Education/training
Boston University: education in actionTo Boston University, the world truly is a classroom. Through the school's division of extended education, BU Global welcomes students and scholars from around the world, making a Boston University education possible -- regardless of location. NICK CANDIOTTO |
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 [ 2003-11-19 ] |
"We offer graduate academic credentials to international students," says Thomas Garriepy, assistant director of business development. "The key feature is that they can achieve these credentials in a reduced time away from home and work."
Designed for students who are eager to tackle challenges and advance quickly, BU Global diploma programs prepare graduate students and working professionals for senior level management.
"Our students are people who have already made a career choice," Garriepy says. "Our program allows them to further that career."
The five BU Global diploma programs (banking and financial services, international marketing, computer information systems and global networks, hospitality and tourism management and project management) provide a learning experience that is more specialized than most graduate degree programs. Four months of full-time, field-specific classroom instruction is supplemented with a number of on-site visits -- affording students the chance to see up-to-date theories in action.
"The on-site visits highlight what students have learned that week," Garriepy notes. "Trips to the Fleet Bank, Hilton Hotels, Monster.com and a number of other businesses in the greater Boston area give them a hands-on view of strategies that are being used in industry that they can take back to the classroom."
In the classroom itself, BU Global courses, with an average of 20 students, are taught by the world-renown Boston University faculty and industry-appointed practitioners. A very modern and continually updated curriculum has been specifically designed to fit an accelerated format that requires less time and financial commitment from the student -- and the streamlining extends to the optional four-month internship.
"We offer some assistance in finding the right internship fit for the students," Garriepy says. "We want to make sure they get what they want out of the experience."
What truly distinguishes BU Global is the importance the school places on the role of the international student and their integration into both the university community and their industry. Striving for equal global representation, Boston University's esteemed reputation as a premier research university has attracted learners and researchers from more than 135 countries -- providing BU Global students with a very unique learning atmosphere.
"Part of the added value of the BU Global education is that the wide range of students creates a wide variety of perspectives and culturally-charged opinion," Garriepy says. "Part of the challenge, which is definitely beneficial to students, is learning how to bridge the cultural gaps and create a working environment."
The working environment at BU Global is enhanced by the fact that students have complete access to the research facilities, as well as every facility, on the Boston University campus.
For more information about the school or the school's programs, visit BU Global online at www.bu.edu/global.
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