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Thunderbird School of Global Management
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Overview
Thunderbird’s Executive Master of Global Management (EMGM) program offers a flexible way for full-time working professionals to obtain this international business graduate degree in only one year. Attend in-person classes once a month with your cohort and faculty members and collaborate on team assignments and coursework virtually to achieve the curriculum milestones together. You can choose to hop on a plane to learn how to do business like a CEO in another region of the world or partake in our one-of-a-kind Global Challenge Lab that takes you into the field for a real-world, client-facing practical group project. Choose any of our elective courses from topics such as Global Business, Digital Transformation, Leadership, Data Science, Global Affairs, Health Solutions, Strategic Management, Public Policy, Entrepreneurship and more. Use this international business leadership program to expand your skill set and offer more value to your current or future organization.
The world is innovating more rapidly than ever before. New technology is changing the way we live, work, and relate to each other. To thrive in this new paradigm of constant technological disruption, where artificial intelligence and data analytics are driving change in all industries and sectors, a revitalized brand of business and management education is essential.
Thunderbird is educating, inspiring, and empowering nimble, ethical leaders who are equipped to build sustainable enterprises in an increasingly competitive and interconnected global economy driven by accelerating advancements in technology. Don’t just keep pace with the competition. Set the pace by transforming at Thunderbird.
GLOBAL MANAGEMENT, EVOLVED
As an experienced international professional, you know the power of a global mindset. Create worldwide value for yourself and broaden your personal brand by studying the intricacies of global management with world-renowned faculty and a cohort of exceptional peers in a state-of-the-art international business school facility. Learn, travel, and collaborate to earn this elite, specialized degree, tailored for mid-career professionals.
Thunderbird Difference:
Global Mindset
Transdisciplinary Skill Set
Cross-sectoral Approach
4th Industrial Revolution Leadership
At a Glance
Applied learning opportunities
Degree earned
Master of Global Management
Workplace experience
8+ years preferred, 17 years on average
Who should attend
Professionals who want to keep up with their rapidly changing industry in a flexible master's degree program while continuing to work full-time
Mid-career professionals who want to take on a new role as a senior-level leader of a transnational enterprise or propel themselves to the C-suite
Working professionals who see potential for growth and promotion in international management positions inside or outside of their current organization
Entrepreneurial-minded professionals who are interested in starting their own business or becoming a strategic consultant in their field of interest
Student Testimonies
"A lot of schools talk about changing your life, Thunderbird actually does. It also gives you the tools and connections to succeed after graduation. The faculty, staff, and alumni have been amazing, and when you put out the call, T-birds respond, in droves, and you find amazing connections and help in your every endeavor."
Zaheer A. EMGM '19
"I chose Thunderbird and enrolled into the EMGM Program to broaden my perspective on business with an International lens. I found myself surrounded by some of the most intelligent minds that I’ve ever encountered. Even though our professors are extremely knowledgeable, I’d say that the source of my program enrichment is the diverse perspectives of my cohort."
Darrin Monroe, USA
Career Opportunities
Our graduates are leaders across a wide range of organizations in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors around the world. The EMGM will prepare you to assume managerial responsibilities in global organizations, or to make a career change across industries or sectors. Our top-ranked global management program will prepare you with the problem-solving skills needed in order to leverage the tools of the digital age to manage change and disruption in your organization.
By developing your Global Mindset, and immersing you in a diverse cohort of students from around the globe, we help develop your global perspective, strategic decision-making, and management skills through on-campus instruction, hands-on experience in the field, and by connecting you like-minded mentors and friends across our global network of 45,000 alumni.
Thunderbird’s Career Coaches provide assistance with self-assessments, resume and cover letter development, building a LinkedIn profile, finding and applying for job, interview preparation, and negotiating an offer. Individualized career support and professional development is offered throughout the academic program to help students prepare to compete in the global job market.
Recent graduates have been hired by top organizations in the following roles:
- Global Operations Manager for Cloud Computing or Cybersecurity
- Chief Strategy Officer for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics
- Country Manager for Mobile Devices
- Global Marketing Manager for Autonomous Vehicles
- International Management Trade Consultant for Augmented Reality Devices
- Counselor of Economics for Systems Integration
- Chief Financial Officer for 3D Printing
- Regional Sustainability Officer
- Consular Liaison / Foreign Service Officer
- Finance Consultant
- Global Philanthropic Executive Director
- Executive Leadership Coach
- Head of Global Partnerships
- Big Data Specialist
- International Marketing Manager
- Global Business Manager
Top Global Companies Recruiting Thunderbirds include:
- Exxon Mobil
- Intel
- Wells Fargo
- Microsoft
- Amazon
- Henkel
- American Express
- Honeywell
- Boeing
- Deloitte
- World Bank
- UNESCO
- USAID
- NASA
- U.S. State Department
- U.S. Department of Commerce
Employment:
94%
Secured summer internships
91%
secured employment 6-month post-graduation
Our Campus
Woven into the Arizona business and professional community, Thunderbird’s cutting-edge Downtown Phoenix headquarters creates strong learning and career connections for students with media, health care, corporate, and government organizations. The $75 million, four-story Thunderbird building opened in 2021 and features strategically incorporated Industry 4.0 technologies such as holographic displays, wall-to-wall touch-screen interfaces, and signature architectural features such as a skylight above the rooftop pub, designated innovation center, language lab, and alumni center all decorated by paintings and wall decor depicting Thunderbird’s 75-year history.
