Bachelor of Arts in International Business

Alicia Cronin

My first impression of UL was that it is huge, it incorporates lots of greenery and open space, and has a variety of cafes and restaurants for students to relax and socialise.  My lecturers were also very helpful and accommodating during our first few weeks as we settled in.  There were also very good student events organized on campus, especially through Freshers week to welcome us to UL! 

I chose the Bachelor of Arts in International Business because I wanted to study business and heard great things from past students of UL. I course appealed to me specifically for the international aspect of Erasmus and Co-op abroad and because we are allowed to pick our own modules. I enjoyed the idea of an individualised degree.  I decided to specialise in marketing. I enjoy working with people and think of myself as a creative individual. I think marketing is the business field where my skills would most excel.  

I went to Seville, in Spain for my Erasmus. The best parts of my Erasmus experience always involved adventures with the amazing people I met around the incredibly beautiful city. 

On my Co-operative placement, (Co-op), I worked as a marketing intern, in Barcelona. This role gave me first-hand experience of reality in an office. I worked with other people as part of a team and put my learned academic theory to use doing hands on work, a massive difference from simply memorising things in class. 

My best memory of UL is Cabal in the courtyard at the end of my first year (2019). This was a UL student life organised events for students.  

Aoife Flavin

My first time in UL was the open day when I was in 6th year, and I was absolutely blown away by the campus. It was so big and busy that it looked like a college campus from the movies.  

I was immediately sold and decided there and then that I had to go to UL. 

When I was deciding on a course for college, I knew 3 things for sure;  

• I wanted to study business,  
• I wanted to continue my Spanish studies, 
• I wanted to go to UL.  

At the time the BBS course didn't offer Spanish as language option, so BAIB was the only course that checked all the boxes for me. Although this may have been what got me interested in the course, the opportunity to do a full year studying and working abroad is what solidified my decision. I also love that the course allows you to try modules that are not business subjects, such as politics, sociology and many more. It really creates a unique aspect to your degree. 

One of the best things about this course is the huge choice we are afforded, when choosing our modules. I always knew I wanted to study business, but I never knew exactly what my niche would be. Due to the uniqueness of the BAIB, I have been able to specialise in both Marketing and HR, as well as keeping up Spanish. I chose Marketing and HR, because I am very much a people person, and these are the areas of business where you get to interact with people the most. I also absolutely love the psychology aspects to both Marketing and HR. 

I went on Erasmus to Seville in Spain.  My favourite memory from Erasmus was when a few friends and I decided to go on a road trip to Malaga, so we hired out a few cars and had an amazing weekend. Not everything was open because of the pandemic but we went on an amazing hike and got to watch probably the nicest sunset I have ever seen from a mountain overlooking Malaga city. Then the next day we went shopping and went to the beach before driving back. My degree afforded me this experience, which I will never forget.

For my co-operative education (Co-op), I worked in a Financial Technology company in Luxembourg. Co-op has taught me so much about the real world of work. It allows you to better understand some of the concepts that you have studied in your lectures, which, at the time were difficult to grasp. It is interesting to see learned theories implemented in real-world work within businesses. It also teaches you so much about working with others and how to fit into the culture of an organisation and team. For me personally I have learned so much about efficiently managing my time and prioritising work, something that I have never been very good at. 

My favourite memory of UL was at the end of 1st year when UL Studentlife organised Cabal in the courtyard on campus. It was the end of first year, after exams, and everybody is last day together before going home for the summer. The sun was splitting the stones and everybody in Kilmurry (where I was living at the time) brought their bean bags outside and we all got ready together in the sun before heading to the courtyard.  

When I leave college, I would like to work and gain valuable experience in a multinational company situated in Spain, in either the Marketing or HR field.   

Cian O'Donnell

I am from Limerick, so I grew up around UL. It was always a place which I felt embodied the beauty of Limerick. You could take a scenic walk along the banks, attend a riveting rugby match or go for a swim in the arena pool to unwind.  Following on from that, entering as a first-year student I was fortunate enough to see the university in a new light. Not only could I appreciate the fine architecture and structural beauty of the campus, but I could recognise the University as an academic tour de force and all it represents. UL wears the Limerick colours well. 

