Overview

As the world's most global and digital leadership, management, and business school, Thunderbird prepares global leaders who help organizations manage and stay ahead of the disruption and changes that characterize this era of rapid technological transformation. This full-time master prepares graduates with the skills necessary to lead diverse, cross-cultural teams in the private, public, not-for-profit sectors, start-ups, or social enterprises.

Thunderbird's Master of Global Management is ranked No. 1 in the world for international trade by the QS International Trade Rankings (2023, 2024), scoring 100/100 points and ranking ahead of Harvard, Penn (Wharton) and IMD. It is unlike any other program in that it harnesses the immense potential of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to provide our graduates with the skills organizations demand in order to manage the digital transformation and constant disruption that characterizes this time of constant technological innovation.

The Master of Global Management is the most innovative leadership and entrepreneurship degree for professionals seeking a career in the most exciting global organizations who are disrupting business as usual and redefining or creating entirely new industries. The program builds on a strong foundation of traditional business administration courses and adds Industry 4.0 skills such as digital transformation, sustainability/ESG, diversity and inclusion, entrepreneurship, and innovation. 

In addition, the MGM offers over 16 transdisciplinary concentrations ranging from global affairs and public administration, to data science and healthcare delivery. Our graduates emerge from the program prepared to work across borders, cultures, industries, and sectors anywhere in the world.

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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?

  • Leaders whose organizations operate in a global context, or who want to work for a global organization.
  • Leaders who want to drive growth and proactively respond to social, political, regulatory, and natural forces that impact their business.
  • Functional managers in HR, finance, marketing, supply chain, and operations who want to be more involved in their global business strategy.
  • Professionals from the public and nonprofit sectors who want greater knowledge of global business.

Curriculum

Core curriculum

The MGM’s one-of-a-kind cutting edge curriculum includes 18 credit hours of core courses, including; 6 credits from our overseas applied consulting lab, 24 elective credits for concentrations and languages, and one credit from career development.

 

*Spring incoming students on an accelerated pathway must complete an applied learning experience during the first summer of their MGM program. To fulfill this summer requirement, students may choose one of the following: (1) Global Challenge Lab, (2) applied learning-based academic course or (3) Internship registered for academic credit. Each of these options will satisfy the minimum required summer credit hours for the program.

Course Credits
TGM 506 Communicating and Negotiating Across Cultures 3
TGM 557 Global Marketing and  Data Analytics 3
TGM 545 Global Leadership and Strategy 3
TGM 515 Navigating Global and Regional Business Environments 3
TGM 517 Global Accounting and Financial Management 3
TGM 586 Global Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Business 3
TGM 597 Thunderbird Personal Leadership Development 1
TGM 596 Thunderbird Experiential Practicum (Global Challenge Lab) 6

 

The STEM advantage

Master of Global Management concentrations that are STEM-certified meet special F-1 international student status requirements. This means that international students who graduate with an MGM with one of these concentrations qualify for a 24-month extension to their Optional Practical Training in the United States beyond the 12 months already provided to international students in non-STEM degrees.

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

Applied learning

The Thunderbird Global Challenge Lab (GCL) program is a capstone course at Thunderbird that engages a team of four to five Master of Global Management (MGM) candidates with a client in an advanced or emerging market. The team spends three weeks working on each project onsite with their client and one final week of debriefing on campus. Projects are tailored to the business needs of the client and provide sophisticated data and market analysis, strategy recommendations, and practical, effective plans for sustained growth. The Lab offers projects which are truly win-win propositions, creating value for companies and providing a unique, professional learning experience for our students.

Information Sessions

Apply to this program

Connect with our admissions team

Schedule a call with a member of the Thunderbird admissions team to answer your questions or schedule a tour of our new state-of-the-art global headquarters. 

Thunderbird student ambassador welcomes prospective student

Financial aid and scholarships

Over 96% of our MGM students receive financial assistance

Program costs

Over 96% of our MGM students receive financial assistance, with average scholarships totaling $21k

Fees USD$
Application Fee (Domestic) $70
Application Fee (International) $115
Program Deposit $250
Program Cost (2 Years) $70,000

 

Requirements and deadlines

Application requirements

Application deadlines

Apply as soon as possible for priority admissions and financial aid consideration.

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

 

Faculty and campus

Faculty highlights

Lena Booth

Deputy Dean, Thunderbird Academic Enterprise and Finance Professor
Thunderbird Associate Dean, Faculty and Administration Mary Teagarden

Mary Teagarden

Deputy Dean, Thunderbird Knowledge Enterprise and Professor of Global Strategy
Thunderbird Clinical Associate Professor Denis LeClerc

Denis Leclerc

Clinical Professor of Cross-Cultural Communication and Global Negotiations

Mansour Javidan

Najafi Chair Professor in Global Mindset and Digital Transformation and Executive Director of Najafi Global Mindset Institute

Our campus

We wanted to 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.

Virtual Tour

Two Thunderbird School of Global Management students smiling while looking at a laptop together.

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Class profile

Average age:

25 years

Average experience:

3 years

Women:

50.5%

Non-native U.S.:

65.1%

Countries represented:

49

Top concentrations:

Global Business
Choose Your Own
Global Development
Creative Industries
Global Affairs

Undergraduate degrees:
  • Accounting
  • Business Administration
  • English
  • Economics
  • Political Science
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • International Business Management
  • Finance
  • Computer Science
  • Law
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Communications
  • Biotechnology
  • Others
Undergraduate institutions:
  • Arizona State University
  • Cairo University
  • PSB Paris School of Business
  • University of Lagos
  • United States Military Academy
  • Louisiana State University
  • University of Mumbai
  • Osaka University
  • Al Yamamah University
  • University of Delhi
  • Tulane University
  • University of Georgia
  • Georgetown University
  • Others
Languages spoken
  • English
  • Mandarin
  • Spanish
  • Arabic
  • Portugese
  • French
  • German
  • Hindi
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Russian
  • Others
FAQ's

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