International Business and Management

Projects with impact

During your master’s, you will work on real-world projects that address societal and organisational challenges. Through hands-on research, you will create innovative solutions that make a difference. Curious what that looks like? Below are a few examples of our students' projects.

About International Business and Management

During your International Business and Management studies, you learn to solve international business issues from the boardroom perspective of an existing company, with significant practical and professional orientation towards international business. The programme truly applies professional knowledge and skills into practice. You will be working together with students and faculty from all over the world.

The Master in International Business & Management (MIBM) programme has a strong focus on developing communication competences that you can apply in an authentic and multicultural business setting. The concept of every course gives a unique setting, which prepares you for complex decision-making in a dynamic international business environment. To create a business plan, get a go-ahead and begin implementation of the plan, you must communicate and cooperate with external stakeholders, as well as colleagues in all layers of an organisation. 

On top of this, the MIBM offers you the opportunity to obtain a dual degree, allowing you to study for one third of the programme at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in Cambridge, UK. Please note there are limited places available. After completing the dual degree programme, you will receive two officially recognised international master's diplomas.

Course overview

Year 1

Semester 1

In the first semester of the first year, you will follow courses in core areas of business management, including International Supply Chain Management, Human Resource Management, Finance & Accounting, and Marketing Management. Additionally, you will learn more about Business Research Methods, focused specifically on Entrepreneurship and Sustainability. The course 'Strategic Decision Making & Multinational Boardroom' provides you with advanced insights into decision-making in complex and uncertain international business environments. You will explore how global institutional frameworks, geopolitics, and geo-economics shape corporate strategies. Dive deep into the incentives driving decisions within multinational corporations and critically examine transformative paradigms such as Sustainability and the Circular Economy.

Semester 2

Dual Degree at ARU

The MIBM programme offers you the opportunity to spend your second semester studying at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in Cambridge, United Kingdom to obtain two officially recognised international degrees: an MBA from Hanze and an MSc from ARU. Please note there are limited places available for outgoing MIBM students. You can find more information about this dual degree here.

At Hanze

Students who stay at Hanze will follow courses in International Strategic Management and Intercultural Competences & Global Mindset. Moreover, you will take part in a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP, EU Erasmus+ programme) on Innovative Sustainability Solutions for Businesses where you will develop an advice for a real-life company on how to start or enhance their competitive position using sustainable concepts like circular economy, sustainability or de-growth.

Next to these courses, you can select two electives and one thesis electives. Topics for business elective 1 include: International Taxation, European Business in a Global Context, Employee Wellbeing and Performance, and Political Risk Analysis. Topics for business elective 2 include: Business Intelligence, Creating Business Opportunities, Contemporary Business Trends, and International Capital Markets. 

Year 2 (semester 3)

In the third and final semester of the Master in International Business & Management you will work on your master thesis. During the second semester you will select a topic and business setting for your thesis. The thesis project is an individual assignment that is linked to a practical issue in an existing organisation, or type of organisation or to the start-up of a new organisation. The thesis research should be carried out as an assignment given by an organisation (profit or non-profit) or a professorship at Hanze linked to the business issue.

Curious about the courses you'll take? Check out the full overview here!

After your studies

Graduating from the Master International Business & Management opens up a wide range of career opportunities in both the public and private sectors. Our alumni work at companies and organisations of all sizes, from consultancies and start-ups to large multinationals such as Google, IBM, Rabobank, Volkswagen, PwC and Philips.​ Positions that our alumni take on are:  

• Product Manager​ 
• Business Consultant​ 
• Business Analyst (e.g. financial, branding)​ 
• Marketing Manager​ 
• Business Development Manager ​ 
• Account Manager​ 
• Entrepreneur (own company)​ 
• Sustainability Consultant​​ 

This programme prepares you to work in a real international context, by developing specialized skills in intercultural communication and understanding.

Entry requirements

Click here to check whether you qualify

To enrol for the Master in International Business & Management, you will need the following:

• A valid business bachelor's degree: a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) or a business bachelor's degree accompanied by a transcript that holds all the following courses*: Human Resource Management, Operations Management or Supply Chain Management, Financial Management, Marketing Management, and Strategic Management.
• A 2-3 minute video in which you explain your motivation and skills. As a Dutch student you don't have to provide proof of English language proficiency, but we will assess your language skills through your video. In your video you should address the following:
  • What are you passionate about? How does this master help you prepare for your future?
  • What can you contribute to the MIBM learning community (think of skills, knowledge, experience, perspective, network)?
  • Information on the following competencies with the support of relevant academic/professional achievements and or international/intercultural experiences: 
    • (applied) research skills
    • critical thinking
    • cultural sensitivity

Please note that it does not matter where you upload the video, as long as you provide a link that enables us to click and immediately view the video (without downloading or logging into a new app). You are also responsible for ensuring your own privacy (sharing a private link with us, for example). In most cases, YouTube is the easiest, most reliable, and user friendly platform to use.

• An admissions interview is not a standard part of the admissions procedure; however, the Admissions Committee can request for additional supporting documents or examination in the form of an (online) interview.

*In some cases, admission may be granted if one or more of these courses are missing on the student's transcript. Students are required to bring themselves up to the bachelor's level of this course though self-study before beginning the master's programme. A self-study literature list will be provided.

Application and enrolment

Once you have made your final choice of degree programme, apply for the degree programme via Studielink before 15 August.

Start of the degree programme

The degree programme will start in September. It is not possible to start in February.

Financial support

Please note: with this master's programme, you will receive student finance from DUO for the first year only.  Hanze may grant you financial support for the last six months of the programme, provided you were entitled to a performance grant in the first year. Are you a Hanze student? Then check with the Student Support Regulation to see if you qualify. Not a Hanze student yet? Please e-mail [email protected].