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A New Curriculum
Program Spotlight
Four key changes better position Thunderbird to prepare future-ready leaders
Equipping a new generation to be leaders for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) requires innovation in how we think about – and how we execute on – higher education. Part of the Thunderbird 4.0 vision is a new curriculum designed to provide the transdisciplinary, hands-on, cross-cultural education and experience that 4IR leaders require. Thunderbird has already made significant progress toward that vision, revamping the curriculum in four key areas (in addition to two completely new degree programs).
Thunderbird’s undergraduate program, located at ASU’s West campus in Glendale, which began in 2015 when Thunderbird became part of ASU, has revamped its curriculum during Dean Khagram’s tenure. Among other inno
5+ 0+ Years of Experience
10+
EMGLAS + EMGM
EMAGAM Washington, DC
EMGM-CE Los Angeles, CA
Leaders (100 students)
Managers (100 students)
MGM (Local) Two Cohorts: 0-2 & 3-8 Professionals (500 students)
BS/BA + MGM 4+1 for senior ASU students
International Trade Global Management Underbirds (1000 students)
vations, both undergraduate degree programs that Thunderbird offers, the Bachelor of Global Management (BGM) and the Bachelor of Science in International Trade (BSIT), now require students to complete a hands-on consulting project for a global company or an international firm as part of their final capstone course. At the end of the project, student teams present their recommendations directly to corporate executives. Roy Nelson, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs, said, “this Capstone project requires students to draw upon everything they’ve learned from Thunderbird courses and apply that knowledge in a real-world, practical setting. Our undergraduate students graduate from our program with useful skills - and this required consulting project is definitely something that they can put on their resumes.” Students have already done consulting projects for companies such as Honeywell, Axxon, and a non-profit organization, Food for the Hungry.
Another key aspect of the Thunderbird 4.0 curriculum revamp is the introduction of two new degrees: The Executive Master of Global Leadership and Strategy and the Executive Master of Arts in Global Affairs and Management (read about them on page 44). These changes to our curriculum are designed to better prepare future leaders for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It is our mission to ensure all students leave Thunderbird with the knowledge and compassion to thrive as professionals in this era of change. T-birds will understand that the future health and prosperity of our global society relies on finding ways for everyone to benefit from the massive changes unfolding now and from those that lie ahead – and T-birds will be well-equipped to find and implement
those solutions. Thunderbird is where they learn to soar towards inclusive and sustainable prosperity.
16 TRANSDISCIPLINARY CONCENTRATIONS Leaders need skills and experience finding solutions across disciplines
The opportunities and challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution are too complex to be solved by one specialized discipline. That’s why we’ve introduced 16 academic concentrations to complement our degree programs, allowing students to build core competencies in global management alongside knowledge and practical skills in other disciplines.
“In today’s world, it’s no longer sufficient for leaders and managers to understand only the fundamentals of their own business. It’s essential that they know how to work across disciplines,” explained Lena Booth, Associate Dean of Graduate Programs at Thunderbird. Twelve of the sixteen concentrations are delivered in collaboration with other schools at Arizona State University. Among them are Nonprofit Leadership and Management (with the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions), Sustainability Solutions (with the School of Sustainability), Integrated Healthcare (with the College of Health Solutions) and Legal Studies (with the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law).
Roy Nelson and Lena Booth
SECOND LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENT Communicating in another language is more than a technical skill
Historically, experience with and proficiency in languages and cultures was a hallmark of a Thunderbird degree. In fact, Thunderbird was the first graduate school to include proficiency in a second language as a core part of its curriculum. So, in a move to reclaim one of the most valuable features of Thunderbird’s past, the language requirement has been reinstated.
The importance of multi-language proficiency extends far beyond the ability to communicate with others. As Director General and Dean Sanjeev Khagram explained, “For leaders working across cultures, languages are not just a technical skill but a way of thinking about the world – of seeing it through different perspectives. Proficiency requires access to a different part of the brain, the home of empathy and emotional intelligence. A Thunderbird education provides these key soft skills to complement the specializations our graduates develop.”
NEW APPLIED LEARNING MODEL: GLOBAL CHALLENGE LAB (GCL) Demonstrated expertise in realworld scenarios is a prerequisite for modern leadership
Applied learning has always been core to Thunderbird’s programs. The Thunderbird Emerging Market Lab and the Global Consulting Lab have long provided students with a variety of options for applying classroom learning to real-world situations in the field. Combining the best of those programs into a new innovative platform, the Global Challenge Lab (GCL), enables students to tackle enterprise-related challenges with direct faculty guidance. All full-time students will complete an immersive, client-facing project with tangible outputs. Projects are tailored to the business needs of the client, in one of four areas: Global Business, Global Affairs, Global Entrepreneurship, and Global Digital Transformation.
“Building on leading-edge course instruction, students put their learning to the test through high-stakes, relevant projects with active clients on location around the world,” explained Tom Hunsaker, Associate Dean of Innovation at Thunderbird. “The result is demonstrated expertise and savvy in highly dynamic settings.”
ACCELERATED 4+1 MASTER OF GLOBAL MANAGEMENT Cross-cultural skills are essential for leaders and managers in every field and sector
Thunderbird once again offers undergraduate degrees, and now also offers students in other undergraduate programs at ASU the unique opportunity to pair their degree with a Master of Global Management. Students will be able to broaden their global mindset, global skill set, and global marketability in just one additional year of study.
“By building on their undergraduate studies with an MGM, students will fuse deep knowledge in a particular discipline with the management and leadership skills needed to drive innovative solutions in the modern era,” said Professor Booth.
T BIRDS ARE SOLVING THE CHALLENGES OF THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
Planetary Challenges and Opportunities Workplace Challenges and Opportunities Globalism’s Challenges and Opportunities
Halla Tomasdottir ’95 CEO, The B Team New York, NY
Will Keller ’13 CFO, Chemonics International Washington, DC
Vincent Kimura ’10 Founder & CEO, Smart Yields Hawaii
Gustavo Diniz Junqueira ’97 Secretary of Agriculture & Food Supply, Government of São Paulo Brazil Phyllis Awurabena Adu ’13 Treasury Manager, Opportunity International Ghana
Thunderbird alumni all over the world are working hard to overcome the challenges and realize the opportunities associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This is a highlight of eight such alumni. For more information on each of these, and 30+ other T-birds, visit thunderbird.asu.edu/4IR-Tbirds
Number of T-birds per Country
1 24,212
Anna Maria Aune-Moore ’97 Reintegration & VARP Coordinator, IOM – UN Migration Norway
Kian He Seah ’02 Founder & Managing Director, Heng Hiap Industries Malaysia
Lilian Mramba ’10 Regional Director, Grassroots Business Fund Kenya
Ghazi Binzagr ’88 Founder, Owner and Chairman Wisaal Development Center Saudi Arabia
Charu Modi ’96 Founder & CEO Modi Enterprises India
