This is the first version of the 2025–26 General Catalog. Please check back regularly for changes. The final edition and the historical PDF will be published during the fall semester.
The undergraduate Certificate in International Business requires a minimum of 21 s.h. The program includes the study of international business and economics, along with associated political, environmental, and cultural contexts. The range of courses permits students to tailor areas of specialization suited to their individual interests and to complement majors in business and in liberal arts and sciences.
Students must maintain a grade-point average of at least 2.00 in work for the certificate. Certificate courses may not be taken pass/nonpass. A course may not be used to satisfy more than one certificate requirement. The certificate may be earned by any student admitted to the University of Iowa who is not enrolled in a UI graduate or professional degree program. Undergraduate to Graduate (U2G) students may earn the certificate when the undergraduate classification is primary.
Students should declare their intention to earn the certificate as early as possible, talk with an advisor about certificate requirements, and work to create an individual plan of study. Tippie College of Business students should talk with the advising staff at the college's Undergraduate Program Office; College of Liberal Arts and Sciences students and students enrolled in other UI colleges should talk with a Certificate in International Business advisor at the Academic Advising Center. Individuals who hold a bachelor's degree from another institution should contact University of Iowa Admissions.
Students are allowed up to 7 s.h. of transfer work towards the certificate. The remaining certificate coursework (other than language courses) must be completed at the University of Iowa or in approved study abroad programs. Students who plan to count study abroad credit toward the certificate should consult a Certificate in International Business advisor before enrolling in a program and leaving campus.
The Certificate in International Business requires the following coursework.
| Requirements | Hours |
|---|---|
| Global Business Foundation Courses | 12-16 |
| Political, Environmental, and Cultural Contexts Courses | 9-12 |
Global Business Foundation
Global business foundation courses provide students with an essential understanding of economics, which is central to all business operation. They also help students develop knowledge of the functional areas of international business.
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| One of these: | ||
| ECON:1100 | Principles of Microeconomics | 4 |
| ECON:1200 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 4 |
| SEES:2910 | The Global Economy | 3 |
| One of these: | ||
| ACCT:2100 & MKTG:3000 | Introduction to Financial Accounting - Introduction to Marketing Strategy (both courses) | 6 |
| ENTR:1350 | Foundations in Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| ENTR:2000 | Entrepreneurship and Innovation | 3 |
| One of these: | ||
| ENTR:4460 | Entrepreneurship and Global Trade (if not used to satisfy the following requirement) | 3 |
| MGMT:3450 | International Business Environment | 3 |
| One of these: | ||
| ECON:3345 | Global Economics and Business | 3 |
| ECON:3830 | Global Trade Finance | 3 |
| ENTR:4460 | Entrepreneurship and Global Trade (if not used to satisfy the preceding requirement) | 3 |
| FIN:4240 | International Finance | 3 |
| FREN:3410 | Business French | 3 |
| GRMN:3214 | Business German | 3 |
| JPNS:3500 | Japanese for Professional Purposes | 3 |
| MKTG:4300 | International Marketing | 3 |
| SPAN:3080 | Spanish for International Business | 3 |
Political, Environmental, and Cultural Contexts
The political, environmental, and cultural contexts category has three separate requirements: global politics (3 s.h.); environmental, social, and corporate governance (3 s.h.); and cultural immersion (3–6 s.h.).
Global Politics
Students will gain deeper knowledge of cross-cultural issues and think critically about broader dynamics.
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| One of these (3 s.h.): | ||
| HIST:1101 | The Modern World | 3 |
| POLI:1400 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | 3 |
| POLI:1500 | Introduction to International Relations | 3 |
| POLI:1501 | Introduction to American Foreign Policy | 3 |
| SEES:1090 | Globalization and Geographic Diversity | 3 |
Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance
Students will demonstrate ethical reasoning in dealing with environmental, social, and governance issues in international business.
