Global Immersion: M.B.A. Students Prepare for an Interconnected World
In October, seven Berkeley College students packed their bags for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore international business during a Global Immersion trip to Germany. In partnership with Fresenius University, Berkeley College students in the Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) in Management program gained economic, social, cultural, and environmental global perspectives during an eight-day trip abroad.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to see and learn about different global corporations,” said Maya Reddi, Ph.D., Professor, Berkeley College School of Graduate Studies, who oversees the program. A group of students who travelled to India in the immersion program two years ago are still talking about it, she noted. “Though they’ve graduated, they have all added this unique program to their resumes.”
Exploring and Collaborating Abroad
Fresenius University, a partner in Berkeley College’s undergraduate programs, assisted in planning trip schedules and details. At the Fresenius campus in Cologne, Berkeley students participated in the academic component of the trip, interacting with Fresenius students in various projects in their entrepreneurial lab. “It provided mutual, interactive exposure for students from both countries,” Dr. Reddi said. “The immersion program is something different from other M.B.A. programs,” she added. “The objective is to expose students to ‘live’ global situations. Most have never been exposed to another country’s economy.”
The trip included visits to Deutsche Bank, Trivago, Vodafone, and Novartis, in the companies’ headquarters in Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Marburg.
Martha Narvaez, a resident of Mount Vernon, NY, now in the last year of her graduate studies, said she was “ecstatic” when she heard about the program. “As I read more about it and how it could broaden my view on international business, I was captivated,” she said. “I looked forward to learning about the culture of companies located halfway across the world.”
Julie Vinolas of Demarest, NJ, plans to graduate with an M.B.A. in June. “The Global Immersion program allowed me to experience another culture, expanding my learning beyond the classroom,” she said. “This firsthand experience allows us to better understand the global marketplace.”
“I think the best part of the 2019 program was that students experienced different corporate and academic environments,” Dr. Reddi said. “They will be able to relate theoretical concepts learned in the classroom to actual company functions, including manufacturing plants.”
Photo Captions: (Top) Berkeley College students in the Master of Business Administration in Management program spent eight days in Germany at Fresenius University. In addition to exploring the city of Cologne (above), students gained economic, social, cultural, and environmental global perspectives through visits to international companies in Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Marburg.
