Yale Requires MBAs to Study Overseas
December 29th, 2006Working Globalization Into the Classroom
If you’re thinking of applying to Yale’s prestigious MBA program, make sure you have your passport in order, as they are the first major university requiring MBAs to spend some time studying abroad. While some may be discouraged from attending Yale if, for example, they disliked traveling, the move is further recognition that American business students need to be well-versed in global economics to remain competitive. The new requirements will send Yale MBAs to one of eight destinations around the world—including Costa Rica, Singapore, and Tanzania—and will meet with business leaders in those countries. One of the goals of the new program is to view first-hand how local challenges impact business. For example, the MBA group traveling to Africa will meet with community leaders and health professionals to understand how the AIDS epidemic has affected the work force and economy.
Other Universities To Follow Yale’s Lead
MBA programs in America haves been criticized lately for failing to teach useful, marketable skills—specifically, that the curriculum has lagged behind the changes in the market. Yale’s new requirements are an attempt to adjust for those changes in globalization, and other universities are likely to follow suit. Stanford is also announcing plans to emphasize business skills in a global marketplace.
How are new Yale MBAs responding? One said:
“You can read a lot in books,” Paul Ip said. “It’s definitely more instructive to be there in person to see what’s going on.”
Another responded:
“The approach is so much more practical,” said Hannah Grannemann, an MBA and drama student who is heading to Japan next month. “Nobody makes decisions in isolation. I’m learning a huge amount.”
My two cents is this: as a student who has traveled a fair bit in Europe and Asia, I’ve learned more about the world, cultures, language, and just human nature than I ever could have in a classroom. Not to say that I don’t value reading and classwork- I do, and it has its place. But knowledge and imagination should be there to open the doors for actual experience, which a study abroad program is.
