UNC Kenan-Flagler Launches Dual-Degree Program with China
Earlier this week, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School announced the launch of a new dual-degree program in China that fuses the disciplines of business and engineering.
In partnership with Tsinghua University’s Department of Industrial Engineering, UNC Kenan-Flagler has created the Global Supply Chain Leaders Program to meet the growing need in China for executives with both leadership skills and technical knowledge.
The UNC-Tsinghua dual-degree program is the only partnership of its kind between a top Chinese industrial engineering department and a top U.S. business school. Graduates will receive an MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler and a master of engineering management (MEM) from Tsinghua.
“We are honored to collaborate with Tsinghua University, one of China’s most prestigious universities, to offer a new model for preparing executives in China to lead their global businesses,” said James W. Dean Jr., dean of UNC Kenan-Flagler.
“We are developing a deeper understanding of how business is conducted in each other’s country, and our universities, our citizens and our economies will benefit from our work together.”
One-third of the business classes will be taught in Beijing and two-thirds will be taught in Chapel Hill. At Tsinghua, classes meet once a month, Friday to Sunday. At UNC, the executives will attend two, 16-day sessions in Chapel Hill. The program also will include global residencies at logistics hubs in the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands and the United States. Tuition for the 20-month program is $60,000, which does not cover residency costs.
The program grew out of the research collaboration between UNC professor Noel Greis and Tsinghua professor Cai Linning. They co-founded the UNC-Tsinghua Center for Logistics and Enterprise Development in 2007. As China continued to undergo enormous economic advancements, the two universities recognized the need for a dual-degree program.
According to representatives from the program, the new partnership provides greater understanding of the Chinese marketplace from the inside, and the time is right to offer a program that meets a market need there.
