International Business, Language, and Culture

The International Business, Language, and Culture (IBLC) Bachelor of Science program is a joint degree developed and offered by Georgetown College and the McDonough School of Business (MSB). Students in the College and MSB may apply to enter the IBLC program at the end of their first year.

The IBLC joint degree program offers students an integrative education in language and business, emphasizing the centrality of cultural and linguistic competency to the business sector, and the ways that language study effects change and innovation in the world. In addition to developing critical tools and professional perspectives essential to business, students will take up vital humanistic and cultural questions through the study of literary, historical, and linguistic traditions, illuminating social and ethical dimensions of that intersect with the business world.

The IBLC curriculum is a 120-credit degree. Students fulfill the University Core in full, complete a unified, joint “school” core that preserves the distinctive aims of both College and MSB, and complete a major that integrates essential elements of the MSB program in international business and one College language major. The language chosen will be articulated as the ‘concentration’ in the IBLC major. Please note, students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in International Business, Language, and Culture are not permitted to double major with a major offered through a different degree program. 

UNIVERSITY CORE

JOINT SCHOOL CORE

*Several School and University Core requirements are embedded within the major requirements or are designed as overlay courses.

International Business (IB) Curriculum

Language & Culture (LC) Curriculum and Concentrations

Students completing the joint degree program will remain in their home school, College or MSB, from entry to graduation. IBLC students from both COL and MSB form a unified cohort, access advising resources in both schools, and complete the same curricular requirements. A student’s school of entry determines their primary decanal advisor.

Language Concentrations in Detail

ARABIC (9 courses minimum)

Language through 3rd level: ARAB (011, 012 if needed) 111, 112, 215, 216

ARAB 201, Intro to Islamic Civ

ARAB 300+ in English

ARAB 300+ in Arabic

Additional Arabic electives, as needed, to reach 9 ARAB courses

If starting with 011, 9 courses will be reached without additional electives.

CHINESE (9 courses minimum)

Language through 3rd level: CHIN (011, 012 if needed) 111, 112, 211, 212

CHIN 024, Texts & Contexts

CHIN 300+ in English

CHIN 300+ in Language

Additional 300+ language electives (as needed, to reach 9 CHIN courses)

If starting with 011, 9 courses will be reached without additional electives.

FRENCH (7 courses minimum)

Language through advanced: FREN (011, 032 if needed) 111, 112

FREN 250 or 251, Reading Texts/French Speaking World (Culture or Lit)

Business French, FREN 293

3 French electives numbered 300-499

Additional French electives, as needed, to reach 7 FREN courses

If starting with 011, 9 courses will be taken.

GERMAN (6 courses minimum)

Language through advanced: GERM (011, 032 if needed) 111

GERM 152 or 153, Texts in Context

GERM 171, Business in Germany

GERM 392, German Business Culture

3 German electives numbered 152+

If starting above 111, no additional GERM electives needed; 6 courses starting with GERM 152

If starting with 011, 9 courses will be taken.

ITALIAN (8 courses minimum)

Language courses through advanced: (011, 032 if needed) 111, 112

ITAL 237, Business Italian

3 Italian electives

Additional Italian electives, as needed, to reach 8 ITAL courses

If starting with 011, 8 courses will be reached without additional electives.

JAPANESE (9 courses minimum)

Language through 3rd level: JAPN (011, 012 if needed) 111, 112, 211, 212

JAPN 024, Texts & Contexts

JAPN 300+ in English

JAPN 300+ in Language

Additional 300+ language electives, as needed, to reach 9 JAPN courses

If starting with 011, 9 courses will be reached without additional electives.

KOREAN (9 courses minimum)

Language through 3rd level: KREN (011, 012 if needed) 111, 112, 211, 212

KREN 024, Texts & Contexts

KREN 300+ in English

KREN 300+ in Language

Additional 300+ language electives, as needed, to reach 9 KREN courses

If starting with 011, 9 courses will be reached without additional electives.

PORTUGUESE (7 courses minimum)

Language through advanced: (050 if needed) 101

PORT 102, Lus Lit & Culture

PORT 199, Cultures of Port-Spk World

PORT 390 or PORT 425, Portuguese Phonetics/Ling

PORT 271, Advanced Portuguese for Business

2 PORT electives numbered 300-499

Additional Portuguese electives, as needed, to reach 7 PORT courses

If starting with 050, 8 courses will be taken.

RUSSIAN (7 courses minimum)

Language through 3rd level: RUSS (011, 012 if needed) 111, 112, 211

RUSS 115, 116, Russian A-Z I & II (in English)

RUSS 213 or 214, Russia in Context

RUSS 355, Russian 4th Level

2 Russian electives numbered 300-499

Additional Electives, as needed to reach 7 RUSS courses of 3-credits or more

If starting with 011 or 012, 8 courses must be taken (plus 1-credit units, 115 and 116).

SPANISH (8 courses minimum)

Language courses through advanced: (011, 032) 110 or 104 or 199 or 204

2 Spanish Lit/Culture (241, 242: Spain; or 261, 262: Latin America)

SPAN 210, Intro Spanish Linguistics

Spanish Linguistics elective

SPAN 209, Advanced Spanish for Business I

SPAN 389, Advanced Spanish for Business II

SPAN 494, Capstone

Additional Spanish electives, as needed, to reach 8 courses

If starting with 011, 10 courses will be taken; at 32, 9 courses; at 111, 8 courses.

SPANISH & PORTUGUESE (9 courses minimum)

SPAN 

   Language courses through advanced: SPAN (011, 032) 110

   SPAN Linguistics

   SPAN for Business

PORT

   Language courses through advanced: PORT (050), 101

   PORT Linguistics

   PORT for Business

SPAN & PORT

   2 Lit/Culture (2) from PORT 102, 199, SPAN 241, 242, 261, or 262

   SPAN or PORT 400-level elective

   Additional 200-level if starting beyond SPAN110 or PORT101, as needed, to reach 9 courses

If starting with SPAN011, 11 courses total; if starting at PORT050, 10 courses total; if BOTH, 12 total)