News Releases

School of Business expands international opportunities in Germany

Tuesday, April 7 , 2009

BY LAURA WOLFE

The School of Business has established a new exchange agreement with European Business School, located in Oestrich-Winkel, Germany.

Through the agreement, undergraduate and MBA students will have the opportunity to study at European Business School (EBS) for a semester. There are also three-week summer programs available.

The exchange agreement will allow business students to gain knowledge of how business is conducted in the European Union and learn from the perspective of a European faculty.

"American MBAs will be dealing with a global market," Chuck Krider, MBA academic director, said. "A focus on business in the European Union will be important knowledge for them." According to Krider, EBS is a well-respected school in Europe with an experienced teaching staff.

Business students do not need foreign language experience to participate, as all classes will be taught in English. "It's nice for our students because they can go even if they don't speak German," said Carol Rose, director of the Business School's Institute for International Business. She added, "English is the international language of business."

EBS also offers a "German Survival Course" that students may decide to take if they would like to learn more of the language while in Germany; however, it is not required.

EBS campus, in Oestrich-Winkel, Germany, is situated along the Rhine River and is bordered on three sides by vineyards. Students will experience small villages, like Oestrich-Winkel, and have access to larger areas, like nearby Frankfurt. "The train station is two blocks away - they can hop on a train and go anywhere in Europe," said Krider, who recently returned from a visit to the EBS campus.

Oestrich-Winkel is located close to Frankfurt, Germany, a large city with more than 430 national and international financial institutions. MBA students attending EBS this summer will visit European Central Bank in Frankfurt as a part of their curriculum.

Undergraduate and MBA students receive three hours of credit counting toward elective requirements for completing the summer program. Undergraduate students completing a semester at EBS can receive up to 15 hours of credit and MBA students can receive up to 9 hours for completion of a semester.

The KU School of Business believes international experience is key to preparing students for leadership positions in the global marketplace. The school also has cooperative exchange agreements with The Groupe ƒcole SupŽrieure de Commerce (ESC) in Clermont-Ferrand, France and with Sun Yat-Sen University in China. School of Business students take advantage of study abroad programs at rates well above the national average, and 70 percent of the KU Business faculty have conducted international research or taught abroad in the last three years.