International Business Honors Program

The International Business Honors Program at Florida Atlantic University offers high-achieving undergraduates the chance to pursue advanced studies in global commerce through enriched coursework, faculty mentorship, and experiential learning. Ranked #22 by U.S. News & World Report, this competitive program is tailored for declared International Business majors with a GPA of 3.25 or higher. Students complete nine credits of honors-level international business courses, engage in faculty-led research, participate in internships or study abroad, and culminate their experience with a professional capstone portfolio. Graduates earn an official "Honors in International Business" designation on their transcript, reflecting a rigorous and globally-focused academic journey.

Undergraduate students who successfully fulfill all requirements below and have a final cumulative GPA of 3.25 or greater at the time of degree conferral receive a designation of Honors in the Major on their transcript. The transcript designation is "Honors in International Business".

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible students must have:

• Been accepted into the College of Business at FAU as a declared major in International Business;
• A cumulative/overall GPA of at least 3.25;
• Submitted a FORMAL APPLICATION after completion of 30 credits no later than three weeks prior to the beginning of the semester for which students seek to enroll in the Honors Program in International Business. Most students will apply for the program after completing their sophomore year.

Admissions Requirements

• Application form;
• Unofficial transcript;
• Resume;
• Personal statement;
• A letter of support by a member of the International Business department faculty;

Note: If selected, there will be a brief interview with the Director of the Program, Dr. Len Treviño, or a designated faculty member.

Standards for Maintaining Active Status
1. Maintain good academic and ethical standing;
2. Maintain cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 overall;
3. Maintain cumulative GPA of 3.5 in all three Honors-in-the-Major courses;
4. Participate in all enrichment requirements.

Important:

• If any of the above standards for maintaining eligibility in the program are not met, students will be advised accordingly on how to undertake remedial actions.
• Students will not be allowed to continue in the Honors in International Business for Violation of the Code of Academic Integrity or any grade of less than a B in an honors course.

Honors in International Business Enrichment Requirements

Honors-level enrichment includes all designated ways in which a student in the International Business Honors program will experience an improved and enhanced quality education in the major of International Business at Florida Atlantic University.

If the enrichment requirements detailed below are not met, the student will not receive the Honors designation. However, work toward their degree and grades received for each course completed will be unaffected.

Requirement #1: General Enrichment
In general, Honors students are required to:

1. Participate in a form of extensive mentoring in practical research by department faculty or approved departmental affiliated faculty, culminating in the completion of the Capstone Project detailed below.
2. In addition to course instructors, Honors students will meet regularly with a designated faculty mentor from the International Business Program.
3. Join the undergraduate club for the International Business Program, currently named the Student Global Business Honors students are expected to participate in activities and, where possible, serve as officers.
4. Participate, after being invited, in all of the International Business Program’s faculty seminars
5. Complete within two years all requirements for the Honors program, after which they will meet with the director to discuss their situation and options.

Note: Prior to application, students who have already completed four or more of the approved Honors-level courses available in the program are not eligible for the program. Please see the next section for a list of approved courses.

Requirement #2: Coursework
The Honors in International Business program requires the completion of three courses upon which additional enrichment requirements have been agreed. These requirements are determined between the student and the instructor of the course
according to an Honors Compact.

Course Selection and Honors Compact Procedure

1. Students must register for an approved course that may be designated as Honors level. Courses that may be designated as Honors-level include:

• FIN 4604 International Finance
• MAN3442 International Business Negotiations
• MAN 3600 International Business
• MAN 4602 Global Business Operations
• MAN 4610 Managing Human Resources Globally
• MAR 4156 International Marketing

2. Students may approach the course instructor and request that the course be designated as Honors- This decision is entirely the instructor’s. The instructor is not required to work with the student. However, a system will be developed so that all faculty will share the responsibility of supporting the Honors Program coursework requirements;

3. The student will present the Honors Compact to the Instructor with their portion of the form. A form for the Honor’s Compact will be provided by the International Business program;

4. The instructor determines the nature of the Honors-level enrichment;

5. After the student and the instructor sign the Honors Compact, it will be sent to the Honors in International Business program faculty advisor, as well as to the University Honors Director, for final Honors Compacts must have final
approval completed no later than three weeks after the beginning of a semester. Students take Honors course #1 in their first semester of their first year of the Honors program, followed by Honors course #2 and #3 in subsequent semesters. Ideally,
Honors courses should be completed no later than the end of the fall of their senior year at Florida Atlantic University.

Requirement #3: Honors Capstone Project
In addition to coursework and general enrichment, students in the Honors in International Business Program also need to complete a Capstone Project. A student’s Capstone Project consists of two parts: An experiential component, followed by the
creation of a portfolio exploring the connections between work completed in their Honor’s Compacts and the experiential component. The final portfolio acts as their Honors Capstone Project.

Part 1: Experiential Component

Completion of the equivalent of one semester of one of the following experiences after entering the International Business Honors program:
1. Study abroad as a full-time enrolled student at an International Business Program and/or FAU approved foreign university or college. MAN 4956 International Business Study Abroad course enrollment, or approved equivalent, required for at least one semester. International internship with an organization that is doing, or dealing with, for-profit business, all while living in a foreign The International Business Program must grant approval of the internship before it begins.

2. MAN 4940 Management Internship course enrollment required for at least one domestic internship with international requirements for at least 50% of required on-the-job duties. The International Business Program must grant approval of the internship before it Again, the organization must be doing, or dealing with, for-profit business. MAN 4940 Management Internship course enrollment required for at least one semester.

Part 2: Honors Capstone Portfolio Project

Honors students create a portfolio consisting of the following:
1. Completed work from all three Honors Courses
2. A major analysis of the experiential component using prior Honor’s Compact:

• Analysis consists of applying Course Compact work to real-world situations experienced by the student during an internship or study abroad.
• The goal of the portfolio project is for students to see connections among their honors experiences and to document for others their honors-level achievements.

The Capstone Portfolio Project is evaluated utilizing a set of criteria designed according to the type of experiential component chosen by the Honors student. In addition, the portfolio represents at least 25% of the student’s grade in the associated internship/study abroad courses. Honors students are required to score at least a 75% on their final Capstone Portfolio Project to complete the requirement.