Students interested in careers with firms that have an international focus can enhance their BABA with a Certificate of International Studies in Business. The program requires intensive language training, cultural studies, experience abroad in academic exchange programs or corporate internships, and a practicum helping local firms explore international markets. Admission is competitive. The curriculum and activities required in this program focus on the technical and managerial skills students need to start a new business or join an organization as an agent of change and new development. Working closely with PEI faculty and advisors from the corporate community, entrepreneurial undergraduates run an import-export business clinic and participate in a business plan competition where their plans are judged by a panel of venture capitalists, bankers, and investors.
Some students have businesses up and running prior to graduation.
Admission is open to students throughout the University of Washington, both undergraduates and graduate students. Retail growth in recent years has created a high demand for qualified retail managers. Admission is selective. Informal Areas of Concentration Finance Finance addresses the investment and funding decisions of business firms, the portfolio decisions of individuals, and the institutional and financial market environment in which these decision-makers operate. Topics include securities markets, portfolio analysis, firm investment policy, firm financing, and business acquisitions.