exchange.

Assessment

The assessment is based on the competence requirements and learning objectives of the degree, which have been defined together with the representatives of business and industry. During the studies, your competence will be assessed in a variety of ways to support the development of your competences. You learn to give and receive feedback. Moreover, the team outputs, scheduling and time management, problem-solving skills and the success of project implementation are assessed in development projects. The evaluation will draw on peer and self-assessment, and feedback from the companies. The aim is that you learn to evaluate your performance and to develop your skills through self-assessment. The assessment is carried out on a course-by-course basis in accordance with the common assessment criteria used at Karelia.

Career Opportunities and Guidance

The internship and the thesis enable professional specialisation according to your individual study and career plan. Through the individual study plan you outline how your competence and expertise will develop during your studies. In your career plan, you set goals for your professional development and career in cooperation with the study counsellor and tutor teacher.
As a BBA, you can work for the private or public sectors or as an entrepreneur. You can be employed in a wide range of professional tasks, such as marketing, sales, human resource management and business development. Having completed a degree in the English language, you can especially look for positions in international business contexts. In addition, the degree allows you to develop and advance into managerial and managerial positions.

Your duties can, for example, be:

• Marketing designer/manager
• Sales manager/coordinator
• Export/purchase manager/coordinator
• Customer advisor/service specialist/key account manager
• Export/import coordinator
• Project manager/expert/coordinator
• Entrepreneur

Transformation of work and personal career development require continuous learning after graduation. A significant part of learning takes place at work, but learning can also be enhanced by training. You can complement your skills with the studies at an open university of applied sciences or with a master-level degree. Obtaining a Master’s degree at a university of applied sciences can open a way, for example, to managerial duties or for demanding expert and development tasks. You also have the possibility to pursue Master’s studies at universities in Finland or abroad.