MGIM Program Update

by David Henard, Director, International Programs

Thursday, Dec 04, 2008

American students in the NC State College of Management's Master of Global Innovation Management (MGIM) did not miss out on a traditional Thanksgiving dinner last month, even though they were studying in France. And their international colleagues got to experience a bit of Americana for the first time.

The students were completing their first semester in the MGIM program at the Université Paul Cezanne near Aix-en-Provence, France. Ed Weems, instructor in the NC State College of Management, and his wife traveled to France during the Thanksgiving break and offered to prepare a meal for one of the students – their son Mason – and a few of his friends in the program.

As can be expected, the invitation list grew and dinner for a few became dinner for over 20. Everyone pitched in, and the meal provided a gastronomic introduction to life in the United States, where this first cohort of MGIMers is coming in January to complete the academic side of the new master’s program. The final portion of their master’s program is an internship in summer 2009.

The NC State College of Management launched the new program in partnership with the Université Paul Cezanne, which, like NC State University, is highly recognized for its engineering programs. The colleges hoped to have about 10 to 15 students enrolled in this first year. Interest proved strong and the final first cohort includes 18 students from four countries: the United States, Canada, France and China.

The curriculum includes a French immersion short course that provides the basic language skills that students will need to live and study in France, as well as a career resources short course taught by members of the NC State College of Management’s career resources staff. The course was especially designed to help international students prepare for the internship recruiting process, American style. This spring, two of the faculty members from Université Paul Cezanne will be teaching at NC State’s College of Management.

The application process has begun for the 2009 admissions cycle, with interest in the program growing as more prospective students hear about it. The target audience for the program are students who have an undergraduate degree in an engineering field but a limited number of non-tech background students will also be accepted into the program. The strong interest among non-tech oriented students reflects a growing awareness of the importance of international business knowledge in today’s global business environment. The NC State College of Management is continuing to explore opportunities for developing additional international business programs.