Business Wisdom through Intercultural, Service, and Experiential Learning (BWISE)
BWISE Graduation Requirement Overview
The BWISE (pronounced “Be Wise.”) outside-the-classroom graduation requirement provides students in the School of Business Administration (SBA) with the necessary skills for success upon graduation. All students are required to complete three learning components that are critical for developing future business professionals who are contributing citizens in their communities:
- Intercultural - By completing an education abroad or away program, international internship or interculturally-focused coursework, you'll develop the ability to function effectively across cultures, an essential skill for success in international markets, diverse domestic workplaces, and for future leadership roles.
- Service to the Community - Our Catholic and Marianist heritage is infused throughout our curriculum. As future business professionals, we must be civically engaged and solve problems in our community.
- Experiential Learning - Through an internship, you'll hone your real-world business skills.
Intercultural Experience or Competencies
In today’s diverse, global economy, it is important for you to be comfortable and competent in communicating with others who may be different than you and to understand that your worldview may be different than others’ worldviews. As we learn about these differences, we also learn to appreciate them.
While developing intercultural competencies is a journey for a lifetime, we expect you to make progress on this journey while you are an SBA student. Not only will it set you apart right after graduation, but it will also develop you as a person.
You may complete this requirement by learning intercultural competence and knowledge through experience or coursework:
INTERCULTURAL Experience
Complete one BWISE-approved intercultural experience sponsored by UD where you immerse yourself in at least 30 hours of interactions and contact with a population of individuals whose culture is different than yours:
- Study abroad or away for a semester
- Winter or summer faculty-led programs abroad or away
- International internships (INB 497)
- Integrated learning programs delivered with UD courses
- Ethos program immersions
- Breakout trips through the Center for Social Concern
Successfully completing any UD program with an "ABD" or "EXC" course will automatically complete this requirement. For all other opportunities, make sure you carefully review the details of any experience in advance to ensure it has 30 or more contact hours, with a focus on understanding people who are different from you. Qualifying international experiences must be pre-approved by the SBA and include a post-experience reflection. Information on upcoming opportunities, including scholarship opportunities, is available from the UD Global and Intercultural Affairs Center here.
INTERCULTURAL Coursework
| Complete one approved course that focuses on intercultural competencies from this list | ||
| Cultures of Latin America | ||
| Making of Modern South Asia | ||
| Intercultural Communication | ||
| Gender and Communication | ||
| Communicating Health Disparities | ||
| Economic Development & Growth | ||
| International Economics | ||
| International Business Finance | ||
| Languages of the World: A Linguistic and Cultural Exploration | ||
or LNG 308 | Languages of the World: A Linguistic and Cultural Exploration | |
| Intercultural Leadership in a Globalized World | ||
or INS 309 | Intercultural Leadership in a Globalized World | |
| Post-Soviet Popular Cultures | ||
| Arabic Culture in the Middle East and North Africa | ||
| The French-Speaking World through Cinema | ||
| Pop Culture in the French-Speaking World: Street Art, Comics, Music, and Beyond | ||
| Paris Pulse: Navigating the City's Past, Present, and Future | ||
| "Miam-Miam" : Food in French and Francophone Cultures | ||
| Chinese Civilization and Culture | ||
| Understanding East Asia Through Food | ||
| Global Sport, Culture, & Business | ||
| Making of Modern South Asia | ||
| Making of the Modern Middle East | ||
| History of Spain | ||
| History of Modern East Asia | ||
| History of Africa - 19th Century to the Present | ||
| Modern Latin America | ||
| China in Revolution | ||
| History of South Africa: From Prehistory to Present | ||
| Black Women in America | ||
| African American History Since 1877 | ||
| Survey of International Business | ||
| Doing Business in Emerging Markets | ||
| Doing Business in Asia | ||
| Doing Business in Europe | ||
| Export Management | ||
| Special Topics in International Business | ||
| Cross-Cultural Management | ||
| Global Marketing | ||
| The Politics of International Economic Relations | ||
| Human Rights and Development in Africa | ||
Language courses at any level | ||
Service to the Community
Serving your community is a fundamental component of your education as a future business professional. Not only does service advance your community, but it also provides you with opportunities to learn about your community, create new networks, and develop your philanthropic interests. In other words, community service has a long-term, positive impact. Before graduation, you will complete community service for two of your Career Flight Plan courses:
- BIZ 202 – Career Flight Takeoff
- BIZ 301 – Successfully Navigating Your Career Flight Plan
Qualifying community service must be pre-approved by your course faculty, completed during the timeframe established in the course syllabus, performed at a not-for-profit (501(c)(3)), or as a service to a school or other community-based organization, and discussed in a post-service reflection assignment. The organization must also confirm the hours you completed and verify that you followed appropriate community standards during your service. If you complete service in these courses, your faculty will submit your service for you. If you do not complete service in these courses or do not take these courses at UD, you can submit evidence of 10 hours of service to the School of Business Administration for consideration.
Experiential Learning - Internship
Internships can benefit business students, including career knowledge, professional development, critical thinking skills, network expansion, potential job offers, and more! To receive these benefits, all SBA undergraduate students must complete at least one internship before graduation. An internship is not simply a job. In the SBA, we define an internship consistent with the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE):
An internship is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional workplace setting (across in-person, remote, or hybrid modalities).
Internships are generally paid experiences that last for a defined period and have clear responsibilities. Interns also have supervisors with professional experience and knowledge who provide feedback to help with professional growth. Internships can be performed during the academic year (often called a “co-op”) or during the summer. They can also be completed at for-profit, not-for-profit, and family organizations. The most critical qualities of internships are your responsibilities and the developmental feedback from your supervisor
A qualifying internship is pre-approved by the SBA when you register for a business internship course, is over 120 hours, includes a post-internship evaluation by your employer, and requires you to complete a post-internship reflection. Completion of zero or credit-bearing internship courses in the SBA, such as ACC 497, BIZ 497, ECO 496, ECO 497, FIN 496, FIN 497, INB 497, MGT 497, MGT 498, MIS 498, MKT 497, MKT 498, and OPS 498, automatically completes the BWISE Experiential Learning requirement.
Considerations for Transfer and Articulation Agreement Students
The SBA welcomes transfer students and students who complete joint-articulation pathways with partners such as Sinclair Community College. We understand these students have limited time at UD, and we will consider awarding BWISE credit for qualifying experiences performed after high school graduation and before matriculating to UD. Each experience must be approved by the SBA and held to similar standards as outlined above.