The Bachelor’s Programme in International Business and Economics (BA IBE) differs from the classic Bachelor’s Programme in Business and Economics (BA Business and Economics) primarily through its international and intercultural orientation. A central element of the programme is a compulsory semester abroad, which enables students to gain international experience and to learn about economic relationships from a global perspective.

In addition, the programme is structured trilingually: alongside German, courses must also be completed in English and in a further foreign language (Italian, French or Spanish).

To enrol in the BA IBE, please refer to the information on the website of the Bachelor’s Programme in International Business and Economics. Enrolment is completed online or via the Office of Student Admissions.

Starting in the summer semester is not optimal and is NOT recommended!

Most courses can be transferred independently from the Bachelor’s programme in Management and Economics to the Bachelor’s programme in International Business and Economics using the equivalency list available on the LFU online platform.

equivalence list

If a completed module is not listed, please first consult with the student representatives (ÖH). They will clarify the matter with you or inform you if a further inquiry needs to be sent to the IWW Office.

Please always send recognition enquiries to iww@uibk.ac.at. You will receive an email with further instructions. Among other things, the following will be required during the recognition process:

• Documents as listed below under external/internal recognition
• completed recognition application (will be sent to you by us)
• completed supplementary sheet (will be sent to you by us)

Recognition from external: Students transferring from another university to the BA IBE are asked to send the following information:

• Link to the university and degree programme
• transcript of records
• curriculum/study handbook as a *.pdf or link
• course descriptions/syllabi of completed courses/modules

Internal recognition: Students who have already completed courses in another bachelor's programme at the University of Innsbruck are asked to submit the following documents as proof:

• list of courses for which recognition is being requested
• transcript of records
• link to the courses/modules

Free elective modules are generally only recognised in the BA IBE AFTER the study abroad period.

The  equivalence list shows which module is credited and how.

If you have any questions, please contact the associate dean of studies of the Bachelor's degree programme in Management and Economics.

Free Elective Modules I or II are generally recognised in the BA IBE AFTER the compulsory study abroad period, as they are often completed abroad. After the study abroad period, you can contact iww@uibk.ac.at with a list of the Free Elective Modules I or II. As proof, please include your transcript of records with the relevant courses marked. Requests without the corresponding transcript of records cannot be processed.

No, the Business Foreign Language for IBE (English, Spanish, Italian, French) must be completed in all cases, regardless of any prior knowledge. For the study abroad place allocation, however, prior knowledge of a third foreign language may be advantageous in some cases. Please contact iww@uibk.ac.at in good time before registering for the study abroad place allocation.

No, such certificates do not correspond to a university-level qualification and are therefore not recognised. For the study abroad place allocation, such certificates may be taken into consideration in some cases. Please contact iww@uibk.ac.at in good time when registering for the study abroad place allocation.

The module Wirtschaftsfremdsprache 1 (Foreign Business Language 1) is primarily designed for students enrolled in the BA Management and Economics program. It is assumed that students in the BA International Business and Economics program already possess sufficient language proficiency—at least B2 in English and B1 in the selected foreign language. These students can directly enroll in the Foreign Business Language 2 module or acquire the necessary skills through additional courses.

BA International Business and Economics students may also register for the Wirtschaftsfremdsprache 1 module during the second course registration period, provided there are still available spots.

To learn a language or to raise one's language level to to A-levels (Matura, Abitur), a course at the Language Center of the University of Innsbruck is recommended as an alternative.

For further inquiries, please contact our Business Languages Unit.

For informations in this regard, please take a look at the website of the Business Languages Units.

Foreign language proficiency must be at a high level: English B2 and Italian, French and Spanish B1. Further information can be found on the website of the Business Languages department.

Yes, students who have already completed two Foreign Business Language 2 modules and wish to take a third foreign business language can contact the IWW office to discuss recognition options.

iww@uibk.ac.at

Yes, we also recommend this in order to have more flexibility for the study abroad period and future specialisations. The fourth module can be recognised as a Free Elective Module.

