UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Smeal College of Business master’s students will embark on trips to four international destinations during the 2024 spring semester as part of the college’s Global Immersion Program.
As they did in 2023, students will again visit Casablanca, Morocco; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Istanbul, Turkey. In a change from 2023, students also will be visiting Panama City, Panama.
What was once an exclusive opportunity for Smeal’s two-year residential MBA and Executive MBA students is now available for all online and residential master’s students.
“Global immersion is a founding aspect of our education at Smeal’s Office of Professional Graduate Programs (PGP) — understanding that business is a global issue,” said Janet Duck, a clinical professor of management and organization and director of excellence in teaching and learning in PGP, who coordinates the Global Immersion Program.
“Instead of only offering the global experience to a segmented population, we wanted to bring this opportunity to all students pursuing a graduate degree. This is a great opportunity for students to understand different business landscapes while networking with other Penn State Smeal students, as well as instructors and staff chaperones.”
The one-week abroad program focuses on global business through seven to eight business visits. Students take a one-credit course, BA836, that outlines course objectives in a scorecard format. The scorecard identifies political, cultural and economic views students look for during their experience.
The mix of cultural and business-related experiences fosters networking, collaboration and relationship-building among the students who come with a range of educational, work and generational backgrounds. Fifth-year students who entered master’s programs immediately after obtaining their undergraduate degrees and who possess little to no work experience can interact with working career professionals with 10+ years of work experience.
This is the only experience in the portfolio that allows current students from all different areas of study to come together and interact with one another on a global stage. To promote community building from the start, students who are traveling meet regularly leading up to departure to develop and strengthen connections.
“From a curricular perspective, we realize that a global immersion experience provides a unique opportunity for students to better understand and appreciate diverse business landscapes in social, economic and political contexts; to broaden viewpoints related to adaptability and resilience in business; and to elevate communication skills associated with teamwork in cross-cultural environments,” Duck said. "Development of the PGP community positively impacts our students’ educational experience and contributes to their lifelong connection to Penn State.”
In a 2023 post-trip student survey, Duck said the immersive business visits, peer connections and non-business-related cultural experiences were of the most value to participants.
As for the future of global immersion, Duck said she hopes to explore new countries and industries for the program, in addition to improving overall awareness and communication about the program for students.
“Based on student feedback, the global immersion has proven to be a great success,” Duck said. “We look forward to working with our students to improve and expand on the experience each year.”