INTERNATIONAL CAREERS : A World of Opportunity : Study of Cultures Complements Traditional Business Programs : Understanding global social, political dynamics can make or break a deal in today’s marketplace.

Formal schooling certainly isn’t a prerequisite for success in international business, but a strong academic grounding doesn’t hurt.

To many people, that means arming oneself with an MBA from a good business school and learning a language or two.

But increasingly, those are just the building blocks for a successful career. While a fundamental knowledge of accounting, marketing, finance and other business skills is essential, experts say navigating through today’s complex international marketplace requires additional skills.

And these are often found by enrolling in classes that are light-years from the traditional business curriculum but which more and more corporations and business schools see as important to success.

Consider taking humanities courses, advises Eric Mokover, assistant dean and director of the MBA program at the John E. Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA.

“Everything from literature to, yes, I’ll stick my neck out and even say music,” Mokover says.

Just think if you took a Russian literature class as an undergraduate and could recite a line of Anna Akhmatova’s classic poetry to the Russian you’d like to snag as a potential partner for that joint venture in Moscow.

Imagine the points you’d score with a Japanese client over dinner if you can identify the music being played softly in the background as a shakuhachi flute and a three-stringed samisen .

“When you’re dealing with business people, you’re dealing with more than just business, you’re dealing with culture and music,” Mokover says. “And having these skills isn’t just gravy, it’s critical. You can be a financial guru and a marketing guru and you won’t be successful without it.”

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At American Graduate School of International Management in Arizona, more commonly known as Thunderbird, school officials are attempting to redefine their teaching goals to better prepare students for the global market.

But President Roy A. Herberger is the first to admit that Thunderbird, which was ranked the second-best international business school in the nation this year by U.S. News & World Report, has a long way to go.

“The bag of tricks needed to be truly effective in the international arena is far broader than most MBA schools are able to teach,” Herberger says.

Take religion, for instance. Most MBA programs don’t stress it. But business executives working in the Islamic world should be aware that the Koran forbids earning or paying interest, which is considered usury.

“You have to figure out what profit means . . . before you sit down with an Arab,” Herberger says.

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Also critical is understanding how to do business in a non-cash economy by bartering goods instead of receiving payment. While this is common in many markets around the world, especially in parts of Africa and Asia, the average program for a master’s of business administration doesn’t teach students how to trade potatoes for duct tape, Herberger says.

Likewise, most U.S. MBA programs focus on democratically built economies that run on the capitalist model. But a large chunk of the world, from China to Singapore to much of the former Soviet sphere, still uses central planning--at least in some fields. China, for instance, controls the number of cars produced.

So Herberger recommends that international business students bone up on Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels and sign up with professors who can teach classes in socialism and communism.

Understanding those economic systems gives the budding business executive the edge that can make or break a deal, especially when negotiating with government officials.

And such knowledge and skills help as one advances through an international business career. Bill Simon, managing director of the worldwide entertainment and media division for Korn/Ferry International, an executive search firm, says his company doesn’t usually recruit people right out of college because most of his clients are seeking senior-level employees such as vice presidents and managers.

But even at that level, Simon says he looks for employees who show a curiosity to learn about new cultures and are motivated enough to pursue something that is off the traditional track.

“Business is becoming a lot more competitive and a lot more complex and issues are coming in from different planes,” Simon says. “The clients are looking for someone who is bright, with foreign travel experience, previous work overseas and international exposure.”

For those considering a career in international business, experts say one of the best college bets is to sign up for a semester-abroad program that will give students a taste of another language, culture and rhythms of life.

Mixing a straight business curriculum with an area studies program is also helpful, according to many schools that poll alumni and corporate recruiters.

“It’s unfortunate, because in business schools there isn’t a deep amount of cultural or local business environment expertise,” says Jack Lewis, director of the International Business Education and Research Program at USC’s School of Business Administration. “Executives tell us they wish they had taken more time to learn more about the people and the culture.”

To be sure, a knowledge of Siglo de Oro Spanish literature, Balinese gamelan music and the writings of Marx won’t get you a job in the global marketplace if you lack basic business and language skills.

But it could edge out your competitor, land you an important contract or help you negotiate a deal if you know the social, political and cultural dynamics of the environment in which you operate.

For instance, says Jim Case, an assistant vice president at Thunderbird for employer relations and career services, imagine if you didn’t understand that negotiations in Asia differ from those in America, where a handshake seals the deal.

“The expectation in Asian Pacific cultures is that everything is negotiable, and even after the deal is struck, negotiations can continue,” Case says. “If you don’t understand that, you can make a big mistake.”

Case’s advice to students pursuing international business careers:

“The more you find out about dealing across borders, the more background you have in history, culture, economics, religion and social systems, the better off you are.”