The world is getting smaller, and business is not transacted in a vacuum. The Illinois MBA is committed to helping you prepare to work in the global marketplace. We want you to be well-informed and knowledgeable about global business, and we provide a wide variety of occasions to learn in a supportive environment. By the time you graduate, you will have interacted and worked in teams with students from around the world. In addition, we have numerous opportunities for you to travel and study abroad during your MBA. Take advantage of one or more of these international options.
Short study abroad credit courses
If you do not have a lot of time but want to earn credit, you may want to consider one of the annual, short, for-credit study abroad opportunities. Typically, during winter break in January, MBA students may travel to an international university for one week to participate in classroom lectures, hear from local business professionals, visit a corporate site, and complete required coursework to earn credit. To learn more, read some MBA student journals documenting their experiences in Warsaw, Poland, and Mexico City, Mexico during January 2008.
The cost of short study abroad courses is shared by the participating students and the department, organization, or program planning and coordinating the trip. Costs are kept low to try to encourage as many students as possible to take advantage of these courses.
Semester study abroad
If you want a more extensive and intense experience, you may want to consider spending a semester studying abroad during the second year of your MBA. Your choices may be limited by fluency in a second language and your ability to meet your MBA degree requirements. Therefore, it is essential that you plan ahead and meet with an adviser in the MBA Student Affairs office during the first year of your MBA to discuss your intentions. They will be able to guide you as you explore and research what universities offer programs and courses that meet your needs and objectives.
Because foreign universities frequently change their course offerings and usually do not follow the same academic calendar as U.S. schools, planning and flexibility are key to a successful study abroad experience.
Noncredit international trips
Since its establishment in 1993, the University of Illinois’ Center for International Business Education and Research (Illinois CIBER) has been a leader in advancing the study and teaching of international business and supporting research on global competitiveness. Drawing on the outstanding resources of the University and the College of Business, the Center designs and implements programs for local, regional, and national impact. Each year, CIBER helps sponsor noncredit study trips. In the past, students have visited China, New Zealand, Brazil, and other countries. To learn more, visit CIBER's study tours page.
During the second year of the MBA, students may choose to take courses such as Global Marketing, Multinational Management, International Finance, and International Resource Management. Occasionally, the professor of one of these courses will arrange an optional, supplemental study trip for students enrolled in the course who wish to have a “real-life” experience of what they have been studying.
In addition to organized trips abroad, MBA students from other countries can usually be persuaded to arrange cultural trips to their “home” country. These trips can be the most interesting and give you an opportunity to interact with the local community because they are “guided” and arranged by current MBA students. In the past, students have traveled to Machu Picchu in Peru and São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
Other ways to gain international exposure
International Internships
Each year, a limited number of businesses and organizations seek students as interns to work outside the United States. Students return from their internships with first-hand knowledge of what success and business operations look like in other cultures. Recent internship placements include China, India, Italy, Korea, Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan.
It is a very competitive process to secure an internship abroad, so you need to start early and begin discussions with our MBA Career Services staff during your first semester in the program if you are interested. In most cases, but not always, the interns are paid.
Your Classmates
Illinois MBA students come from all over the world, and it is typical for 50% of the class to hold international passports. This cultural diversity makes for rich experiences and tremendous opportunities to understand the customs, ideologies, and the business norms of people from other nations.
We strongly encourage our students to experience the world through interaction with different cultures. There are student clubs that have been organized around a common international heritage including Asian Business Society, International Business Society, and Latin American Business Society; membership is open to all MBA students. The annual International Week, featuring International Food Night, is a highlight on our calendar of events and draws strong participation from students, faculty, and administration. Never tried sushi or kim chee? Our student-sponsored International Food Night will give you a chance to sample dishes that you always wanted to try.
Coursework with a Global Perspective
Whenever and wherever possible we make an effort to expand our coursework and discussions to include a global perspective. It begins in the first year with the Global Strategy theme, where students are taught the fundamental economic, financial, and political factors affecting the international expansion of firms. Many of our faculty have worked in international settings, and they bring that unique perspective to class.
Our students also participate in Global Tycoon, a weeklong business-simulation exercise, where student management teams compete in the world market for product dominance. This activity is one of the students’ favorites as it stretches them to understand the operations of a firm that must compete in a global market.
Our University
The University of Illinois is home to thousands of faculty and students who hold international passports. We teach languages from Arabic to Zulu, and there are many resources, cultural activities, and events available to all students.
Do not miss this chance to become a citizen of the world – right here at the University of Illinois.