International Residency

During a week-long, intensive International Residency course in May, the CHEMBA students and the Vienna Executive MBA students participate together in the final course of their degree program on the Carlson School campus in Minnesota. Students interact with executives at leading Minnesota companies and with top Carlson School faculty during academic course sessions. In addition to the academic rigor of the International Residency course, students have the opportunity to explore the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, home to approximately 20 Fortune 500 companies, and to experience student life on the University of Minnesota campus. The International Residency culminates in the Carlson School Graduate Commencement Ceremony.

Corporate Visits

Despite its remote location in the north in U.S., the State of Minnesota has a solidified foundation for industrial development. A great number of significant companies are world leaders in the industry, which defend its undoubted claim as the most intense hub of the Fortune 500 headquarters. The visits to the most promising corporations in Minnesota, such as powerful department store Target, innovative manufacturing 3M and information service firm Thomson Reuters and so on, enable students to probe into the mechanism and momentum of business boom in US. The visits are proactive and interactive, during which the students will explore the showroom, the working environment as well as the production line and have discussion with the top management team on operation and management. The remarkable disparities between domestic and U.S. corporate environments, being physical and cultural, will definitely arouse the students’ reflections on U.S. leading position. The cutting-edge technology application, the unanimous implementation in an organization, the culture of respect for personalities have immensely impressed and inspired the students.

Global Team Project Presentation

The academic sessions aim to provide a summary to students’ EMBA study as a whole. The global EMBA students share their viewpoints on cross-cultural teamwork after half-year long VTP collaboration. All the VTP participants draw a conclusion that there is inevitable discordance and conflicts when pursuing the team goal and the key to these issues is mutual respect and skill in cross-cultural communication. The VTP presentation is conducted in a formal and fun way. All the teams will send their best presenters on stage and make full use of all talents and creativity to convince the committee. At the end of the presentation, the audience will vote for the decision of investment. The cross-cultural business collaboration is a unique offering among business schools world-wide, which is proved to be a real ground for experiential learning.

Commencement

The commencement has a long tradition in US. On that day, with the gown on them, up to a thousand graduates from the Carlson School of Management will file into the arena in the applause of faculty lining up on both sides. An honorable speaker, usually a prominent practitioner in business, is invited to address to the graduates, congratulating them on the completion of program and encouraging them to fight persistently in career. Finally, with the gown symbolizing their academic accomplishments, the Dean and faculty confer the diploma to the students and announce the title achieved by efforts. The families of global EMBA students are invited as well to attend the commencement to celebrate the victorious moment.

The U.S. residency is the culmination of the EMBA studies, not only because the students will be rewarded by their academic research, but more importantly they will receive a real experiential learning exercise, get to know the diverse impetuses driving the economy in different regions and countries, as well as acquire direct perception of on-site infrastructure and management practice, which will incite them to bring transformation to the company and even to the industry in return to the country. This is the initial and essential objective of the Global EMBA programs offered by the Carlson School of Management.