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| One of these (3 s.h.): | ||
| ANTH:2136 | Race, Place, and Power: Urban Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH:2151/GWSS:2151/IS:2151 | Global Migration in the Contemporary World | 3 |
| ANTH:2190/GWSS:2190/IS:2190 | Love Rules: Law and the Family Across Cultures | 3 |
| ANTH:3103 | Environment and Culture | 3 |
| ANTH:3190/IS:3190/SJUS:3190 | Global Debt | 3 |
| ANTH:3199/GHS:3199/IS:3198 | Understanding Health in an Unequal World: Anthropology and Global Health Policy | 3 |
| ARAB:2006/SJUS:2006/WLLC:2006 | Transnational Solidarities | 3 |
| ARTH:1025 | Buyer Beware! Fakes, Thefts, and the Global Art Market | 3 |
| COMM:2042/IS:2042/SSW:2042 | Intercultural Communication | 3 |
| COMM:4131/IS:4131 | Globalization and Culture | 3 |
| CPH:3500/GHS:3500 | Global Public Health | 3 |
| CPH:4200 | Agriculture, Food Systems, and Sustainability | 3 |
| CRIM:3415 | Global Criminology | 3 |
| CRIM:4680/SOC:4680 | Corruption: The Social Scientific Perspectives | 3 |
| ENTR:4100 | International Entrepreneurship, Culture, and Social Impact | 3 |
| GHS:2000/ANTH:2103 | Introduction to Global Health Studies | 3 |
| GHS:3325 | Global Epidemics | 3 |
| GHS:4001 | Social Entrepreneurship and Global Health | 3 |
| GHS:4003 | Case Studies in Global Health Inequities | 3 |
| GWSS:2571/ENGL:2571/SJUS:2571 | Visualizing Human Rights | 3 |
| GWSS:2650/GHS:2650 | Global Reproduction | 3 |
| GWSS:2900/ANTH:2191 | Love, Sex, and Money: Sexuality and Exchange Across Cultures | 3 |
| GWSS:3157/HIST:3157 | Gender, Sexuality, and Human Rights | 3 |
| HIST:3108 | History of Human Rights | 3 |
| HIST:3126 | History of Globalization | 3 |
| HIST:3128 | Topics in Global Environmental History | 3 |
| HRTS:2115/IS:2115 | Introduction to Human Rights | 3 |
| HRTS:2903/IS:2903 | Technology and Human Rights | 3 |
| HRTS:3904/IS:3904 | Business, Labor, and Human Rights | 3 |
| HRTS:3905/IS:3905 | Topics in Human Rights | 3 |
| HRTS:3906 | Global Crises and Human Rights | 3 |
| HRTS:3910/IS:3910 | Approaches to Advocacy: From Theory to Practice | 3 |
| IS:2000 | Introduction to International Studies | 3 |
| IS:2020 | World Events Today! | 3 |
| JMC:3116/IS:3116 | Media and Global Cultures | 3 |
| JMC:3142/IS:3142 | Media and Social Change | 3 |
| LING:1040/ANTH:1040 | Language Rights | 3 |
| PHIL:2429 | War, Terrorism, and Torture | 3 |
| PHIL:3430 | Philosophy of Human Rights | 3 |
| POLI:1510 | International Politics of Environmental Issues | 3 |
| POLI:1800 | Introduction to the Politics of Class and Inequality | 3 |
| POLI:2417 | Comparative Environmental Policy | 3 |
| POLI:2500 | Politics of Natural Disasters | 3 |
| POLI:3350 | Games of Politics | 3 |
| POLI:3405 | Authoritarian Politics | 3 |
| POLI:3411 | Democracy: Global Trends and Struggles | 3 |
| POLI:3424 | Global Development | 3 |
| POLI:3426 | Outliers: Comparing Odd Countries | 3 |
| POLI:3430/NAIS:3430 | Environmental Politics and Indigeneity | 3 |
| POLI:3432/NAIS:3432 | Agriculture Politics and Policy | 3 |
| POLI:3450 | Problems in Comparative Politics | 3 |
| POLI:3503 | Politics of Terrorism | 3 |
| POLI:3504 | Globalization | 3 |
| POLI:3505 | Civil Wars | 3 |
| POLI:3506 | Consequences of War | 3 |
| POLI:3509 | International Courts: The Intersection of Law and Politics | 3 |
| POLI:3512 | International Conflict | 3 |
| POLI:3516 | The Politics of International Economics | 3 |
| POLI:3518 | Water Wars: Conflict and Cooperation | 3 |
| POLI:3550 | Problems of International Politics | 3 |
