Preparing future world leaders

Students learn a new language, immerse themselves in a foreign culture, and apply what they learn through Bryant’s intensive international business program.

Madan Annavarjula, associate professor of management and international business coordinator, has a specific plan laid out for each student studying IB at Bryant.

As first-year students, IB majors take a customized Foundations for Learning (FFL) course that features site visits and panel discussions to help them start to develop a global awareness.

Madan Annavarjula, associate professor of management and international business coordinator.

During their first and second year, students take core course in business and the liberal arts and begin to pursue a required language minor in Chinese, French, Italian, or Spanish. Bryant’s international business program is one of a few in the country that offers concentrations in computer information systems, finance, management, or marketing.

The courses, which are taught by faculty from around the world, help give students a glimpse into customs from around the world.

“We have international faculty teaching international courses, says Annavarjula. “We are from different cultures and we have traveled extensively, which helps us bring our personal experiences into the classroom and adds a dimension to students’ learning.”

Cultural immersion

As juniors, all IB majors study abroad for a semester, which immerses them in a foreign culture. Students have the opportunity to live and study in more than 45 countries around the world.

After their personal international experience, students return to Bryant to take part in an innovative, integrative program designed specifically for IB students. As part of a cohort, students take upper-level international courses in marketing, management, accounting, and finance in which the professors plan curricula and projects that allow students to see the interrelatedness between each concept.

To bring it all together, the IB Practicum was created last spring. The program, which serves as a capstone course, was created to give seniors the chance to work as a consultant with an actual company.

“Our goals through the consulting projects are to give our students the opportunity to closely interact with local companies working internationally, provide a forum to show their abilities, and possibly earn full-time positions,” he says.

After completing her group’s capstone project with Mearthane, a Cranston, RI-based manufacturer of polyurethane components, Jillian MacIssac ’09 impressed the company so much she was offered a position. While she declined since she had already accepted a job at EMC, the success of these immersion programs is clear.

“We want to be able to differentiate our programs qualitatively,” says Annavarjula. “I feel the capstone projects and the integrative block are two ways we can do this.”

Annavarjula looks forward to welcoming more than 100 members of the Class of 2013 who will begin their journey studying international business this fall.

“The degree in IB,” he tells them, “is specially designed to provide our graduates with a competitive advantage to succeed in a globalized world.”