The University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce has agreed to partner with ESADE School of Business in Barcelona, Spain, and Lingnan (University) College at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, to deliver a new dual M.S. in global commerce and M.S. in global strategic management with a certificate in international management.

Lingnan (University) College at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China

The new graduate program is designed for candidates with an undergraduate degree in business with little to no work experience. Admitted students will explore the complexities of doing business from the North American, European and Asian perspectives while being immersed in a diverse, multicultural environment.

Graduates will earn an M.S. in global commerce from the McIntire School, an M.S. in global strategic management from ESADE Business School and a certificate in international management from Lingnan College.

Students will spend 15 weeks at UVA, where coursework will focus on developing skills in global strategic management. They then will spend nine weeks at Lingnan College, where they will focus on global financing and operations. The program will conclude with 15 weeks at ESADE, with a focus on global innovation and alliances.

Students in the program will gain extensive international experience and a more global profile, while learning to strike a balance between local adaptation and global integration, said Carl P. Zeithaml, dean of the McIntire School.

ESADE School of Business in Barcelona, Spain

“The new program allows students to study on three continents and receive two master’s degrees and a certificate from three world-class business schools in one integrated experience,” he said. “It marks a critical step forward in providing a new generation of business leaders with the skills and experiences they need to meet the challenges of today’s demanding global business environment. We look forward to working in close collaboration with our outstanding partners at ESADE and Lingnan to ensure that the new program offers a truly world-class educational experience.”

Josep Franch, dean of ESADE Business School, added, “The program will provide a high-added-value experience that will prepare recent graduates – mainly from the Americas, Europe, and Asia – to achieve excellence in the complex and dynamic global economy. All three schools consider this program to be an integrative proposal in terms of both the curriculum and the various components of the academic and vital experience.”

Xinzhong Xu, dean of Lingnan College at Sun Yat-sen University, said, “This program will provide students with unparalleled in-depth exposure to unique cultures and different business environments in Asia, Europe and the USA. These exposures will not only enable the students to have fast-track careers, but also will have great impact on their lives as individuals.”

The McIntire School plans to welcome the first class in September. Approval of the M.S. in Global Commerce is pending from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.

Learn more about the new program here.

About the McIntire School of Commerce (University of Virginia)

For more than 90 years, the McIntire School of Commerce has been regarded as one of the top business schools in the United States, offering world-class programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. McIntire is widely recognized for its unwavering pursuit of excellence, both in teaching and in research, and for its commitment to producing thoughtful, innovative graduates who become leaders in global business and society. In the nine years since 2006 that Bloomberg Businessweek has ranked American undergraduate business programs, the McIntire School is the only one to be ranked either first or second each year. The school’s graduate programs have received numerous accolades, including the M.S. in Commerce program being ranked  No. 1 by Value Colleges in 2015 and the M.S. in Accounting program being ranked No. 1 by faculty size by Public Accounting Report in 2015. McIntire is home to an internationally diverse community of students and faculty, each of whom contributes to and benefits from the school’s innovative, real-world approach to global business education.

About Lingnan (University) College (Sun Yat-sen University)

Originating from Lingnan University, a private university established in the late 19th century, Lingnan (University) College was reestablished in 1989 within Sun Yat-sen University. Lingnan has been consistently ranked as one of the top business schools in China for its academic excellence and international standing. Lingnan is one of the few Chinese business schools with triple-crown international accreditations from EQUIS, AACSB and the Association of MBA Programs. In 1998, the college established the international M.B.A. program in cooperation with Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management, and in 1999, it created the first joint executive M.B.A. programs in China with the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.

About ESADE

Founded in 1958, ESADE Business and Law School has campuses in Barcelona and Madrid and a presence in São Paolo, Brazil; Lima, Peru; Mexico City; Bogotá, Colombia; Santiago, Chile; and Buenos Aires. It also has collaboration agreements with more than 100 universities and business schools worldwide. Each year, more than 8,000 students participate in courses at ESADE (M.B.A. and executive education, as well as bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in business and law). ESADE alumni maintain a network of more than 50,000 graduates who hold positions of responsibility at companies across the globe. ESADE’s business park, ESADECREAPOLIS, is a pioneering innovation center that brings together academia and the world of business. With a clear international outlook, ESADE consistently ranks near the top of the main global business school rankings (Financial Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Economist and América Economía). ESADE is a member of Ramon Llull University.