Choosing International Business was a clear decision for me. There were many other University options with various streams that appealed to me, but UL's BAIB degree ultimately felt like the best fit for me.  

BAIB offers a unique opportunity for students to tailor their course of study to their own interests, while also gaining a year of study and work placement abroad. Each semester you have an option of selecting various modules. This differs from other degrees, as your path is more dependent on you and your personal preferences. This appealed to me because I knew I wanted to stay within the Business discipline and reap the rewards from studying at the prestigious Kemmy Business School yet also still have a bit of elbow room. Additionally, I still wasn't entirely sure on which stream of Business I would like to branch off with, so I chose them all!  

The BAIB allowed me to explore more in detail areas that came naturally to me, Marketing and People Relations for instance, whilst simultaneously giving me the opportunity to improve my French language skills. When I graduate, I'll have a degree with a combination of modules completely unique to me, playing greatly to my strengths and my future prospects. 

My selection of modules was quite broad for the first few semesters of BAIB. I wanted an extensive experience in my early semesters yet quickly found that my strengths were in the Marketing and Communications modules. Studying modules such as Consumption and Consumer Culture homed in on my love for English and creative writing, something I didn't necessarily think I would get to utilise in my studies. I also found a keen interest in Organisational Behaviour and Business Operations in the International Management and Change Management modules. I'm lucky that I can continue to study this fusion of Commercial practices. 

UL does a great job of offering the Erasmus programme to students. I was excited to be accepted into Toulouse Business School in France for the Erasmus programme. I really wanted to improve my French and I felt that the best option would be to immerse myself into the French culture. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic the Erasmus programme was cancelled for our year group. It was, of course, disappointing but the priority of student safety expressed by the University was highly respectable.  

In lieu of the physical Erasmus exchange, the French department organised a virtual exchange with the students of EM Strasbourg Business School. We had the opportunity to engage with the students from Strasbourg and collaborate on a variety of different tasks. It was a positive experience and appropriately highlighted the resilience of UL through the pandemic. 

As I write this I am currently in Rotterdam, the Netherlands on my Co-Operative Education placement. Even with the trials and tribulations of Covid-19, the BAIB class were still given the opportunity to complete their placement internationally. This was important for me as I wanted to venture outward and experience new cultures, meet new people and see new places. I'm working as a Business Development Intern for a company called TriGlobal. My time at TriGlobal thus far has been extremely enjoyable and educational. TriGlobal conducts various marketing activities within the moving industry and at a global scale. I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with such a diverse and knowledgeable team. TriGlobal is rich in various cultures spanning from all around the globe. Additionally, in my role I am able to speak with partners from all over the world, improving my professional and personal skills by capitalising from TriGlobal's excellent collaborative culture. 

I think there are a plethora of advantages that come from UL's Co-Op programme. Firstly, there is the professional development aspect. For most of us, this is our first professional role, and we experience everything from the recruitment process to the exit interview. We gain a comprehensive view of how this world works which will be beneficial as we progress in our careers. We also learn the basic skills required to be competent in the workplace, gaining an idea if we would like to continue along this line of work in the future. Secondly, I think that the personal development that occurs during Co-Op is paramount to us students at such a vital point in our lives.  

Personally, I know that my interpersonal skills have improved leaps and bounds since my induction week. You gain a greater idea of how to communicate effectively with others and how your actions imminently contribute to a shared goal. I am sure all of this experience will stand to us after graduation. 

Rag Week 2020 certainly stands out for me as one of my best memories of UL. It was such a well organised, vibrant, and collaborative experience for the entire student body. I was able to spend the week with the amazing friends I met in UL! Little did we know what would await the following weeks, still I remain so grateful for the experience and hope that Rag Week 2022 will prove similar at some capacity. 

