The International Business Program at the University of Missouri–St. Louis is ranked among the top 20 best undergraduate international business programs for the eighth consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report.
The program is ranked 20 in the magazine’s 2011 “America’s Best Colleges” guidebook, to be released Aug. 31.
Joseph Rottman, associate professor of information systems at UMSL and newly appointed director of the International Business Institute, said the ranking is continued proof of the program’s excellence.
“When (Dean) Keith (Womer) asked me to join the leadership team for the International Business Institute, I was honored and excited to be part of a program with such a fantastic reputation,” Rottman said. “This recent U.S. News & World Report ranking continues that legacy and recognizes the excellence of UMSL’s International Business programs.”
Rottman said he will continue to build on the great foundation already established by former directors Allan Bird and Steve Burrows. Burrows is now the IBI’s director of board development and business outreach.
“I look forward to improving this program and maintaining its position of excellence and leadership in international business for the region. With Steve’s continued leadership in executive outreach, this program will continue to excel.”
He added that the ranking further “reflects the commitment by the university administration, the College of Business Administration, our outstanding faculty and local business partners to provide a top notch international education and experience for our students.”
Rottman, a research fellow in both the Center for International Studies and the International Business Institute, as well as a recent research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, is an expert on offshore outsourcing, global sourcing, innovation diffusion and public sector information technology.
UMSL’s International Business Program began in 1999 as a collaboration between the College of Business Administration and Pierre Laclede Honors College at UMSL.
The International Business Institute was formed in 2000, with the goal of continuing to strengthen the international undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
Keith Womer, dean of the College of Business Administration, said the program has grown by leaps and bounds, with dedicated individuals focused on making it the best.
“We are extremely proud of the International Business Program and the many fine faculty, industry leaders and students who make it all that it is,” Womer said. “We continue to expand the program and add to the international experiences of our students.”
UMSL’s international programs include:
• More than 70 study-abroad programs available in more than 40 countries. In addition, the program has a large contingent of students from China, Japan, Europe, Latin America and India.
• Annual study tours that lead student groups to locales around the world.
• American students have interned at the overseas offices of companies such as Japan Airlines, Emerson Electric and General Motors. Foreign students have interned in the St. Louis area at companies such as Emerson Electric, Silgan Plastics, Novus International and Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
Building on the long-running success of the undergraduate program, the college launched the International Master’s of Business Administration program in 2005. The International MBA program created partnerships with international universities in China, Japan, India, France, Mexico and Austria. Students enrolled in the two-year graduate program spend the first year studying abroad, followed by a summer internship and before returning to UMSL for a year.
More information:
http://ib.umsl.edu/
http://www.umsl.edu/divisions/business/
