UNCP Gives MBA Program An International Flavor

MBA students at UNC Pembroke now have the option to study in France at ESC Marseilles-Provence Graduate School of Business.

UNCP signed a student exchange agreement with the international business school, located in the Mediterranean port city of Marseilles. MBA is an abbreviation for the Master's of Business Administration graduate degree program.

The agreement is part of Chancellor Allen C. Meadors' effort to internationalize UNCP's students, faculty and programs.

"We live in a shrinking world, and our students and professors benefit greatly from international exposure of all kinds," Chancellor Meadors said. "Virtually all businesses are part of the global economy, so I believe our MBA students will benefit tremendously from this program."

"We are also excited about the possibility of hosting ESC's students on our campus for a semester or longer," Dr. Meadors said. "Combined with our efforts in China and other initiatives around the globe, I am pleased with our progress in International Programs."

In the past six months, UNCP signed several student and program exchange agreements in China and Europe.

Desi Schmitt, business professor and director of the International Business Programs for CCI, was at the university for the signing ceremony.

"We are a very diverse university with an international student body and faculty," Dr. Schmitt said. "Our program is modeled on the U.S. MBA, and students work closely with other students from all over the world."

"A primary features of our program is performing case studies in small groups," Ms. Schmitt said. "Every culture looks at problems in a different way, and students are able to learn about other cultures in this way."

English is the language of the international MBA program. Accredited by the French Ministry of Education, the program has an enrollment of 180 students and offers concentrations in international finance and marketing.

MBA students may choose to study in the school's summer program a semester or a year with credits transferred to UNCP. Tuition, room and board is approximately $12,000 (about $9,000 euros) annually.

Dr. Roger Brown, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs, hailed the exchange agreement as a good one for students.

"This is an opportunity for our MBA students to work and study in Marseille, and important center for international business," Dr. Brown said. "They also will learn that business is conducted in many languages and cultures, so they need to become highly adaptive."

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