| RELS:1015 | Global Religious Conflict and Diversity | 3 |
| RELS:2330 | Wealth, Inequality, and Islam | 3 |
| SEES:2110/GHS:2110 | Eight Billion and Counting: Introduction to Population Dynamics | 3 |
| SEES:2910 | The Global Economy | 3 |
| SEES:3090/GHS:3070 | Hungry Planet: Global Geographies of Food | 3 |
| SEES:3300/GHS:3300 | Envisioning Future Worlds: Sustainable Development and Its Alternatives | 3 |
| SEES:3331 | Human Dimensions of Climate | 3 |
| SEES:4000/SDG:4000 | The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: A Blueprint for a Sustainable Future | 3 |
| SEES:4210 | Sustainability as a System Science | 3 |
| SEES:4770/AFAM:4770/GHS:4770 | Environmental Justice | 3 |
Cultural Immersion
Students will cultivate effective written, spoken, and visual communication skills necessary in cross-cultural organizational settings. They will also gain deeper knowledge of cross-cultural issues and think critically about broader dynamics. There are three options for fulfilling the cultural immersion requirement.
Cultural Immersion: Option 1
Students complete a fourth semester-level or higher-level World Language course offered for at least 3 s.h. that is taught in the world language (i.e., not taught in English). World Language courses that build proficiency for business and professional environments are strongly encouraged.
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Arabic | ||
| ARAB:2002 | Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic II | 5 |
| Or any course taught in Arabic for which ARAB:2002 or above is a prerequisite or requirement | ||
| Chinese | ||
| CHIN:2102 | Second-Year Chinese: Second Semester | 5 |
| CHIN:2104 | Accelerated Second-Year Chinese: Second Semester | 3 |
| Or any course taught in Chinese for which CHIN:2102 or above is a prerequisite or requirement | ||
| French | ||
| FREN:2002 | Intermediate French II | 4 |
| Or any course taught in French for which FREN:2002 or above is a prerequisite or requirement | ||
| German | ||
| GRMN:2002 | Intermediate German II | 4 |
| Or any course taught in German for which GRMN:2002 or above is a prerequisite or requirement | ||
| Italian | ||
| ITAL:2204 | Intermediate Italian II | 4 |
| Or any course taught in Italian for which ITAL:2204 or above is a prerequisite or requirement | ||
| Japanese | ||
| JPNS:2002 | Second-Year Japanese: Second Semester | 5 |
| Or any course taught in Japanese for which JPNS:2002 or above is a prerequisite or requirement | ||
| Korean | ||
| KORE:2102 | Second-Year Korean: Second Semester | 4 |
| Or any course taught in Korean for which KORE:2102 or above is a prerequisite or requirement | ||
| Portuguese | ||
| PORT:2500 | Accelerated Intermediate Portuguese | 5 |
| Or any course taught in Portuguese for which PORT:2500 or above is a prerequisite or requirement | ||
| Russian | ||
| RUSS:2112 | Second-Year Russian II | 4 |
| Or any course taught in Russian for which RUSS:2112 or above is a prerequisite or requirement | ||
| Spanish | ||
| SPAN:1502 | Intermediate Spanish II | 4 |
| SPAN:1503 | Accelerated Intermediate Spanish | 6 |
| SPAN:1505 | Intermediate Spanish for Heritage Speakers | 5 |
| SPAN:2040 | Spanish for Heritage Speakers | 3 |
| Or any course taught in Spanish for which SPAN:1502 or above is a prerequisite or requirement | ||
| Swahili | ||
| SWAH:2002 | Intermediate Swahili II | 4 |
| Or any course taught in Swahili for which SWAH:2002 or above is a prerequisite or requirement | ||
Cultural Immersion: Option 2
Students complete a minimum of 6 s.h. from the following.
