Overview

Thunderbird’s Executive Master of Global Management (EMGM) program offers a flexible way for full-time working professionals to obtain this international business graduate degree in only one year. Attend in-person classes once a month with your cohort and faculty members and collaborate on team assignments and coursework virtually to achieve the curriculum milestones together. You can choose to hop on a plane to learn how to do business like a CEO in another region of the world or partake in our one-of-a-kind Global Challenge Lab that takes you into the field for a real-world, client-facing practical group project. Choose elective courses from topics such as Global Business, Digital Transformation, Leadership, Data Science, Global Affairs, Health Solutions, Strategic Management, Public Policy, Entrepreneurship, and more. Use this international business leadership program to expand your skill set and offer more value to your current or future organization.

The world is innovating more rapidly than ever before. New technology is changing the way we live, work, and relate to each other. To thrive in this new paradigm of constant technological disruption, where artificial intelligence and data analytics are driving change in all industries and sectors, a revitalized brand of business and management education is essential.

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Class Profile

Average age:

40 years old

Average experience:

20 years

Women:

30%

Admitted with advanced degrees:

35%

Prior degrees:
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • International Marketing
  • Finance
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Healthcare Administration
  • Operations Management
  • Business Management
  • Psychology
  • International Business
  • Computer Science
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Political Science
  • and others
Employers:
  • Arizona Commerce Authority 
  • Bank of America
  • Earth Friendly Products
  • Mayo Clinic
  • American Express
  • Sigma Alimentos
  • The Regal Group
  • Terros Health
  • Partnership for Economic Innovation
  • Arizona Department of Transportation
  • Amazon
  • and others
Current titles:
  • Strategic futures innovation manager
  • International sales manager
  • Commercial credit analyst
  • Senior engineer
  • Technology lead
  • Senior operations manager
  • President and chief executive officer
  • Director of innovation
  • Director of sales
  • and others

What is an MGM?
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What is a Master of Global Management?

A degree at the intersection of global business, public policy and international affairs

Explore how the MGM's core curriculum overlaps with these three key areas, and how its concentrations and applied learning opportunities earn it the #1 ranking in the world.

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Why Thunderbird?
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Why Thunderbird for Degree?

We are a global network of future-ready leaders, managers, entrepreneurs, and intrapreneurs

innovating across the private and public sectors to advance inclusive and sustainable prosperity worldwide.

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Who should attend?

  • Professionals who want to keep up with their rapidly changing industry in a flexible master's degree program while continuing to work full-time.
  • Mid-career professionals who want to take on a new role as a senior-level leader of a transnational enterprise or propel themselves to the C-suite.
  • Working professionals who see potential for growth and promotion in international management positions inside or outside of their current organization.
  • Entrepreneurial-minded professionals who are interested in starting their own business or becoming a strategic consultant in their field of interest.

Curriculum

Core curriculum

With its innovative program format, the EMGM delivers 31 course credits strategically-choreographed to take students through every facet of international business management, with experiential learning opportunities and practical, applicable education in the nuances of global management, business, and improving international organizational culture.

*Students must complete an applied learning experience during the first academic year of their program. To fulfill this requirement, students may choose one of the following: (1) Global Field Seminar, (2) Global Challenge Lab, (3) applied learning-based academic course or (4) Internship registered for academic credit. Each of these options will satisfy the applied learning experience for the program.

There are additional program expenses associated with (1) and (2) as they require travel.

Course Credits
Fall semester
TGM 598 Lifelong Personal Leadership in a Global Economy 3
TGM 506 Communicating and Negotiating Across Cultures 3
TGM 530 Big Data in the Global Economy 3
Spring semester
Elective 1 3
TGM 549 Global Leadership 3
TGM 598 Global Digital Transformation 3
TGM 594 or TGM 596 Global Field Seminar or Global Challenge Lab 3
Summer semester
TGM 505 Navigating Global and Regional Business Environments 3
Elective 2 3
Elective 3 3
TGM 597 Thunderbird Professional Development 1

 

A thunderbird student stands in a cocoa drying center while on a Global Challenge Lab consulting trip overseas

Global challenge lab

This is a client-facing, project-based course built on a one-week immersion assignment in a key emerging market or advanced 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.

2024-2025 Program calendar

Additional details

  • Class weekends: Classes take place on Friday and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
  • Travel days: The dates listed on this calendar are exclusive of travel days to travel to and from the location of classes.
  • Global Field Seminar or Global Challenge Lab:  Location choices are subject to space availability. 

Calendar

Course Dates
Opening residence module August 26-30, 2024
Class weekend September 20-21, 2024
Class weekend October 18-19, 2024
Class weekend November 15-16, 2024
Class weekend December 6-7, 2024
Class weekend January 17-18, 2025
Class weekend  February 7-8, 2025
Class weekend  February 28-March 1, 2025
Global Field Seminar  March 9-15, 2025
Class weekend June 6-7, 2025
Class weekend June 27-28, 2025
Global Challenge Lab Abroad July 28- August 1, 2025

 

Financial aid and costs

Financial Aid

Program Costs

Apply early for priority admission and financial aid consideration.

Fees USD$
Application fee (domestic) $70
Application fee (international) $115
Program deposit $250
Program cost $67,207 (USD)

 

Faculty and campus

Faculty highlights

 

Thunderbird Clinical Associate Professor Denis LeClerc

Denis Leclerc

Clinical Professor of Cross-Cultural Communication and Global Negotiations
Thunderbird Professor Roy Nelson

Roy Nelson

Senior Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs and Associate Professor

Our Campus

We give every student the resources to change the world so we built the most technologically advanced educational headquarters on the planet. Learn a new language in our immersive VR language lab, visualize and interpret data using AI in our global decision theater, and connect with our global community using the latest in immersive and virtual communications.

Application requirements and deadlines

Application requirements

Application deadlines

Apply early for priority admissions and financial aid consideration.

Deadline Dates
Early consideration deadline October 30
First-round November 30
Second-round January 30
Third-round and international student deadline March 30
Final deadline July 30

 

Attend an Information Session

Learn more about EMGM by attending an information session featuring faculty, admissions staff, and alumni.

Connect with our admissions team

Thunderbird staff greet a visitor on the second floor reception area

Schedule a call with a member of our admissions team to learn more about the Executive Master of Global Management and the application process.

Apply to this program

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