Business Management and International Relations

Business management and international relations is a combination that equips you for careers at the intersection of commerce and global affairs. Business management develops your understanding of how organisations operate, from strategy and marketing to finance, operations, and human resources. International relations provides the analytical framework for understanding how states, international institutions, and non-state actors interact on the global stage, asking what drives cooperation and conflict, how international trade and investment are governed, and what political and economic forces shape the global environment in which businesses operate.

Together, the two disciplines give you an unusually rounded preparation for careers in organisations that work across borders.

At Aberdeen this four-year full-time programme sets your grounding in business and management in the wide context of world events, improving your understanding of how organisations, states, and governments interact against a constantly changing global and economic backdrop. A year abroad is embedded in the programme, giving you direct experience of studying in a different national and international environment, which is particularly valuable for a degree focused on the global dimensions of business and politics.

Graduates are well placed for careers in international business, management consultancy, diplomacy, international development, the civil service, multinational organisations, banking, and the private sector. The combination of business acumen and international awareness is valued by employers with global operations and by international organisations that need graduates who understand both commercial and political dynamics. Many graduates also continue to postgraduate study in international business, international relations, or related fields, building on the distinctive combination of perspectives their undergraduate degree provides.