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| This: | ||
| Study abroad credit coursework (consult international business certificate advisor) | ||
| And/or these: | ||
| ENTR:4200 | Entrepreneurship: Business Consulting (Mandela Fellows section only) | 3 |
| INTL:4525 | SIT Virtual Global Internship | arr. |
| INTL:4540 | IES Virtual Global Internships | arr. |
| IS:3012 | Service Learning in International Studies | 3 |
| RHET:2090 | Conversation Practicum | 0-3 |
Cultural Immersion: Option 3
Students complete a minimum of 6 s.h. from one of the following area studies: Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East/Africa, or Russia/Eastern Europe.
Asia
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH:2108/GWSS:2108 | Gendering India | 3 |
| ANTH:2160/GHS:2160 | Culture, Health, and Wellness: Southeast Asia in Focus | 3 |
| ANTH:3121/GWSS:3121 | Love, Marriage, and Family in India | 3 |
| ARTH:1070 | Asian Art and Culture | 3 |
| ARTH:2220/ASIA:2231 | Introduction to the Art of China | 3 |
| ARTH:2250/JPNS:2250 | Introduction to the Art of Japan | 3 |
| ARTH:3225 | Modern and Contemporary Art in China | 3 |
| ARTH:3270/ASIA:3270 | Themes in Asian Art History | 3 |
| ASIA:1502/RELS:1502/SOAS:1502 | Asian Humanities: India | 3 |
| ASIA:1609/HIST:1609 | India Now! Surveying the World's Largest Democracy | 3-4 |
| ASIA:2450/MUS:2450 | India Beat: The Aesthetics and Politics of India Today | 3 |
| CHIN:1504 | China Beyond Walls | 3 |
| CHIN:1702 | Chinese Popular Culture | 3 |
| CHIN:3341 | Chinese Literature: Poetry | 3 |
| CHIN:4203 | Modern Chinese Writers | 3 |
| CHIN:4206 | Chinese Cinema | 3 |
| ENGL:3540 | Literature of the Indian Subcontinent | 3 |
| HIST:1602/ASIA:1602 | Civilizations of Asia: China from the 17th Century to the Present | 3 |
| HIST:1604/ASIA:1604 | Civilizations of Asia: Japan | 3-4 |
| HIST:1606/ASIA:1606/RELS:1606 | Civilizations of Asia: South Asia | 3-4 |
| HIST:1607/ASIA:1607 | Civilizations of Asia: Korea | 3-4 |
| HIST:2684/ASIA:2684 | Korean War: Local and Global History | 3 |
| HIST:2687/ASIA:2887 | Perspectives on Korea | 3 |
| HIST:3652/ASIA:3652 | Twentieth-Century China | 3 |
| HIST:3685/ASIA:3685 | Modern Korean History | 3 |
| JMC:2150 | News and Knowledge: Chinese Culture, History, and Journalism | 1 |
| JPNS:1506 | Ghostly Japan | 3 |
| JPNS:3202 | Traditional Japanese Literature in Translation | 3 |
| JPNS:3203 | Modern Japanese Fiction in Translation | 3 |
| JPNS:3205 | Major Authors in Modern Japanese Literature | 3 |
| JPNS:3206 | Warriors' Dreams | 3 |
| JPNS:3207 | Japan Illuminated: Japanese Literature and Visual Culture | 3 |
| JPNS:3208 | Japanese Film | 3 |
| JPNS:3401 | Language in Japanese Society | 3 |
| JPNS:3402 | Japan: Culture and Communication | 3 |
| JPNS:3601 | Contemporary Japanese Culture | 3 |
| KORE:1135 | Cultural Fusion: Korean Pop Culture in a Globalized World | 3 |
| PHIL:2343 | Philosophy East and West | 3 |