- Four 60-seat classrooms
- Five 40-seat classrooms
- Heritage Lounges
- Total 110,000 sq. ft
- Global Decision Theater
- LEED certification
- VR/AR language lab
- Rooftop Thunderbird Pub
Application Deadlines
| June 30 | 3rd round |
| July 31 | Final |
Application Process and Entry Requirements
- 8+ years work experience (preferred)
- 3+ years in management (preferred)
- Résumé documenting work and management experience
- Competitive TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, or Duolingo scores (if you did not graduate from an English-speaking university in a native English-speaking country)
- Official transcripts from all previously attended undergraduate and graduate institutions, validating undergraduate GPA and the completion of a four-year degree sent to ASU Graduate Admissions
- Interview with Thunderbird faculty and staff
- GMAT / GRE not required
| Application Fee | Domestic application fee: $70 International application fee: $115 Applications will not be processed until the fee is received and fees are non-refundable. |
| Enrollment deposit | Domestic & international enrollment deposit: $500 The enrollment deposit confirms your acceptance of admission and reserves your seat in the program, allowing you to register for your first term courses. All deposit funds are applied to your student account. |
| Transcripts | Please send transcripts to Arizona State University. For further information on enrolling, please contact Thunderbird Degree Program Admissions: +1 602 496-7100 or admissions.tbird@asu.edu |
English proficiency requirements
Applicants are required to meet certain English proficiency standards for acceptance. If your English proficiency scores are below acceptance standards, you may be required to take pre-degree English instruction to ensure you meet the level of English proficiency needed to succeed in your graduate studies. Learn more. View the minimum and direct entry scores here.
Program Curriculum
EMGM Fall 2021-Summer 2022 Program Dates
This in-depth global management degree is a world-class organizational leadership program like no other. It combines general management coursework, executive leadership training, international business administration, cross-cultural insight, and regional studies to educate global business leaders. With its innovative program format, the Executive MGM delivers a strategically choreographed progression through every facet of international business management, with experiential learning opportunities and practical, applicable education in the nuances of global management, business and improving international organizational culture. Through case studies, peer interaction, and hands-on applied-learning projects, you’ll be connected with top national and international corporations, gaining the real-world experience of a truly immersive global business education.
While sharing many elements of traditional business school education, the Executive MGM offers unique advantages to prospective students:
- A team-based, cohort model to offer a flexible and collaborative environment in order to balance work and life
- A more specialized international focus for careers in global leadership and global business management
- Training in global management strategies and the cultural nuances affecting business in specific regions of the world
- Cross-cultural communications, negotiation skills, and international political economics courses
- Transdisciplinary electives courses with location (Phoenix, Washington, D.C. or Los Angeles) and delivery options (in-person, or online)
- Personal leadership coaching throughout the program
- Global executive guest speakers series to broaden horizons and influence post-graduation impact plans
- ROI from day one as you study real-world cases, learn from the best practices of professors and cohort members and even address your own professional challenges in class
- A one-week immersion in an emerging or developed market to learn the regional business environment or tackle a project-based, capstone course as a consultant
Applied Learning Opportunities:
Global Field Seminar or Global Challenge Lab
Students in the executive Master of Global Management program travel with classmates on one faculty-led Global Field Seminar or Global Challenge Lab during the program.
Global field seminar
This one-week, for-credit seminar offers a hands-on learning experience in a focused region of the world, comprised of site visits, high-level meetings and presentations with business, government and cultural leaders to learn what makes doing business in the region unique.
Thunderbird global challenge laboratories
This is a client-facing, project-based course built on a one-week immersion assignment in a key emerging market. Projects take students to destinations all over the world. They are tailored to the business needs of the client and challenge students to provide sophisticated data and market analysis, strategy recommendations, and plans for sustained growth that are both practical and effective. For more information, students should visit https://thunderbird.asu.edu/challenge-labs.
Curriculum/Course Descriptions (31 credit-hours)
Fall Semester
- TGM 598 Lifelong Personal Leadership in a Global Economy (3 credits)
- TGM 506 Communicating and Negotiating Across Cultures (3 credits)
- TGM 530 Big Data in the Global Economy (3 credits)
Spring Semester
- TGM 549 Global Leadership (3 credits)
- TGM 598 Global Digital Transformation (3 credits)
- TGM 594 or TGM 596 Global Field Seminar or Global Challenge Lab (3 credits)
- Elective 1 (3 credits)
Summer Semester
- TGM 505 Navigating Global and Regional Business Environments (3 credits)
- Elective 2 (3 credits)
- Elective 3 (3 credits)
- TGM 597 Thunderbird Professional Development (1 credit)*
* This course goes across 3 semesters
Our faculty
29
Full-time faculty members
22 males 76% | 7 females 24% in 2019
More than
100
Research and teaching nominations, recognitions and awards were obtained by the faculty (2013-July 2019).
100%
PhD
