What is an MGM?

This specialized global program is in the academic category of master’s in international management degrees and features several STEM-designated concentrations among the 17-plus options for focus areas. Thunderbird’s MGM is a customizable hybrid program that sets itself apart by providing a foundation in international business combined with cross-cultural leadership, technology management, and innovation, along with a specialization in the expertise area of the student’s choice, such as sustainable development, data science, or public administration.

In addition to building business acumen on a global scale, students master management strategies and practices for leveraging the technology-driven shifts shaping today’s global enterprises while developing the soft skills to maximize the talents of teams comprised of people from multiple disciplines who are based in different parts of the world. 

By studying innovative transnational organizations across all industries in business as well as the public and nonprofit sectors with an emphasis on leading across borders, graduates holding the Thunderbird Master of Global Management are empowered to craft their business and leadership skill sets with the expertise needed to succeed anywhere on the planet.

The Master of Global Management is in the same class of programs as a Master of International Business (MIB or M.I.B.), a master's degree designed to develop the capabilities and resources of managers in the global economy. Business and management schools design this type of program for those seeking to establish or accelerate a career in international business or a leadership role in the public or nonprofit sector within an international organization.

The origins of this type of program go back to the founding in 1946 of the American Institute of Foreign Trade in Glendale, Arizona, known today as Thunderbird School of Global Management, which is now based in Phoenix with satellite hubs around the world. Thunderbird's flagship master’s program was referred to as a Master of International Management until 2000 when it adopted the Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Global Management denomination, which then evolved into today’s Master of Global Management. Since its inception, the structure of Thunderbird’s program combined international business, international political economy, public policy, and study of languages and world cultures. Other similar programs are now offered by many business schools around the globe under a variety of denominations.

Emphasizing the practical application of specialized knowledge, Thunderbird’s program equips managers and executives with skills tailored to the international business environment. It focuses on strategic planning for international operations and provides an in-depth understanding of the organizational capabilities required for international operations, including specialized functions such as international marketing, finance, and human resource management. Master of International Business degrees like Thunderbird’s MGM also include classes that address topics such as imports and exports and intercultural communication. The MGM is distinguished from other graduate business degrees by a particular focus on multinational corporations combined with elements of a master’s degree in public policy and international affairs.

Thunderbird’s Global Challenge Lab is an applied learning project that engages students with organizations around the world to deliver data-driven solutions to growth and impact-related challenges, with a special focus on emerging markets. 

This hands-on experience in unfamiliar environments compliments Thunderbird’s world-class faculty and innovative curriculum to ensure that graduates will excel immediately in global leadership roles.

In Thunderbird’s transformative two-year program, students learn and hone hard skills such as a programming language or business data analytics while cultivating cross-cultural and interdisciplinary leadership capabilities that make them more valuable to companies that operate worldwide with workforces and stakeholders spanning every region of the globe.

Earning the MGM also takes students outside the classroom to work with organizations around the world in hubs of global commerce and influence such as Tokyo, Moscow, and Washington, D.C., or in the emerging markets of the student’s choice where they collaborate on solving real-world business, management, and leadership problems in a signature Thunderbird Global Challenge Lab.

As T-birds, students gain access to a truly global alumni network and a robust suite of dedicated career services that includes meetings with recruiters, workshops tailored to their needs and ambitions, as well as one-on-one coaching for a job hunt that could take them wherever they want to go. The Thunderbird Master of Global Management elevates and expands a graduate’s international appeal with the business experience and multi-disciplinary skill set needed to thrive in a globe-spanning variety of industries.

The Master of Global Management is an exciting field of study that equips graduates to enhance and globalize their careers in a variety of areas. Advanced business, leadership, and management courses offered through this program adopt a global perspective in approach and are accompanied by studies specific to the governments and economics of other countries. Students learn how to operate in unfamiliar environments and adapt to multicultural situations. Foreign language skills are a mandatory part of Thunderbird’s MGM curriculum. The School facilitates study abroad to provide hands-on experience and increase appreciation and sensitivity for other societies.

Benefits of this global pursuit include the development of cultural awareness that broadens a student’s professional and personal life. An understanding of different traditions and practices can lead to career advancement through the development of adaptability and the adoption of new ideas.

Thunderbird’s Master of Global Management equips graduates for leadership in environments where global issues are critical in the decision-making process. Career opportunities are plentiful and diverse. Companies with a worldwide scale of operations are in need of professionals who can adapt to a variety of venues and initiate company practices that encompass the requirements of many cultures. Whether a business has offices in other countries or only market their products abroad, international managers are sought for the specialized knowledge and skills they have acquired. Current managers in nearly every existing field can realize new prospects for foreign travel through an appointment in another country.

A master’s in global management from Thunderbird opens the door to career advancement on a worldwide scale.