As the world marketplace continues to globalize, it has become more important than ever to gain the necessary overseas experience to match this changing state of affairs. Earning your business degree abroad will prove to be a formative adventure; one where you will have the opportunity to expand your global network, develop valuable intercultural communication skills, and experience the freedom of travelling our great big world while young!
Why Earn Your Degree Abroad
Earning your business degree abroad is the chance to do something special. Business is a widely studied academic discipline around the world, wherein departing from the comfort of home and placing yourself in an entirely new cultural situation will challenge you to develop patience, flexibility, and determination to a level beyond what you may have thought yourself capable of. Business is as much about taking risks as about building relationships, and both are naturally embedded in earning your degree abroad.
Locations
Being a universally studied discipline, it is possible to earn a business degree abroad from most major universities around the world. To help narrow down your search then, here are some general criteria to bear in mind throughout the decision-making process.
First, where can you get the best education? A significant portion of the top business schools in the world are located in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. Because these are all English-speaking countries, they also tend to be very accommodating to international students from everywhere who can speak the common language.
Next, how will the language barrier effect your options? Countries such as Spain, France, and China are also home to some of the world’s most prestigious business schools, but their native languages are generally used as the medium of education. If you are willing to pick up a second language (which can be a huge perk down the line in your career), then this opens up the door to many more possibilities for where to earn your business degree abroad.
A final point to consider is choosing a country that you see yourself building a strong relationship with, and maybe even living in permanently someday. You will be doing a lot of networking throughout the course of earning your business degree abroad, and you never know what opportunities will present themselves, so think deeply before making the commitment of where to study!
Academics & Degrees
At the undergraduate level, a business degree generally requires enrolling in a wide range of courses in order to get a grasp for the fundamentals of the field. Accounting, finance, economics, communications, and math are all related disciplines that you can expect to build a strong background within. Different universities around the world will have varying norms with these baseline requirements, but a strong grounding in the social sciences is common in most countries.
After obtaining an undergraduate degree abroad in business, many students choose to move on to pursue an MBA at the graduate level. MBA’s are generally considered one of the most practical and diverse graduate degrees you can obtain, facilitating entry into management positions within many different fields of business. Admittance can be competitive at top universities, where most business schools will like to see you have at least some professional experience under your belt after your undergraduate studies.
Under that scope, combining your business degree abroad with an internship in the same field can be a dynamic combination. Networking is foundational to a successful career in business, and finding work to grow within outside of academia can only expand your opportunities!
Benefits & Challenges
Global Network. As the saying goes: It’s not about what you know, it’s about who you know. Earning your business degree abroad is the opportunity to make connections and build relationships with peers and professionals from all over the world.
Communication. While every country and culture has their unique patterns of communication, practice makes perfect in learning how to transcend these boundaries and connect with individuals from anywhere.
Beyond Education. You will obviously learn a whole lot throughout the course or earning your business degree abroad; the only surprising part may be how much of that education comes from outside the classroom!
