Report an accessibility problem

Global Management, MGM

Global Management, MGM

Academic programs / Graduate degrees / Global Management, MGM

Business, Entrepreneurship, Global, Global Cross-Cultural Communication, Global Entrepreneurship, Global Studies, International, International Business, International Studies, global business, global entrepreneur, global ethics, global management, global strategy, international leadership

Gain hands-on experience and learn from the diverse perspectives of a global cohort of classmates. This program offers applied learning opportunities, 17 concentration options, and internships in real-world global settings.

Program description
Degree awarded: MGM  Global Management

The specialized MGM program delivers cross-cultural, hands-on training in the nuances of international management, preparing students with the perfect balance of practical and people skills to inspire, influence and drive global success. Students globalize their mindset and marketability by pairing their deep-dive leadership training with an innovative concentration area, foreign language options, practical training, consultative collaborations with corporate partners, internships, real-world simulations and study abroad modules.

Programs start in August or January with a 16- or 21-month track.

The accelerated MGM allows students to earn both a bachelor's and master's degree in as few as five years. This cost-effective option allows students, with the help of their undergraduate academic advisor, to take 12 credit hours of core master's degree classes during their senior year.

Students choose one of the 17 concentration areas or design their own concentration. This program features three concentration options for STEM specializations that meet F-1 student visa status requirements, starred below.

Thunderbird concentrations:

  • global affairs
  • global business*
  • global digital transformation*
  • global entrepreneurship

Concentrations offered in partnership with other ASU schools and colleges:

  • creative industries and design thinking
  • data science*
  • global development and innovation
  • digital audience strategy
  • global health care delivery
  • global health care innovation
  • global legal studies
  • nonprofit leadership and management
  • public administration
  • public policy
  • space leadership, business and policy
  • sustainability solutions
  • sustainable tourism

Students complete rigorous core courses in global management, international political economy and cross-cultural engagement, with electives spanning the gamut of the university's offerings. The result is a flexible, multidisciplinary curriculum featuring a rich variety of coursework in international business and management, social sciences and humanities.

A Thunderbird education features experiential learning for exponential impact. Applied learning courses give students diverse opportunities to work face-to-face with clients or participate in real-life simulations as part of their program. Students choose from a variety of options that enable them to develop and refine their hard skills. A hands-on courses and applied learning offerings --- both practical and cutting-edge --- prepare students to enter the workforce and thrive immediately. These real-world experiences are built into the curriculum, ensuring 100% participation from students.

Moving from theory to real-world practice, students gain invaluable experience by taking on projects for major corporations and other global organizations, including nonprofits and government agencies. In the Global Challenge Labs, students work on consulting projects in emerging markets while developing leadership skills, cultural sensitivity and international business acumen.

In the Global Organizational Consulting program, students gain distinctive experience in consulting frameworks through client projects. Internships allow students to work for multinational businesses in a wide variety of industries in full-time positions for at least eight weeks on graduate-level projects or over the summer. Thunderbird's simulations present real-world scenarios in the areas of global marketing, global finance and global strategy, enabling students to test solutions in a sandbox setting. They can also travel to specific regions to study local business practices, master intercultural management skills and develop international relationships that can last a lifetime.

At a glance
Accelerated program options
This program allows students to obtain both a bachelor's and master's degree in as little as five years. It is offered as an accelerated bachelor's plus master's degree with:

Acceptance to the graduate program requires a separate application. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master’s during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.

Degree requirements

49 credit hours including a foreign language exam and the required capstone course (TGM 597)

Required Core (3 credit hours)
TAM 582 Communicating and Negotiating in a Dynamic Global World (3) or
TGM 506 Communicating and Negotiating Across Cultures (3)

Other Requirements (21 credit hours)
TGM 515 Navigating Global and Regional Business Environments (3)
TGM 517 Global Accounting and Financial Management (3)
TGM 545 Global Leadership and Strategy (3)
TGM 557 Global Marketing and Data Analytics (3)
TGM 586 Global Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Business (3)
TGM 596 Thunderbird Experiential Practicum (6)

Electives (24 credit hours)

Culminating Experience (1 credit hour)
TGM 597 Thunderbird Personal Leadership Development (1)

Additional Curriculum Information
Proficiency in a second language is required for the MGM degree. Students whose native language is not English who meet the admission requirements for this program satisfy the language requirement.

