Please note: Only a limited number of spots are available for India. 
Brazil, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand are currently not available anymore.

10 weeks Study Abroad & 10 weeks International Business & Culture Courses

Brazil, Indonesia and India belong to the largest emerging markets in the world, Thailand is the 2nd largest economy of Asia and Japan is an important gateway to the large emerging markets in Asia.

In the minor Doing Business in High Growth Markets in Japan, India, Indonesia, Brazil or Thailand you will study in one of those countries at our partner universities during one term (approx. 10 weeks), the remainder of the semester you will spend at HU in Utrecht (NL) for another 3 courses related to International Business. This is a life-changing, unique way to gain understanding of the local economy and life, culture and the language. You will be enrolled in a tailor-made programme for HU, but at the same time you will also be in contact and working with local students.

This minor programme has been created for students who want to broaden their horizon, live and study outside Europe (for a shorter time than a whole semester) and are interested in learning more about international business and/in these specific countries/regions. Participation in this minor will have a positive effect on your professional skills and personal growth and your CV; it will increase your employability as many companies and other organizations are interested in people who have stretched their comfort zone experiencing these large, fast growing economies and international collaboration.

All courses in Japan, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Brazil, as well as the courses in term B at the HU Institute for International Business Studies will be taught in English. Please see below for more information about the various destinations!

Content

International business continues to grow. Companies often start in neighbouring countries, but through technology the world has become smaller, and companies are looking for opportunities all over the globe. After completing this programme, you will be able to assist them in this process. As part of this minor, you will actually study and live in countries that experience high economic growth, allowing for an immersive experience that will boost your knowledge, intercultural skills, confidence and personal growth! During your time at our partner university abroad, you will study local business, culture and language, so that once you return, you know how business is done in these countries, and are able to reflect on your experiences and of course build upon them. 

In Term A you will study for about 10 weeks at one of our partner universities: Kyoto Sangyo University (Japan), Facamp, Faculdades de Campinas in Campinas near Sao Paulo (Brazil), Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) in Surabaya, Indonesia, Manipal University in Manipal (a coastal city in South East India) or Asumption University in Bangkok (Thailand). All these universities are known for their excellent track record in academics, infrastructure, and research contributions and their standing in the national and international rankings.

At this university you will follow courses about economy, culture, characteristics of doing business, and you will take an intensive introductory course in Japanese, Portuguese or Bahasa, Hindi or Thai. For completion of all courses (Language, Culture, Business) at our partner university you will get in total 15 ECTS. Since academic grading systems differ per country and per university, the grades from our partner universities will not be transferred into HU grades.  

During your stay abroad you will also work on some assignments in preparation for the courses in Term B. In Term B you will be back in Utrecht following 3 courses of 5 ECTS provided by our HU International Business programme to strenghten your international business knowledge and intercultural skills. 

The first course is Foreign Market Entry Strategy, in which you will learn how to build internationalisation plans for companies aiming to export. This course Foreign Entry Strategy (FES) will give you practical insights, and tools and strategies to internationalize safely, in a strategic, sensible manner. 

In Business & Culture you will gain a deeper understanding of the influence of differences in culture on behaviour, values and communication in the respective countries Japan, Indonesia and Brazil and gain insights in current issues in these societies. An in-depth research project about behaviour, values and culture in one of the countries will be carried out, resulting in recommendations for people doing business over there. Next to that, you will explore your own cultural programming and be able to reflect on and illustrate your own global competence. 

The third course is Business Project. During this module you will dive into organizational behavioural topics; Organizational Culture, HR, Leadership and Ethics. You will learn more about how companies can make their choices, deal with cultural differences and the challenges of the globalized 21st century. You will be asked to combine your experience abroad with the new obtained knowledge and will dive into challenging, interactive presentations and assignments in group and individual form. 

We expect you to actively participate in class (both abroad and at HU); if your active presence in any course is lower than 80% this will influence credits/grades. A tailor-made program is not possible as you will study partially abroad. 

Courses

1. Doing Business in Indonesia, India, Thailand, Japan or Brazil*
Cultural Studies - Abroad, 5 ECTS
*The course offer might slightly differ per partner

2. Language: Bahasa, Japanese or Portuguese
Language Acquisition - Abroad, 5 ECTS 

3. The Economy of Indonesia, Japan, Brazil, Hindi of Thai*
The course offer slightly differs per partner: Courses like Economics, International Relations, Foreign Policy, Consumer Behaviour, Organizational Behaviour - Abroad,  5 ECTS
*The course offer might slightly differ per partner

4. Foreign Entry Strategy (FES) 
Preparing a product launch abroad - HU 5 ETCS

5. Business Project: Organisational Behaviour
Organisational structure, Culture, HRM, Leadership and Business Ethics - HU, 5 ETCS. 

6. Business and Culture
Knowledge on behaviour, values and culture and be able to turn it into recommendations Intercultural personal development - HU, 5 ECTS. 

Practicalities and costs

• Students will not have to pay the program fee; however, administration costs may be charged for field trips and course material (Brazil, Indonesia around €200).
• Students will have to pay and book their own ticket for outbound and home-bound travel (but can of course plan to travel together with other HU participants).
• The host institution will assist students with visa applications (not needed for Brazil).
• Housing can be easily arranged via the partner university; costs differ per destination (€200 – €450 per month). Accommodation costs shall be paid for by the students themselves.
• Students are required to have a comprehensive health insurance policy which also provides emergency travel insurance.
• Students selected must have adequate funds for transportation to and from the host university and for subsistence during their stay. Miscellaneous fees such as key deposits, books, etc. will be paid directly by each student.
• There are no costs for books at the partner universities abroad.
• On the partner portal more information about the partner universities can be found. Also, students can read students evaluations of former participants. 

