“In a highly competitive global environment, all students need a competitive edge in the international marketplace,” said Jerry Haar, associate dean for international affairs and projects, and professor, Department of Management and International Business.

“We know that our marketing graduates face fierce competition for jobs—as well as having a wide variety of career options that may make it challenging for them to focus their job-search efforts,” said Kimberly Taylor, associate professor, and Macy’s Retailing Professor in the Marketing Department.

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With these realities in mind, the College of Business Administration has launched programs to help ensure that employers get new employees with an added level of job preparedness, and to ease the process for students trying to find a job. It’s part of an ongoing commitment in the college to add opportunities—as well as the academic background—that give the graduates a path to success.

Existing graduate Dual Degree Program provides model for new undergraduate offering.

Kimberly Taylor

The college has partner relationships with more than thirty institutions globally in a Dual Degree Network, which enables graduate students to complete an MBA from their home university and a Master of International Business (MIB) from Florida International University (FIU) in less time than it would take to complete the degrees sequentially.

In the new program for undergraduates, students will receive a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from FIU and a second one from their home institution.

“Though requirements will differ based on the student’s home university, all students will complete at least the last thirty credit hours in residence in Miami, allowing them to experience the campus and the city, both strongly international,” Haar said.

Three marketing certificates tap into three demonstrably strong area markets.

Tiger Li

The college has offered a retail marketing and management certificate for years, recently adding one in export-import management, which Tiger Li, associate professor, manages, and in the spring, 2009, semester will offer one in sales and customer relationship management (CRM).

“We created the options based on an analysis of areas in demand in South Florida to ensure that we preparing the students to contribute to markets that we already know are strong,” Taylor said.

Each certificate includes six courses and is open to currently enrolled business students or people who already have a business degree and want to add a specialization.

Learn more.

To find out more about the Dual Degree program for undergraduates, contact Haar at Jerry.Haar@business.fiu.edu. To learn more about the marketing certificates, contact Taylor at Kimberly.Taylor@business.fiu.edu.