Students whose native language is English must satisfy the graduation requirement for language proficiency either through an oral proficiency interview administered by a third-party vendor or by successfully completing six credit hours of 400-level or higher foreign language coursework.

For electives coursework, students should see the academic unit for approved courses.

For other requirements coursework, other courses may be used with approval from the academic unit.

Admission requirements

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree from a regionally accredited institution. The program is open to candidates from any undergraduate major.

Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program, or applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.

All applicants must submit:

  1. graduate admission application and application fee
  2. official transcripts
  3. resume
  4. essay response to application question
  5. one professional or academic reference
  6. interview
  7. proof of English proficiency

Additional Application Information
An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.

The resume should demonstrate the applicant's professional and academic history.

An interview is required. Final applicants may be asked to complete an additional interview.

Tuition information
When it comes to paying for higher education, everyone’s situation is different. Students can learn about ASU tuition and financial aid options to find out which will work best for them.
Program learning outcomes

Program learning outcomes identify what a student will learn or be able to do upon completion of their program. This program has the following program outcomes:

  • Develop the ability to build sustainable and trusting relationships with others from diverse parts of the world.
  • Employ technology to analyze data for decision making.
  • Develop the ability to inspire others in a global world.
Global opportunities
Global experience

Students in Thunderbird's Master of Global Management program have unique opportunities to apply and hone their learning in international settings. Experiential learning exposes students to actual problems faced by leaders of multinational businesses and governmental or nonprofit organizations that operate on an international level. Working with Thunderbird professors, their fellow students, alumni and corporate partners, students master and apply global management principles and concepts to meet real business challenges through special courses, labs and projects. Thunderbird offers a wide variety of experiential learning engagements, enabling students to solve real-world challenges by collaborating with the school's corporate partners around the world. Options include the following:

Global Field Seminars
This one- or two-week seminar exposes students to the dynamics and nuances of doing business in a focused region of the world. Teams of students go on company site visits and attend high-level meetings and presentations with business, government and cultural leaders as well as with Thunderbird alumni. Students gain invaluable hands-on experience while expanding their global business skills, enabling them to become major assets to any organization they join after graduating.

Global Challenge Labs
This client-facing, project-based course is built on a five-week immersion assignment in a key emerging market. Projects take students to destinations all over the world. They are tailored to the business needs of the client and challenge students to provide sophisticated data and market analysis, strategy recommendations and plans for sustained growth that are both practical and effective. For more information, students should visit the Global Challenge Lab website.

Career opportunities

Thunderbird prepares graduates to enter the complex and exciting global economy with specialized, hands-on training in international business, cross-cultural relations, global political economy and regional business environments. With their global mindset, core professional skills, mastery of management principles and practices, and multicultural outlook, Thunderbird graduates are prepared for leadership roles in organizations with a global scope.

Career examples for graduates include positions as:

  • financial managers
  • general and operations managers
  • intelligence analysts
  • logistics managers
  • management analysts
  • marketing managers
  • market research analysts and marketing specialists
  • social and community services managers
  • supply chain managers
  • sustainability specialists
Contact information
What are accelerated programs?
Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.

3 year programs

These programs allow students to fast-track their studies after admission and earn a bachelor's degree in three years or fewer while participating in the same high-quality educational experience of a 4-year option. Students should talk to their academic advisor to get started.

Accelerated master's

These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).

Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Acceptance to the graduate program requires a separate application. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master’s during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
What are concurrent programs?
Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.
What are joint programs?
Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.

What constitutes a new program?
ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the “New Programs” option.
What are online programs?
ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.
What is WRGP (Western Regional Graduate Program)?
The Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) provides a reduced tuition rate to non-resident graduate students who qualify. Visit the WRGP/WICHE webpage for more information: https://graduate.asu.edu/wiche.

click back to top