| POLI:3408 | Chinese Politics and Society | 3 |
| POLI:3420 | Southeast Asia: Politics and Development | 3 |
| RELS:1404/ASIA:1040/HIST:1610 | Introduction to Asian Religions | 3 |
| RELS:1506/ASIA:1060/HIST:1612 | Introduction to Buddhism | 3 |
| RELS:1670/ASIA:1670/KORE:1670 | Korea in the World | 3 |
| RELS:3055/ASIA:3055 | Death, Dying, and Beyond in Asian Religions | 3 |
| RELS:3655/ASIA:3655/HIST:3655 | Zen Buddhism | 3 |
| RUSS:2050/WLLC:2050 | Women From an Unknown Land: The Fight for Independence | 3 |
| WLLC:3700/ASIA:3700/JPNS:3700/TRNS:3700 | Topics in Global Cinema | 3 |
Europe
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ARTH:3020 | Paris and the Art of Urban Life | 3 |
| ENGL:2330 | Topics in Modern British Literature After 1900 | 3 |
| ENGL:2360 | Twentieth-Century British Literature | 3 |
| ENGL:2361 | Twenty-first-Century British Literature | 3 |
| ENGL:3320 | Modern British Drama | 3 |
| ENGL:3350 | Literature and Culture of 20th- and 21st-Century Britain | 3 |
| FREN:1510 | Cultural Misunderstandings: France and U.S.A. | 3 |
| FREN:4015 | Francophone Cinema | 3-4 |
| FREN:4026/GWSS:4026 | French Women Writers | 3-4 |
| FREN:4100 | French Cinema | 3-4 |
| FREN:4433/HIST:4433 | France Under Nazi Occupation, 1940-1944 | 3-4 |
| GRMN:2275 | Scandinavian Crime Fiction | 3 |
| GRMN:2618/WLLC:2618 | Film and Literature of the Holocaust | 3 |
| GRMN:2620/WLLC:2620 | Anne Frank and Her Story | 3-4 |
| GRMN:2630 | German Cinema: Greatest Hits | 3-4 |
| GRMN:2675/MUSM:2675 | The Politics of Memory: Holocaust, Genocide, and 9/11 | 3-4 |
| GRMN:2720/HIST:2420 | Germany in the World | 3 |
| HIST:1403 | The West and the World: Modern | 3 |
| HIST:2465 | Europe Since 1945 | 3 |
| HIST:3145 | Europe and the United States in the Twentieth Century | 3 |
| HIST:3470 | France From 1815 to Present | 3 |
| HIST:4478 | Holocaust in History and Memory | 3 |
| ITAL:1050 | Italy Live | 3 |
| ITAL:2440 | Italian Arts for International Success | 3 |
| ITAL:2550 | Images of Modern Italy | 3 |
| ITAL:2770 | The Mafia and the Movies | 3 |
| ITAL:2880 | Italian Food Culture | 3 |
| POLI:1449 | Introduction to European Politics | 3 |
| SPAN:2901 | Diversity and Cultures in Spain | 3 |
Latin America
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| DANC:1150/LAS:1150 | Brazilian Culture and Carnival | 3 |
| ENGL:3535/LAS:3535 | Topics in Literature and Culture of the Americas | 3 |
| HIST:2288 | Latina/o/x History From Conquest to the Present | 3 |
| HIST:3217/LAS:3217/LATS:3217 | Latina/o/x Immigration | 3 |
| HIST:3501/LAS:3501 | Rebel Island: A History of Cuba | 3 |
| HIST:3508/GHS:3508/LAS:3508 | Disease and Health in Latin American History | 3 |
| HIST:3515/LAS:3515 | Introduction to Modern Latin America | 3 |
| HIST:4216/LAS:4216 | Mexican American History | 3 |
| LAS:4700/ANTH:4700/HIST:4504/PORT:4700/SPAN:4900 | Latin American Studies Seminar | 3-4 |
