Institute for International Business

International Perspectives Program

The IIB's International Perspectives Program is perfect for business students who have an interest in foreign language and culture. By graduating with dual degrees in business and a foreign language, these students will stand out to recruiters. Not only is language proficiency seen as a plus by employers, but the broader cultural perspectives offered by the study of a foreign language can also bring real value to the workplace.

The program provides special programming and support to incoming freshmen who major in business and a foreign language. The language majors within the International Perspectives Program (IPP) include Chinese, French, French-Arabic, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and others.

Students admitted into the University of Iowa for the 2012 fall semester are eligible to apply. Priority is given to students who qualify for direct admission into the Tippie College of Business. Application deadline is August 10, 2012.

The IPP was developed under a new IIB grant received from the U.S. Department of Education.

IPP Cultural Dinner—Fall 2011

The IPP has developed programming that consists of series of benchmarks designed to help students with their academic, professional, and personal development.

IPP students who successfully complete all of the following benchmarks before they graduate will be designated an International Perspectives Scholar upon graduation in recognition of their achievements.

BENCHMARK EXPECTATIONS/ESTIMATED TIME TABLES

1. Complete majors in both business and a foreign language*
  • Students should anticipate needing more than the traditional four years to graduate.
  • An extra semester and some summer school sessions are typically needed, but a variety of factors will make each student's circumstances unique.

2. Take part in the International Perspectives Program seminars

  • Seminars will take place during the fall and spring semesters of the student's first year.
    • Seminars will cover academic planning and cross-cultural communications issues.
  • A third seminar will be related to the IPP Project, which is a cultural research project that will be tied to the students study abroad experience.

3. Maintain a minimum 3.00 GPA

  • Expected to maintain a 3.00 GPA for every semester.**

4. Participate in a semester study abroad program (in country where IPP language is widely used)
  • Most students study abroad sometime between the spring semester of their sophomore year and the fall of their senior year.
  • IPP students will focus their study abroad experience on language acquisition. To more fully develop language proficiency, students may wish to consider a year-long program or an additional summer abroad experience, but only one semester (at least 14 weeks long) is required.
5. Participate each semester in scheduled IPP events
  • During the course of each academic year, all IPP students will be asked to participate in approximately two events (guest speakers, group dinners, etc.) each semester while at the UI.
  • Students are excused from this requirement during their study abroad semester/year.

6. Meet established language proficiency requirements
  • Before you graduate, you will have your language level evaluated through the ACTFL Testing Office.
  • Each language department will set its own minimum proficiency requirements.
  • You must meet the testing requirements set by your declared IPP language department in order to be named an International Perspectives Scholar.

7. Finalize a mentorship or service learning project

  • Students will work with the IPP director to determine their individual project. Projects will be related to a student's study abroad experience(s).

* Language Track Options for the IPP include Chinese, French, French-Arabic, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. But students intererested in another language offered at the UI are encouraged to ask about pursuing other foreign language major studies.

** If you fall below this requirement, you will have one semester to return your GPA to the required level. Not meeting this requirement in two consecutive or nonconsecutive semesters will mean you have not met this benchmark and cannot be designated as an International Perspectives Scholar.

The IPP provides its students with important access to resources, support networks, and services that will help you manage your academic and program requirements. Many of the IPP's highlights and opportunities will help you make the most of your education both inside and outside the classroom.

IPP Scholarships 2011 applicants will receive a $1,000 scholarship for their study abroad experience requirement.
Mentoring By being in the IPP, students will be working directly with the IPP director whose role is to be both a mentor and advocate for IPP students.
Other Scholarships IPP students who elect to take part in one of the Tippie International Academic Internship Programs will receive a $1,000 scholarship. Students will also be provided direction toward various other study abroad scholarships available to them.
Independent Language Evaluations The Institute for International Business will provide for all IPP students to take an ACTFL Certified Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) before graduation. The OPI will provide students a tangible way to measure and evaluate the success of their IPP language proficiency achievements.
Designation of International Perspectives Scholar An important aspect to the IPP is to recognize its students who are successful in meeting the requirements of the program. By including this designation on their resume, students are illustrating to employers their interest in global business and their acumen in a foreign language.

 

2012 Application Deadline: August 10, 2012

Students directly admitted into the Tippie College of Business for the fall of 2012 are eligible to apply for the IPP. Also, students entering the university with an interest in prebusiness and foreign language studies are encouraged to apply if they have an ACT score of 25 or higher and a high school GPA of 3.4 or higher.

Since a limited number of seats are available, priority is given to students who qualify for direct admission into the Tippie College of Business. However, all interested students are encouraged to apply.

Apply Online

When considering applicants for the IPP, a variety of factors will be considered:

  • High school GPA
  • ACT/SAT test scores
  • Demonstrated interest in language and business studies
  • Application interest statement
  • A preliminary interview

NOTE: Priority will be given to students eligible for direct admission into the Tippie College of Business. Also, some consideration may be given to students electing to pursue less commonly studied languages and tracks such as Chinese, French-Arabic, Portuguese, and Russian.

A student accepted into the IPP will be pursuing a rigorous double major in a business discipline and a foreign language, and will need to understand the benchmark requirements for this program as set out under IPP Programming.

The IPP currently serves 20 active students.

    2010:
      Mila Brassart (Rennes, France)
      Jennifer Fauteck (Pau, France)
      Haley Lower (Pau, France)
      Yuuki Matsuyama (Nanzan, Japan)

    2011:
      Brinn Delleman
      Charlie Mahoney (Valparaiso, Chile)
      Kate Martens (Pau, France)
      Julia Mironiuk (Madrid, Spain)
      Eric Welter (Valparaiso, Chile)

    2012:
      Hannah Adamson
      Eric Bundy
      Kris Chamberlain
      Jeff Ding
      Brad Gott
      John Kinney

For more information, contact Sara Stratton at 319-335-1379.