Internet Business Successes

Three new types of Online Economics Degrees are being added to a Texas university’s offerings as a means of training students for jobs that are expected to experience growth. Through the institution’s planned marketing and information systems degree offerings, students are to learn about marketing data and analysis and how businesses use computers to improve their work. Students who enroll in the university’s new global business degree, on the other hand, might expect to learn a foreign language, study other cultures and participate in study abroad programs.

This institution isn’t alone. In Indiana, a university is introducing an international studies minor where students can learn about foreign cultures. The program is to focus on foreign languages, with a choice of Chinese, French or Spanish, as well as world and human geography, an Inside INdiana Business news item noted.

People are much better equipped to meet the demands of the 21st century when they study abroad, study foreign languages and participate in internships and experiential learning opportunities, according to the web site for NAFSA: Association of International Educators (initially known as the National Association of Foreign Student Advisers). This organization, which is comprised of members, works in part to encourage international education. The global challenges of today require international competence, the group’s web site notes.

The value of an international online university degree increases when economies outside of the United States grow, according to the web site for a Tampa university where students can work toward an international business degree. China has for some time been a popular subject of study. Some schools have established separate programs and schools for Chinese studies. Several institutions these days are looking toward India, according to an Inside Higher Education article.

With a management school in Channai, for example, Georgia’s business schools offer joint two-year master’s degree programs, the Inside Higher Education piece reported. Through a Texas university’s Study Abroad program in India, participants can learn about the country’s culture and business-related challenges and opportunities. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, India is Asia’s second fastest growing marketing, in certain areas and situations offering diverse and profitable export opportunities.

Colleges and universities have for decades been incorporating foreign language and cultural studies into business degree programs. In 1979, a Michigan university established one of the first programs in the country where foreign language proficiency and area studies, international business, economics and practical training became combined requirements, an ERIC Clearinghouse article reported. A Bloomberg BusinessWeek reporter earlier this year nevertheless suggested that undergraduate business programs still have to provide students with an understanding of and empathy for different cultures.

A study of University System of Georgia institutions suggests that Study Abroad programs might help with that understanding and empathy. Academic performance and graduation rates of study abroad students, including the academic performance of at-risk students, improves, according to study results cited in a recent Inside Higher Education report. A Transitions Abroad study reports that Study Abroad alumni found the experience increased their self-confidence, helped them better understand their own cultural values and biases, reinforced their commitment to foreign language studies and more.

Some foreign language programs at colleges and universities have been working with other institutional areas as a means of strengthening their programs during budget cuts, an Inside Higher Education report suggested. Some institutions also are adding elements to their Study Abroad programs. A university in Michigan, for instance, has established a training workshop to help students convey to potential employers the value of Study Abroad experiences, The Chronicle of Higher Education recently reported.

As businesses get more and more into global decisions and employment needs, the demand for those with online business degree qualifications will grow.  Completing a business degree program and supplementing those studies with on line degrees in language are a way to make yourself a major component of these advances.