I know I want to work with people post-university. I enjoy being innovative and taking the lead on projects. I would like to pursue Management Consulting, with a focus on people and organisations. 

Megan King

Diversity, choice and adventure were amongst the reasons why I chose to study International Business at UL. The course is exciting and broad, as we have the opportunity to choose our own subjects we can steer it anyway we want to go. I enjoy the creative elements of marketing classes, and the real-life application of management modules.

My year abroad was the most amazing time of my life, I learnt so much about myself and the world and other cultures. I completed two semesters in the management school in Strasbourg, doing exciting modules such as Luxury Brand management and Corporate Finance; I made a fantastic group of friends from Ireland, the UK, America, Mexico, Argentina and Germany. I travelled to Oktoberfest Munich, Prague, Amsterdam, Cologne, Berlin, Budapest, Luxembourg, Slovenia (the most beautiful place in the world), London, Milan, Rome and more! There are so many opportunities to travel while on study abroad, and so many like-minded individuals with which to do so. I didn’t have loads of money either – one bus from Milan to Strasbourg was €8 (and 16 hours long – where there’s a will there’s a way). It was a life-changing experience!

Studying at UL has presented me with many opportunities to broaden my horizons and learn, including an exciting international job offer. I have a job as a Wealth Advisor with DeVere Group. The international placement allows me to choose my location of work, which was my dream – I have chosen Dubai, and I would never have had the opportunity to do so had I not made UL my number one choice.

Mark Barrow

When I discovered this course I was initially attracted by the degree of flexibility it offers to students. The International Business degree is the only course that allows you to study business, a language and a humanities/arts subject (such as politics or law) so I was encouraged to try different modules (subjects) which I had an interest in.

Group projects are a core part of this programme, allowing you to get to know your classmates better, meet other people, learn together as a group and learn new ideas from your fellow students. The course is not just all theory, with many of the lectures focusing on practical applications that demonstrate how business situations work in the real world. Various guest speakers from industry visit often and share their own experiences of business, whether they succeeded or failed and what contributed to that.

I think the facilities provided for the course here at UL are excellent. From modern classrooms to the latest technology in the computer labs, everything is ideal. The lecturers are very approachable also, no matter what the issue. If you have a strong interest in Maths or Applied Maths then this course is perfect for you.

I particularly enjoy the language aspect of this course. I study French and without a doubt this is my favourite part of the course. The Business French programme in UL will train you to improve your conversational French; how to handle business situations in French, while also improving listening, speaking and writing skills. This is achieved by highly interactive tutorials which are always enjoyable. The course has offered me the opportunity to live in France for a year, and further improve my French, which is something that I have always wanted to do.

I chose UL primarily because of the reputation of the Kemmy Business School, but also because of the opportunity to go on both co-op and Erasmus (study abroad). Next year, I will study for the full year at the EM Strasbourg business school in France.

Shauna Murphy

As I am from Cork city, I had planned to go to UCC. However after finding this International Business course, I knew UL was the college for me. I then discovered the amazing campus of UL and all that is on offer here.

The first thing that grabbed my attention about this course was the fact that I was able to pick and choose my own modules. I can virtually design my own personalised degree so it stood out from any other courses I had looked at. I can choose my modules to suit my own interests, and still have the opportunity to gain an insight into fields of Business that I might not have otherwise considered. The choices are numerous from law to marketing and even languages.

I think the facilities provided for the course here at UL are excellent. From modern classrooms to the latest technology in the computer labs, everything is ideal. The lecturers are very approachable also, no matter what the issue. If you have a strong interest in Maths or Applied Maths then this course is perfect for you.

There are many things that I enjoy in UL. We have endless facilities including a multitude of restaurants that cater for all age groups, tastes and budgets. The highlight of the campus in my opinion is the incredible sports arena. Whether you feel like going for a swim or doing a fitness class, it is a great place to be. The Stables is another fine feature of the campus! Going to UL makes you part of a community and it was the best decision I have ever made. By choosing UL, I feel I have the best of both worlds, academic and social. I am getting a high class education, while making many new friends along the way.