GlobalMBA: A Blueprint for Creating an Integrated, International Trilateral MBA Program

Graduate business education is becoming increasingly international. However, the complexity of creating truly integrated, cross-country curricula has stifled the development of innovative degree programs, leading most institutions to rely on the tried-and-true semester-abroad model. This article makes the case for a significantly more integrated joint curriculum, such as that embodied in the GlobalMBA Program http://GlobalMBA.unf.edu jointly developed by the Fachhochschule Köln, Germany; the Université de Provence, France; and the University of North Florida, United States. In order to stimulate other consortia to create integrated international programs, the paper identifies several sources of difficulty inherent in designing such programs and provides recommendations for overcoming them, resulting in a blueprint for program creation.