Success in international business requires much more than mastery of finance, strategy, and a foreign language. Complex, nuanced factors roil today’s global business environment: geopolitical tensions, monetary policies, trade protectionism, technological advances, and climate change are just some of the factors that can dramatically impact financial markets, supply chains, and other critical factors that drive global commerce decisions.
The current environment demands leaders with a unique combination of specific skills, knowledge, and characteristics. They need cultural sensitivity and the ability to understand local markets, an understanding of international law, currency policy, and management principles. According to an American Management Association study, almost half of all organizations want to develop their leaders’ global capabilities. Still, less than 20 percent of multinational companies are confident that their leadership pipelines can meet future business challenges.
A global MBA can help prepare you for a leadership position in a multinational corporation. A master’s degree focused on international leadership, such as Tufts University’s online Master of Global Business Administration (GBA), can do the same while building skills required to lead in nonprofit and multilateral organizations, NGOs, the public sector and the military, and international relations organizations.
Merge Business and International Affairs in One Degree
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A World of Experience: What You Gain in Global MBA and International Business Programs
An online GBA master’s degree, like the one at the Fletcher School, covers the business fundamentals typically found in a global MBA program. It also provides in-depth international context and the analytical skills needed to understand them. Read on to learn more about the key benefits of attending a business administration program with an international focus.
Broaden Your Understanding of Other Cultures & Markets
Global business leaders must be able to work across multiple markets and communicate effectively with people from different cultures. The Tufts GBA curriculum includes several courses to develop students’ cultural understanding: International Supply Chains focuses on conflict resolution and managing business flow between countries, while Economic Policy Challenges in Emerging Markets explores how emerging market countries have addressed monetary policy, trade policy, capital flows, and industrialization dilemmas.
Tufts GBA students build their understanding of global cultures and markets through the program’s international immersions: four-to-five-day learning trips to vibrant and relevant locations in Asia, Europe, or Latin America. Students explore the business and geopolitical environments of the immersion area, combining academic course work with site visits to organizations in various sectors.
Advance Your International Business Skills
As a global MBA or international business program student, you will develop practical business skills and learn to apply them in a global setting. All Tufts GBA students complete two core courses in business foundations: Corporate Finance in Global Capital Markets and International Strategy and Innovation.
Students must take one additional business foundations course beyond the core requirements, and they can also take subsequent courses as open electives. The Tufts GBA business foundations courses focus on developing students’ practical skills in global marketing management, sustainable business dynamics, and accounting and finance.
Expand Your Knowledge and Subject Matter Expertise
An international business degree can help you gain the knowledge and expertise needed for leadership roles that align with your interests. The Fletcher School’s GBA enables students to tailor their degrees to their career goals.
As a Tufts online GBA student, you will select three electives within specific global business disciplines, enabling you to develop subject matter expertise. The four primary disciplines covered by the Tufts program are:
- Business foundations, which builds students’ business knowledge and focuses on global operations
- Global context, which aims to build students’ cultural understanding and leadership skills
- International law, which focuses on the legal aspects of global business, including international business law and mergers and acquisitions
- Analytical tools, which teaches students how to use data to make better economic and business decisions
Tufts students can delve into real-world challenges at international organizations during their capstone projects and on-campus immersions. Aligning your capstone project with your chosen focus area can help you develop in-depth subject matter expertise.
Grow Your Professional Network
Enrolling in a global business program is an effective way to build your professional network. As a Tufts online GBA student, you can connect with faculty and peers during online lectures and in-person immersions.
The program attracts a diverse student cohort from various sectors worldwide; they share cultural experiences and actively learn from each other. You will join the Tufts and Fletcher School of Business alumni networks after graduating, facilitating even more networking opportunities with alumni whose careers span a range of industries.
Advantages of the Tufts Global Business Program
The Tufts online GBA master’s degree goes beyond the borders of a traditional global online MBA program. It seeks to provide you with broader leadership skills and the capacity to make better strategic decisions, think across geographic and disciplinary boundaries, and accelerate your business career.
As a Tufts online GBA student, you will gain an understanding of the international factors that affect any domestic or international organization, including geopolitics, global security, supply chains, economic policy, emerging market dynamics, and laws and regulations. The curriculum fosters deep contextual intelligence in key business areas to help graduates stand out in the job market for business leadership.
In addition to convenient online course work, the Tufts GBA program stands out by offering two unique in-person immersions. One takes place on Tufts University’s campus in Boston, the other in an international location selected for each cohort. Both immersions offer contextual experience in project management and team building.
Next Steps: Apply to Tufts Online Business
The Fletcher School’s online Master of Global Business Administration could be the right fit if you seek a global business leadership role in business or business-adjacent organizations like government, the military, NGOs, nonprofits, and international relations organizations. This program combines foundational business knowledge and skills with in-depth international context beyond the scope of a traditional MBA.
To take the next step to develop your business knowledge on a global scale, contact an admissions advisor to learn more about the Tufts online GBA admissions process, or start your application today.