Wharton classes go global

Forget Huntsman Hall — Wharton students can now study in India, Israel and Brazil.

As part of the new master of business administration curriculum launched in December, Wharton added several three to four-day overseas courses that are open to both undergraduate and MBA students.

Four courses — worth either .5, .75 or 1 credit each — were offered over winter break, with two in India, one in Israel and one in Brazil.

The “Global Modular Courses” are part of Wharton’s recent efforts to emphasize the importance of globalization and emerging markets.

“We want to give the students as much opportunity to study on site in locations all over the world,” Vice Dean of the Wharton MBA Program Howard Kaufold said.

“Students in all areas of Wharton are beginning to express more interest in emerging markets,” said Wharton professor Jagmohan Raju, who taught a class in India from Dec. 28 to Dec. 30.

Set in the Mumbai Stock Exchange building, the course in India gave students first-hand knowledge of burgeoning industries in the country, Raju said.

Professor Felipe Monteiro, who taught a course in Brazil, agreed that students are increasingly interested in global markets.

“It was clear to us that this is a hot spot,” he said, adding that the Brazil course was the most popular and had a waiting list.

One of the highlights of his course was a visit from Eike Batista, the richest man in Brazil and the eighth richest man in the world in 2010, according to Forbes magazine.

“He had a very positive view on Brazil, and he urged MBAs to come there,” Monteiro said.

Second-year MBA student Rachel Pacheco, who was in Monteiro’s class, said she would absolutely consider working in an emerging market.

“You get a much deeper understanding of the business challenges when you are experiencing the environment firsthand,” Pacheco said.

“There is not a strong emphasis on globalization by the school,” Pacheco said. “Global courses seem to be the first big push to make it more prominent.”

There will be four more global modular classes offered over spring break in China, London and South Africa.

Beyond this year, the future of these classes is uncertain. However, “our expectation is that we will continue this program in future years,” Kaufold added.

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