Best International Business colleges in the U.S. 2024

The University of Pennsylvania is home to the famous Wharton School of Business (which we ranked as the #1 undergraduate business school), so it only follows that it has an excellent program for global commerce as well. The Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business is a four-year interdisciplinary course of study that meshes business education, advanced language training, and a liberal arts education. The best part? When those four years are over, you’ll walk away with two degrees: a Bachelor of Arts in international studies from the School of Arts and Sciences as well as a Bachelor of Science in economics from the Wharton School. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.

This combination of a liberal arts curriculum with more rigorous, business-specific classes truly makes for a well-rounded educational experience that will give you a unique skillset and make you stand out to employers. Perhaps a by-product of a broader education, graduates pursue careers worldwide in multiple fields instead of being restricted to just a few commerce-related industries, ranging from finance to politics to law to medicine. Students gain that much-needed international exposure as a result of the required study abroad component which dictates that each student spend at least one semester studying at a university in a region where the language they are specializing in is spoken. Huntsman Summer Study Grants and Huntsman Program internships with foreign organizations and firms further give students the chance to make the most of a global education. There is currently a grand total of 183 Huntsman students across all four classes, and the intimate program size ensures you get one-on-one attention from professors and fellow students alike to foster a successful learning environment.

The University of Southern California Marshall School of Business is basically a case study in how to best go about a well-rounded dedication to the arena of global studies. For starters, the importance placed on a global mindset at Marshall isn’t just an ideal they aim for; rather, it’s an intrinsic part of the school’s fabric. Over 70% of Marshall freshmen study abroad, and it was the first school to require international travel and study projects as a key part of every MBA degree. Even broadly as a school, USC has undergrads from more than 120 countries, and since we tend to learn from and be influenced by those around us, having an extremely diverse student body is an essential part of gaining a good understanding of international business.

Marshall offers international business at both the undergraduate and the graduate levels. The undergraduate business program incorporates several non-classroom opportunities for international experience, such as its Learning About International Commerce initiative, an experiential learning opportunity that exposes students to non-U.S. business practices via a course and eight day trip abroad, or its Global Leadership Program, open by invitation to select first-year students. Living by an “all business is global” mantra, the business program includes a number of global commerce-related classes like International Business Law, Global Leadership Seminar, and International Trade & Commercial Policy. Looking to expand your global studies outside the U.S.? In partnership with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Bocconi University in Italy, Marshall developed the World Bachelor in Business (WBB) program, the first of its kind that gives students the chance to study and earn degrees at all three universities over the course of four years.

The school’s full-time MBA core curriculum further places global education at the forefront, starting students off early in the spring with a course called The Global Context of Business. This three-module course molds students into global managers via travel abroad and granular study. Another unique part of USC’s MBA is the mandatory 10-day overseas experience known as PRIME International Experiential Learning where students are given a chance to flex the international business muscles they’ve gained in the classroom in the real world. Participants visit select companies and governmental institutions, and work in teams to complete projects using their global strategy and economics skills. There’s no better real-world prep than legitimate real-world experience, right?