Oct. 17, 2005

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Two of the nation's top graduate business schools are combining to offer a new program that will allow students to earn both a master of international management degree and an MBA degree. Thunderbird, The Garvin School of International Management and Indiana University's Kelley School of Business will begin offering the dual-degree program in August 2006.

An agreement finalized in September created the 28-month dual degree program that combines 75 percent Web-based learning with 25 percent face-to-face instruction. The program begins with a 10-day face-to-face intensive seminar at the Kelley School's Bloomington campus, followed by a 10-day seminar in Beijing, China, at the halfway point and a final 10-day seminar on Thunderbird's Glendale campus. Between 40 and 60 students are expected to enroll in the first MIM/MBA class.

"This partnership allows working professionals to advance their careers by obtaining a truly integrated international business education offered by two of the leading schools in the nation," said Daniel C. Smith, dean of the Kelley School. "Both the Kelley School and Thunderbird are world-renowned for their practical real-world approach to education. Students will get the benefit of Thunderbird's truly global presence and Kelley's leadership in the delivery of a highly-ranked MBA in an online environment."

"This dual program offers an excellent opportunity for working professionals to take their careers to a new level," said Thunderbird President Angel Cabrera. "Executives who wish to become global business leaders will benefit from the world-class instruction of two leading MBA schools while enjoying the flexibility of a degree program that does not interrupt their careers."

Thunderbird is the oldest graduate management school in the United States focused solely on preparing graduates for global leadership. Ranked among the best in the world by Financial Times, U.S. News & World Report, The Wall Street Journal and Business Week, the school's unique curriculum is based on the principle that to do business on a global scale, executives must not only know the intricacies of business, but also understand the customs of other countries and be able to communicate with different cultures. More than 35,000 men and women in 138 different countries have graduated from Thunderbird since 1946.

Kelley Direct Online Programs, an academic unit of the Kelley School, offers an array of online graduate programs, including MBA and master of science degrees in finance, global supply chain management and strategic management. The Kelley School's MBA program, ranked 18th by Business Week, consistently is included among the world's best, and the magazine recently touted its online MBA program in its Oct. 10 issue. Kelley Direct courses are taught by the same faculty who teach in the school's other full- and part-time MBA programs. More than 1,100 students are now earning a degree online.

Successful graduates of the Thunderbird/Kelley partnership will receive a joint degree from both schools: a master's degree in international management from Thunderbird and a master of business administration degree from Indiana University. More information about this dual-degree program is available at two Web sites -- http://www.thunderbird.edu/tbird-iukd and http://www.kd.iu.edu.