Graduate students from the United States and three other countries converged on the University at Albany School of Business last week to begin a course of study that, for some of them, will lead to a joint Master of Business Administration degree from the University at Albany and the Graduate School of Business Administration in Zurich, Switzerland. The 24 students, from Switzerland, Germany, Argentina and the United States, began an intensive two-week course of study in Operations Management and Strategy.
The program is designed for managers who already have several years of high-level managerial experience, and want to add an American MBA to their credentials. Courses are taught in two-week "blocks," alternating between Zurich and Albany. To receive the dual degree, students must complete six blocks, which can, on average, be accomplished in three years. This is the first United States block; the first European block was held in Zurich in May.
"This program continues Albany's long history of developing relationships with universities outside the United States," said Donald D. Bourque, interim dean of the School of Business. "People throw around terms like "global economy" and "international business" pretty casually," he said, "but bringing our American students together with students from other countries gives them all a more concrete understanding of the challenges implicit in those terms and provides a much richer experience for everyone involved."
Note to editors/reporters: A reception will be held on Friday, July 25, at 5 p.m. at the Marriott Hotel on Wolf Road to mark the completion of the block and congratulate the students. The event is not open to the public, but reporters are welcome. Please contact Linda Wheeler if you plan to attend.
University at Albany
