Senior academics and administrators from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), the University of Southern California (USC) and Bocconi University gathered in Milan, Italy, to celebrate the official launch of the World Bachelor in Business (WBB) program, an innovative undergraduate program in which students will live and study on three continents and earn degrees from three universities.
The WBB program, to be jointly offered by the three universities starting from the fall of 2013, represents a unique approach to undergraduate education that will prepare future leaders to meet the demands of the increasingly connected world. In celebration of the program's official launch, a conference on "Globalized Education for a Globalized World" was held in Milan on 12 October.
At the conference, the senior delegates from HKUST, USC and Bocconi University engaged in intensive discussions and exchanges on the future of global business education. They included Dr Eden Y Woon, Vice-President for Institutional Advancement at HKUST, Prof Elizabeth Garrett, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at USC, and Prof Andrea Sironi, Rector of Bocconi University. The conference also featured a keynote speech by Prof Andrea Beltratti, Chairman of the Management Board at Intesa Sanpaolo, which is a leading banking group in Italy. The HKUST delegates also include School Dean Prof Leonard Cheng and WBB Program Director Prof Angela Ng from the School of Business and Management.
Dr Woon said, "HKUST is very excited about this program, which can provide a true global experience to the participating students. We are honored to be a party to this program, and our international character and our China connections will be extremely valuable to the students and other partners of this degree program."
The innovative WBB program requires students to live and study at Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Milan during four years of study, allowing them to gain a truly global understanding of the business world. It features rigorous classroom instruction, cultural immersion and real-world experiences.
Students will begin their WBB education in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. Year two takes students to Asia for a year of study at HKUST Business School. For the third year, WBB students will move from the Pacific Rim to the heart of Europe to study at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy. In the fourth year, students will select from any of the three partner universities to complete their studies.
The three-continent learning experience cultivates students' understanding of the business practices, economies, cultures and societies of the different regions, and equips them with the global language of business. The program integrates curricular and co-curricular learning, giving students a direct exposure to different academic, cultural and professional environments. It also offers business and legal courses with regional emphases to help students acquire an in-depth understanding of the nuances of doing business in different global environments. The WBB's curriculum will provide a solid basis in business and economics while focusing on the distinctive strengths of each university.
All classroom instruction will be in English. While English will serve as the common language of the program, students will have the opportunity to learn Italian, another European language and Chinese. The curriculum and structure of the program leverage the diverse and important assets of the three university's dynamic locations.
The application process for selecting the first 45 students is now open, and the selection will be conducted by a committee composed of representatives from each of the partner universities. For more information, please visit: http://wbb.ust.hk
For media enquiries, please feel free to contact :
Mavis Wong
Tel: 2358 6306
Email: maviswong@ust.hk
