Each year, U.S. News & World Report surveys business school deans and senior faculty to determine the best overall business schools in the United States. Additionally, U.S. News uses these surveys to compile ranking lists in a variety of business degree specialties at the graduate level. Currently, Glendale, Arizona’s Thunderbird School of Global Management takes the top spot on the U.S. News ranking list for international business graduate degrees, with the University of Pennsylvania and the University of South Carolina following in the second and third spots.
Thunderbird School of Global Management
U.S. News surveys rank the Thunderbird School of Global Management as the best school in the country for students wishing to pursue graduate study in international business. Unlike the other schools mentioned below (or among the Top Ten on U.S. News & World Report’s list), Thunderbird is strictly a business school offering graduate level degrees, as opposed to being a comprehensive university offering graduate and undergraduate business degrees among its many degree programs.
As the name of the school implies, every Thunderbird School of Global Management degree has an international focus, from the full-time MBA in Global Management to their Executive MBA programs for experienced working professionals. Every degree program offers the opportunity for study abroad experiences, and four distance learning degrees give professionals the experience of studying online with a cohort of international colleagues.
University of Pennsylvania
Consistently ranked at or near the top of U.S. News & World Report lists of undergraduate and graduate business specialties, Penn’s Wharton School of Business takes the second spot in international business graduate rankings. In addition to 17 international exchange programs, students can learn about international business through Wharton’s MBA program without leaving the United States.
Penn’s MBA/MA-Lauder Program allows students to earn a Wharton MBA while pursuing a Master of Arts in International Studies from Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences. Students may also choose to pursue a three-year program offered jointly between Wharton’s MBA program and Johns Hopkins University’s Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (through which students would earn an MA in International Relations).
University of South Carolina
The top public university in the U.S. News rankings of international business graduate degree programs is the University of South Carolina. The Darla Moore School of Business ranks third overall among graduate schools offering international business degrees.
Students enrolled in the MBA program at Moore have the opportunity to pursue an International Master of Business Administration (IMBA) degree in which students can choose to pursue intensive training in one of eight languages along with their business courses, or can choose a global track that would offer them the general training to be able to work anywhere in the global business community. A feature of the IMBA program is an international internship, which requires an internship with a global employer lasting up to 20 weeks.
Whether pursuing a graduate degree in international business or in another business specialty, prospective graduate students should research graduate programs thoroughly before making a decision. Beyond reading rankings published by both general and discipline-based publications, students should research graduate business programs online (reviewing both school websites and other websites that give perspectives on business schools) and schedule a campus visit and interviews with graduate advisors or instructors, if possible, to ensure that they choose the school that is the best fit both personally and professionally.
Related Information:
Best Colleges for International Business Degrees
Amy Martin - Amy Martin is a freelance writer who holds a Ph.D. in English Studies from Illinois State University. She taught literature and writing ...