To successfully complete the elective module Practice/Work Experience (Wahlmodul Praxis), the following requirements must be met:

1. ECTS Requirement: You must have completed at least 30 ECTS credits before registering for the elective module.
2. Duration and Hours: The practical activity must last a total of 14 weeks, with a minimum of 25 hours per week. If the weekly hours differ (e.g., a full-time internship of 40 hours per week during the semester break), the total hours will be adjusted accordingly.
3. Registration: The practical activity must be registered in writing with the IWW office before it begins. Please send the completed registration form to iww@uibk.ac.at.
4. Employer Confirmation: After completing the practical activity, you must obtain a written confirmation from your employer, including their signature, and submit it to the IWW office.
5. Course Registration: Once the practical activity is approved by the IWW office, you can register for the course AG Begleitung und Reflexion der Praxis. The elective module can only be completed in conjunction with this course.
6. Course Participation: Participation in the course AG Begleitung und Reflexion der Praxis is only permitted after successfully completing the practical activity.
7. Course Availability: The course AG Begleitung und Reflexion der Praxis is currently offered once a year during the summer semester.
8. Time Gap: There should be no more than a one-year gap between completing the practical activity and attending the course AG Begleitung und Reflexion der Praxis.

For more detailed information on requirements, approvals, and reports, please refer to the IWW Curriculum 2025 under the section „Wahlmodul Praxis“. 

Once you have successfully completed all courses and examinations required for the Bachelor's degree program in IWW, you can register with the Examination Office, to receive your Bachelor's certificate.

No, the module "Seminar mit Bachelorarbeit" must be completed at the University of Innsbruck after your mandatory semester abroad. The Bachelor's thesis is written as part of this module.

Bringing forward the Bachelor's Thesis is not recommended. The Bachelor's Thesis should be written after the study abroad period.

You register for a thematically relevant Seminar with Bachelor's Thesis. If, for example, you have completed your International Specialisation in Business Management (SBWL) in the area of Finance, it is advisable to register for a Bachelor's Thesis seminar at the Institute of Banking and Finance. Topics are then assigned and supervisors allocated within the scope of the seminar.

A total of approximately 100 exchange places at partner universities abroad are offered; however, the number and range of available places may change on an ongoing basis.

See Exchange/Study abroad > Outgoing > Application

Core modules can be divided into two categories: Business Management (BWL) and Economics (VWL).

The Business Management core modules aim to convey business processes and management decisions. These include the modules (Internal and External) Accounting, Information Systems, and the four Fundamentals of Management modules (Management of Productive Processes, Investment and Financing, Organisation and Human Resource Management, and Strategy and Marketing), three of which must be completed as compulsory modules.

The Economics core modules explain the functioning of markets and states through the two modules Fundamentals of Macroeconomics and Markets and Market Failures.

Support modules are to be understood as supporting modules and tools for the study programme. They provide a basic understanding of mathematics, statistics and law.

The Business Foreign Languages are divided into the modules First and Second Business Foreign Language for IBE. As a rule, students complete English as their First Business Foreign Language for IBE, and Spanish, Italian or French as their Second Business Foreign Language. Business Foreign Language English 2 must be completed by all students as a compulsory module. Spanish, Italian or French may be chosen as the second Business Foreign Language. The choice of language can be decisive for the choice of location for the study abroad semester.

Yes, the STEOPS/introductory modules count as core modules for the grade ranking.

Before the start of the study abroad period, students must have successfully completed 90 ECTS from all core, support and Business Foreign Language modules (as per the curriculum: Compulsory Modules 1–13 and three out of four Fundamentals of Management elective modules).

It is not possible to complete the "Second Business Foreign Language" module after the study abroad semester. Both "Second Business Foreign Language" modules must have been successfully completed BEFORE commencing the study abroad period.

If you do not fulfill the requirements (e.g. a relevant examination was not passed or the required ECTS were not achieved), the planned study abroad CANNOT be started and you must reapply for a for an university exchange spot next semester/year.