Upon completion of this program, you will be able to: 

• Show insight in macro-economic factors and policies in the respective countries; 
• Develop an internationalisation plan using demarcated steps, applying relevant knowledge from various business disciplines; 
• Analyse group dynamics (knowledge) and work effectively in teams(skills) (collaborate with a variety of other people using elements of effective team dynamics to effectively and appropriately structure teamwork); 
• Show an in-depth knowledge and understanding of behaviour, values and business culture in contemporary Indonesia, Japan and Brazil; 
• explain how cultural differences can impact collaboration and is able to turn the gained knowledge into recommendations for appropriate behaviour and communication for persons doing business in these countries.  
• Use appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication in an intercultural setting; 
• Explain and illustrate his own cultural behaviour and his personal and professional intercultural development (global competence), based on concrete practical examples and theories. 

An intake interview with the minor coordinator to assess your motivation, attitude, expectations as well as the English language skills and to check your study results, is part of the admission process. As all courses are taught in English, you are expected to have attained English language skills at CEFR level B2. If you are unsure about your level, you can do a (free) written and spoken assessment. 

Also, you will be asked to give a top 2 or 3 preferred destinations, since acceptance for the minor depends on the available places at the various partner universities.  

Please note that sometimes limited spots are available because registration was already possible via the Study Abroad application for HU students (January 2026). 

In case there are too many applications, a selection must be made. For this selection the study results (propaedeutic certificate obtained), the diversity of the potential participants and motivation will be considered. In case of equal suitability, lots will be drawn.  

You can contact eline.hofman@hu.nl to make an appointment for the intake interview or in case you have questions. Due to the deadlines of some partners, it’s recommendable to contact her at an early stage, in January/February preferably. 

An internship is not part of this minor. Nevertheless, you will be studying abroad for approximately 10 weeks. 

The following literature will be discussed during the minor. You will receive a definite reading list before the start of the minor.  

Foreign Entry Strategy: Duerr, Edwin. International Marketing & Export Management : University of the West Indies, Pearson Education UK, 2011. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.hu.idm.oclc.org/lib/hogeschoolutrecht-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5136642Links to an external site.. 

It is a free e-book. Please log in to the library site to get access to the e-book. 

Teaching days abroad may vary.  

Provisional Timelines (based on previous years) 

Indonesia: half of August – end of October
Thailand: last week August – beginning of November Brazil: 1 September – first week of November 
India: first week of September- first week of November Japan: first /second week of September – half November 

In Term B courses will be taught over 2 or 3 days, but not on Fridays.  

With the exception of the first teaching period of the academic year (starting September), the lesson and test schedules are always posted on Mijn Rooster four weeks before the start of each teaching period. The schedule for the first teaching period of the academic year can be found on the site three weeks before the start. The most up-to-date schedule is always visible on Mijn Rooster. 

At HU, full-time education may be scheduled between 08:30 and 19:00. 

1. Doing business in Indonesia, Japan, Brazil, India or Thailand
Depending on the country, there will be an exam, assignments or a report to hand in

2. Language: Bahasa, Japanese, Portuguese, Hindi of Thai
Depending on the country, there will be an exam, assignments or a report to hand in

3. Economy of Indonesia, Japan, Brazil, India or Thailand
Depending on the country, there will be an exam, assignments or a report to hand in

4. Foreign Entry Strategy (FES)
Report

5. Business Project: Organisational Behaviour 
Portfolio consisting of several assignments + presentation

6. Business and Culture 
Final assignment + presentation

Practicalities and costs 

• Since this is a HU minor, students will not have to pay the programme fee, however, as part of the nomination, students do have to pay an administration fee of €50 to the university (a weblink of HU will be made available to complete this payment after nomination to and acceptance by the partner university). 

• Besides, some administration costs may be charged by the partner university for field trips and course material (in Brazil, Indonesia around €200).  

• Students will have to pay and book their own ticket for outbound and home-bound travel (but can of course plan to travel together with other HU participants). 

• The host institution will assist students with visa applications (not needed for Brazil). 

• Housing can be easily arranged via the partner university; costs differ per destination, E.g. Indonesia 180-200 Euros per month, Brazil 400-500 Euros per month, Japan (always shared studio) 175-190 per month. Accommodation costs shall be paid for by the students themselves. 

• Students are required to have a comprehensive health insurance policy which also provides emergency travel insurance. 

• Students selected must have adequate funds for transportation to and from the host university and for subsistence during their stay. Miscellaneous fees such as key deposits, books, etc. will be paid directly by each student. 

• There are no costs for books at the partner universities abroad. 

• Since all destinations are outside EU/EER, there are no Erasmus or other grants available through HU 

Signed learning agreements for minors in period AB or Lint period can be uploaded up to and including 3 July 2026 in Osiris Application, see the instructions on the learning agreement or check our site. Learning agreements that are received after 3 July will not be processed.  

Please note: Learning Agreements will be considered in order of entry in Osiris Application (first come, first serve). A submitted learning agreement will not entitle you to a spot within a minor unless the following is the case: 
* the minor is not yet full: each minor has a maximum number of places per period;
* the student has submitted the learning agreement in full (including his/her own details and signature and the stamp of the examination board);
* HU has signed and stamped the learning agreement.