| MUS:2311/LAS:2311 | Music of Latin America and the Caribbean | 3 |
| POLI:2415/LAS:2415 | Latin American Politics | 3 |
| PORT:2850/LAS:2850/SPAN:2850 | Brazilian Narrative in Translation | 3 |
| SPAN:1800 | Writing and Writers From Latin America | 3 |
| SPAN:2700/IS:2700/LAS:2700/PORT:2700 | Introduction to Latin American Studies | 3 |
Middle East/Africa
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH:2182/GHS:2182 | Africa: Health and Society | 3 |
| ARAB:3005 | Culture and Resistance: The Modern Middle East | 3-4 |
| ARAB:3030 | Media Arabic | 3 |
| ARTH:1040 | Arts of Africa | 3 |
| ARTH:2120 | Art and Architecture of the Islamic World | 3 |
| ARTH:3325 | Kings, Gods, and Heroes: Art of Ancient Mesopotamia and Persia | 3 |
| ENGL:3550/AFAM:3550 | African Literature | 3 |
| ENGL:3555/AFAM:3555 | Topics in African Cinema | 3 |
| FREN:4015 | Francophone Cinema | 3-4 |
| HIST:1708 | Civilizations of Africa | 3 |
| HIST:2802 | Gender, Religion, and Social Identities in the Modern Middle East | 3 |
| HIST:2810 | The Modern Middle East | 3 |
| HIST:3755/GHS:3555/IS:3555 | Understanding Health and Disease in Africa | 3 |
| HIST:3760/AFAM:3760 | The Making of Modern Africa | 3 |
| HIST:3810 | History of the Modern Middle East | 3 |
| POLI:3422 | Horn of Africa: Politics and Transnational Issues | arr. |
| POLI:3423 | The Middle East: Policy and Diplomacy | 3 |
| RELS:1130/HIST:1030 | Introduction to Islamic Civilization | 3 |
| RELS:2330 | Wealth, Inequality, and Islam | 3 |
| RELS:2852/GWSS:2052 | Women in Islam and the Middle East | 3 |
| RELS:2955/IS:2955 | Human Rights and Islam | 3 |
| RELS:3267 | Dissent and Rebellion in Islamic Societies: Was There an Arab Spring? | 3 |
| RUSS:2050/WLLC:2050 | Women From an Unknown Land: The Fight for Independence | 3 |
Russia/Eastern Europe
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| POLI:1401 | Introduction to Russian Politics | 3 |
| POLI:3405 | Authoritarian Politics | 3 |
| RUSS:1082 | Youth Subcultures After Socialism | 3 |
| RUSS:1131/WLLC:1131 | Introduction to Russian Culture | 3 |
| RUSS:1132 | Russia Today | 3 |
| RUSS:1531 | Slavic Folklore | 3 |
| RUSS:1532 | Traces of Ancient Russian Culture (IX-XVII Centuries): Vikings, Mongols, and Tsars | 3 |
| RUSS:2050/WLLC:2050 | Women From an Unknown Land: The Fight for Independence | 3 |
| RUSS:2100 | Russian Mindset: Sex, Business, and Politics | 3 |
| RUSS:2110 | Russian Sports: Politics, Scandal, Glory | 3 |
| RUSS:3122/TRNS:3122/WLLC:3122 | Tolstoy and Dostoevsky | 3-4 |
| RUSS:3202/HIST:3492/TRNS:3203/WLLC:3202 | Russian Literature in Translation 1860-1917 | 3 |
Sample Plan of Study
Sample plans represent one way to complete a program of study. Actual course selection and sequence will vary and should be discussed with an academic advisor. For additional sample plans, see MyUI.
International Business, Certificate
This sample plan is currently being reviewed and will be added at a later date.