Summer Travel Program
Focus on Kazakhstan and Central Asia: International and Comparative Management
About the Program
The UMass Boston MBA Program is pleased to offer a program focusing on international management in collaboration with the Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics, and Strategic Research (KIMEP), which will primarily address environmental, cross-cultural, and development issues in the context of an important emerging economy in the post-Soviet era.
Kazakhstan is the largest, most economically significant, and most politically stable of the five newly independent Central Asian Republics of the former USSR. Kazakhstan’s population of just 15.3 million is spread over an area equal to that of the eastern United States, ranging from tundra and steppes in the north to deserts and oases in the south, the Himalayas in the east and fertile river plains in the west. Kazakhstan’s population is remarkably ethnically diverse, with significant Russian, German, Ukrainian, Uzbek, and Korean minorities, and its ancient culture reflects various influences from East and West.
In the last decade, Kazakhstan has emerged as the industrial and financial leader in Central Asia. Largely untapped tremendous natural gas, oil, gold, uranium, copper, bauxite, manganese, chromium, diamond, and coal reserves have made Kazakhstan the target for over $40 billion in foreign direct investment from North America, China, and Europe.
Kazakhstan boasts vibrant industrial and growing financial services sectors and enjoys both relatively high per-capita income ($11,000 in Purchasing Power Parity) and GDP growth (8-10%).
Program Structure
After introductory classes in Boston, students will travel to Almaty, Kazakstan and study jointly for two weeks with a cohort of MBA students from the Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics, and Strategic Research (KIMEP). On June 15, both UMB and KIMEP students will return to Boston for two additional weeks of joint study on the campus of UMass Boston. Students will have the opportunity to visit leading firms and participate in various cultural activities in Almaty and in Boston.
Students are not expected to have knowledge of either Russian or Kazakh and will receive extensive orientation before leaving for Kazakhstan. This course will be taught jointly by Professors Gerritt DeVos of KIMEP and William Koehler, the Graduate Program Director for the College of Management, and will include guest speakers, specialists and experts in various fields.
Academic Credit
Participants can earn six credits in any of the UMass Boston graduate business programs (MBA, MSA, MSIT, MSIM, or MSF): three elective credits each in MBAMGT 665 and MBAMGT 677. These courses will count toward the specialization in International Management and will satisfy the International Business requirement. Qualified undergraduate students are also eligible to enroll in this program for graduate credit with the approval of the MBA Program Director. Please clearly indicate undergraduate standing on your application.