Master's degree in International Economics and Business (Vicenza)

Would you like to learn how to sail into the water of global markets? To use Economics to understand how the global economy works and why and how firms decide to go international? To practice Management, Logistics, and Law to manage such multinational firms? To master Accounting tools to account for and analyze their performances? Born and grown in a region with a strong international vocation, the two-year Master's degree (MSc) in International Economics and Business (IEB) aims to train post-graduate students in the fields of International Economics, International Business, and International Law.

The MSc is entirely taught in English in Vicenza, a close-by subsidiary of the University of Verona. Verona is the top European freight village. Vicenza is the third Italian province for total export and the first in terms of export per capita. In such an area, many Small and Medium Enterprises – very open to international markets, i.e., they are referred to as ’pocket-size multinationals’ – operate with a core specialization in the ‘well-done’ and ‘well-designed’ sectors that form the backbone of the ‘Made in Italy’ label.

Among the main topics of the MSc courses are the followings: causes and consequences of international trade and development; macroeconomic dynamics of open economies and international financial markets; export, offshoring, and outsourcing decisions by heterogeneous firms and their participation into global value chains; international marketing and logistic decisions; networks and groups of firms as means for firm internationalization; consolidated reporting, performance analysis, and cost accounting; international and European law; international business law.

The MSc in IEB is a unique combination of courses, project work, and other learning experiences purposely split between International Economics and International Business. Students’ active participation in classroom seminars and project works is strongly encouraged. Every year several foreign teachers are invited to give lectures on special parts of the MSc courses. The training is then strengthened with structured internships in firms actively engaged in international markets and with a thesis to be completed under the supervision of a faculty member. We strongly support participation in the Erasmus+ program, and we have working agreements with many partners both in Europe and worldwide. Last, starting from the academic year 2020-21 a Double Degree program with the University of Bordeaux is fully operative.

The MSc in IEB enables students to acquire skills and competencies, with a strong economic, management, and legal emphasis, in the advanced study of production and territorial systems, of international economics and policies, of financial market techniques and international development, as well as methods and models for logistics and marketing, group accounting and managerial reporting, all of which can be used for the management of firms and organizations with strong international characterization. All seen in the institutional framework of international commercial and tax law. In short, by obtaining this MSc, students will master the tools and acquire the skills in the various subjects related to the internationalization processes of economic activities, enabling them to take on managerial roles and consulting positions in firms and organizations active in international markets.

Quality Assurance

The quality of a degree program is the extent to which it achieves its educational objectives and meets the quality requirements of the educational activities offered, which are determined in line with the needs and expectations of students and representatives of the world of work.

This program has adopted a teaching Quality Assurance system in line with the University’s quality assurance guidelines and based on the e ANVUR national quality assurance guidelines, by carrying out the following activities:

• periodic consultations with representatives of the world of work to assess the adequacy of the cultural and professional profiles offered in their courses;
• design of educational contents and planning of resources;
• organization of educational activities and teaching services;
• monitoring the effectiveness of teaching and planning measures to improve teaching and services;
• provision of complete and up-to-date information on its website, relating to the program (professional roles, expected learning outcomes, learning activities).

The above activities are scheduled and interrelated, based on the PDCA principles (Plan, Do, Check, Act).

In a Quality Assurance system, students play a fundamental role: each student can play their part by participating in the Quality Assurance groups of their degree program and in the Faculty-Student Joint Committees or, more simply, by taking part in the Student Survey on teaching, or questionnaires. It’s in this context that specific workshops for student representatives (‘Laboratori di rappresentanza attiva’) are periodically made available to students by the University and the University’s Quality Assurance Board.

Modules

Part-time Study

Students who, due to work, family, or health reasons, feel that they can devote only part of their time to study, may study on a part-time basis.

Please note: choosing to study on a part-time basis will not change the normal duration of the degree program for pension purposes. Graduation certificates for part-time students will include both the legal duration of the program – i.e. the standard duration of a degree program – and the agreed duration of the program as a ‘Part-time’ student. Students who choose to study on a part-time basis can benefit from special conditions concerning the duration of their chosen degree program and the amount of the relevant tuition fees. Specifically, they will have the opportunity to learn their degree over a period of time that is twice the normal duration of the program, without being considered ‘fuori corso’ (i.e. attending beyond the normal duration of the program).

The Master's degree in International Economics and Business (IEB) was established to address the needs of internationally-oriented economies and firms. The program aims to prepare graduates for a management-level career in companies that are actively engaged in international trade, in both production and marketing. The IEB program aims to train experts in the analysis of the dynamics of international markets and in the organization of international production and sales. The program is taught entirely in English and is developed to deepen the students’ knowledge of methodological and operational aspects of economic, business, legal and quantitative disciplines needed to understand the dynamics of international markets and the management of companies operating in global markets.

To this end, the first year of the program includes core modules on economics that provide students with a working knowledge of the causes and effects of international trade and currency market operations, together with macroeconomic relations and economic policies in open economies, as well as specialist knowledge for econometric analysis.

As regards the economics area, in the second year students are provided with modules on international trade in relation to globalization, world development processes, and the industrial and organizational strategies of companies involved in internationalization processes.

In the field of business management, the first year includes modules on the analysis and performance management of international groups of companies, as well as on logistics and international marketing. These topics are further developed in the second year, through a focus on the issues relating to management reporting, governance, and business models in companies operating in international markets.

The modules in international law (year one) and commercial law (year two) will equip students with the necessary legal skills and knowledge. The program also has a statistical-mathematical focus, with a range of modules - offered in the first year - designed to provide students with a knowledge of the quantitative techniques needed to optimize exchange rate risk management, hedging with derivative financial instruments, and investment planning for companies operating in international contexts. Students are also provided with a module in statistics for the analysis of data and the presentation of market analysis results.

Professional profiles and employment and professional opportunities

International Trade Specialist

Graduate’s role in a working environment: international economic analysis; analysis of territorial production systems; international financial analysis.

Graduate’s skills: this program provides students with the opportunity to acquire skills, with a strong economic and quantitative focus, in the advanced study of international economics, territorial production systems, international trade, and development, as well as mathematical, statistical, and econometric methods for the analysis of economic phenomena and international financial markets.

These topics are considered in the institutional framework of the relevant international trade regulations.

Internationalised Companies Specialist

Graduate’s role in a working environment: management of import/export decision-making processes in internationalized companies; management of decision-making processes and international finance instruments; management of logistics and international marketing; performance analysis of international groups of companies and management reporting; analysis of governance and business models in internationalized companies.

Graduate’s skills: this program provides skills, with a strong economic, business, and quantitative focus, in the following areas: market planning, in particular, the management of supply and end-markets; in international finance decision-making and the associated risk hedging; in logistics and international marketing methods and models for the management of global value chains and the levers to meet customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the program provides students with the tools to represent and analyze the performance of groups of companies, operate management reporting, and/or analyze governance and business models, which can be particularly useful in the context of managing internationalized companies. These topics are considered in the context of the regulatory and contractual mechanisms that protect international markets.

Career prospects: the program aims to enable graduates to find their way into the various professional positions currently required by companies and organizations operating in international markets, as well as by consultancy firms. The advanced preparation achieved, both in terms of methodology and operational practices, enables graduates to take on management roles within these organizations, especially in the areas of purchasing, sales (account management), logistics, and related reporting and analysis.

Graduates will also be able to take on consultancy roles in business and market planning, as well as cross-functional roles for the analysis of development dynamics in internationalized companies.