Global Immersion Electives

A GIE is an opportunity to engage in short-term study abroad for academic credit. Each GIE combines timely business issues with discussions on how to do business abroad. GIEs highlight some of the most dynamic economies in the world.

A GIE may place a secondary focus on a specific industry or functional area. MBA students receive three hours of elective credit for participation in a GIE.

The History of Global Immersion Electives

UNC Kenan-Flagler has offered GIEs since 1993. The EMBA program launched the first GIE to France. Since that time, we have offered GIEs in over 40 countries. The 2009 GIEs will visit:

• India
• China & Hong Kong
• Egypt & Turkey
• Brazil (Sustainable Enterprise)
• Australia & New Zealand (Innovation)
• Dubai & Greece (Real Estate)

> View a sample itinerary from a recent East Asia trip.

Learning Objectives

The GIEs take students beyond general awareness of international business issues. We do this by cultivating an understanding of global management issues. GIEs offer on-site opportunities to observe what they have learned. Immersion electives cultivate these components of global competency:

• Empathy to see an issue from a different perspective
• Appreciation of foreign cultures
• Ability to carry out tasks in a global environment

Program Structure

Participants are accepted after a competitive application process. Courses are taught in the months prior to international departure. The courses include historical and cultural overviews of the target region. They also include an in-depth look at companies that will be visited during the trip. The course culminates in a 10-15 day tour of the region. The immersion includes company visits and cultural tours led by the professor and a staff trip leader.

Please contact Emily Wilkins, International Programs Manager at with any inquiries about the GIEs.