“The MBA/MA – Lauder program gives you the best combination of business and international studies with a more advanced foreign language component.”
Lauder Program
The first joint-degree program in international management, the MBA/MA Lauder Program prepares future business leaders by integrating the Wharton MBA with an MA in International Studies from Penn's School of Arts & Sciences. Students become part of a small, tight-knit community passionate about international management issues and global studies.
The MA in International Studies includes advanced language study and an international course sequence in the humanities and social sciences. The nine languages and corresponding regions available for study are Arabic (Middle East); Mandarin Chinese and Japanese (East Asia); French, German, and Russian (Europe); Hindi (South Asia); and Portuguese and Spanish (Latin America). Lauder also offers a new Global Program for multilingual students.
As part of the curriculum, Lauder students work in teams on a research paper/project known as the Global Knowledge Lab (GKL). The GKL provides students with the opportunity to develop and integrate their language, managerial, and cultural skills in the context of a practical, yet analytical, research undertaking. Often, projects are sponsored and/or directed by outside organizations, including foundations, investment banks, consulting firms, or business associations.
The Lauder Program is 24-months and begins in May. During this month students complete an area history course and begin the International Political Economy of Business Environments course. In June and July they travel to a region(s) that correspond to their program and are immersed in the language, economics, history, politics, business, and culture of the region(s). This summer also includes corporate visits, cultural excursions, activities with Lauder alumni, and team-based research project focused on a topic of current interest in the country or region. Students return to campus in time to begin Pre-Term at Wharton. Because of the program’s May start date, applications are accepted only in rounds 1 and 2.
To learn more about Lauder please visit our website.
Student Profile