During the study abroad period, at least 24 recognisable ECTS (or an equivalent) must be successfully completed; otherwise, the study abroad period cannot be recognised for the IBE Bachelor's programme. Should this be the case, the IBE programme can in most cases not be continued either. Many students subsequently transfer to the Business Administration (WiWi) Bachelor's programme.

A checklist can be found here: IWW Checklist.

After we have nominated you at a partner university, the partner university will contact you and ask you to register there as well. This is sometimes also referred to as an "Application". Do not be confused by this term: it is not an "application" in the traditional sense, but rather an enrolment or registration as an exchange student.

This cannot be answered in general terms and depends on the partner university and the selection pathway (Erasmus+, Joint Study, Non-Exchange/Freemover).

Students may also decide to go abroad as a Non-Exchange student after the study abroad place allocation; however, certain deadlines must be observed. Further information can be found in the OLAT course "IBE Study Abroad".

No, Non-Exchange students also study in the language of the host country. The choice of host country therefore depends on the successfully completed "Second Business Foreign Language" module.

This is generally possible and is referred to as "Non-Exchange" (Freemover). The entire study abroad period must be planned independently and the recognition must be discussed BEFOREHAND with the Director of Studies, Mag. Maiko Stürz. As a Freemover, students are also not entitled to funding programmes such as Erasmus+ or Joint Study.

Further information can be found in the OLAT course "IWW Study Abroad".

Study abroad semester in the winter semester: Recognition takes place as a rule between the end of April and the end of May, provided all documents have been submitted in full.

Study abroad semester in the summer semester: Recognition takes place as a rule in July if all documents are received by the beginning of July. Further recognitions take place from the end of September onwards.

A key objective of the IBE Bachelor's programme is to study in the host country language during your study abroad period. Please therefore check the courses available to exchange students in Italian / French / Spanish and choose as many courses as possible in the host country language (= your 2nd Business Foreign Language). As many universities have switched to English-language courses in recent years, it may be necessary — depending on the available courses and subject focus — to take 25–50% of courses in English.

No. If, for example, you have already successfully completed (or are currently completing) International Management I, the courses you select should not cover content already addressed in International Management I — this applies to free elective modules as well.

Please note that suitable backup courses must be researched for all (!) compulsory modules. Due to the smaller course structure at your partner university, this can be somewhat time-consuming, but it is essential to ensure a smooth exchange.

Yes, absolutely. Free Elective Modules are generally very well suited for the study abroad period. They are completely unrestricted in terms of content (a history course, for example, could also be recognised).

Language courses in the area of the 2nd Business Foreign Language (Italian, Spanish or French) are generally not recognised as Free Elective Modules. The aim is rather that you have already reached B2 level in the language BEFORE commencing your study abroad period. Exceptions: 1) The level of the language course is higher than the level you have already completed in Innsbruck (e.g. Italian C1), and 2) the host country language is different from your 2nd Business Foreign Language (e.g. Danish).

Yes — provided it has not already been completed before your study abroad period, we strongly recommend completing the International SBWL abroad in order to advance your academic progress. You can then start your Bachelor's Thesis directly* and will not lose a semester as a result. If you decide to do so, please also select thematically appropriate backup courses. (*Please note that many Seminars with Bachelor's Thesis require the successful completion of a subject-related SBWL (e.g. Marketing, Finance, etc.) as a qualitative admission criterion.)

For the International SBWL, it is required to complete at least 7.5 ECTS (or more) from the same subject area. Specifically, all three courses must share a consistent subject focus (Marketing, Management, Finance, HR, etc.), ideally with an international orientation and/or taught in a foreign language.

For International Management II, it is important that all selected courses share a clear content focus. According to the curriculum, one of the following subject areas would be appropriate: International Human Resource Management, International Financial Management, International Cost Management, International Marketing, International Supply Chain Management, Internationalisation of Family Businesses, Internationalisation of Non-Profit Organisations, International Tourism Management.