A new University of Arkansas executive master of business administration program in Shanghai will help U.S. companies develop needed management talent in China.
Chancellor John A. White of the Fayetteville campus, said, ‘The curriculum has been specifically tailored to meet the needs of U.S. companies that have operations there.’
Matt Waller, UA professor of marketing and logistics with the Sam M. Walton College of Business, will head the 16-month program, which will combine online course work with a series of classes taught in Shanghai focusing on retail, consumer products and logistics.
Tong Ji University in Shanghai is UA’s partner in the venture.
The program is limited to 30 students, with the first classes planned for February 2008. Students will be expatriates living in China and Chinese nationals working for U.S. companies. Classes will be taught in English.
Several Fortune 500 companies have committed to sending rising executives to the program, including Wal-Mart, Tyson Foods, Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, Maersk and Accenture.
Matt Waller said, ‘I have never been involved in a program at the university where there is so much interest from the corporate sector. I think it’ll fill up before midsummer.’
Students will study online and meet nine times in Shanghai for four days of classes each. They will return to Fayetteville at the end of the program to graduate with students in UA’s traditional MBA program.
Source: Harvard Government Innovators Network