Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management hosts one of the university’s 28 programs where courses are offered in English. It’s the Tsinghua-MIT Global Masters of Business Administration (MBA) Program. The program offers what it calls four core modules to its students – Analytical Foundation, Management Fundamentals, Soft-Skills and China and the World. Students are also free to choose amongst 9 tracks of elective courses or an exchange semester abroad in one of the 58 exchange partner schools in 26 different countries. Students can also apply to spend their second year at one of dual degree program partner schools including MIT Sloan School of Management, Columbia University and HEC Paris.

When asked about their program, three students interviewed for this profile were unanimous: the element that they like best about the program is its diversity, with MBA candidates not just from other countries but from many previous employment backgrounds and cultures.

“At Harvard (in the United States), they like to say how diverse they are, but really people mostly came from the same background, just from different countries, they probably did the same things growing up, excelling in the same things,” said Tian Zeng, a first-year Chinese MBA student who is a Harvard alumnus in comparative literature. “But here, people not only come from different countries, they also had different careers and did things I wasn’t familiar with, so it’s a very interesting mix of people.”

Tian worked for a Hollywood talent agency and in the movie industry before deciding to come back to China. The film industry is in a transition, he says, so he decided to take a break, giving him a chance to get a new degree.

Tian Zeng’s overall impression of the program is that the students in the program have different skills, so sometimes it is challenging for the professors to teach in ways that interest the entire class.

German student Moritz Bartsch is also a first-year, having just started the program in the Fall of 2018. He is very enthusiastic about China and the Chinese culture. Moritz decided to pursue an MBA to develop his soft skills in communicating with people better. After receiving a science degree at Oxford University and working in software development in London, he admitted that he lacked those people skills.

“Having this international class of half Chinese and half International students challenges you in a non – class situation, as well to develop some intercultural skills that I wouldn’t have developed in Europe or America,” said Moritz.

Born to a Syrian father and a Hungarian mother, Olga Kasabdji from Venezuela is definitely one of the program’s more culturally diverse students. Having worked in the event planning industry and also in the product design sector, she wanted to further develop her business skills.

Recently married, she and her husband were interested in experiencing China AND Chinese culture. They both decided to go back to school and, fortunately, they both got accepted in Tsinghua Masters programs, her in the Global MBA program and him in the International Master in Engineering Management (IMEM). “We both got in, same year and both (programs) last two years, so perfect,” she said.

The MBA program has a class committee that tries to bring people from different backgrounds and ethnicities together. They even have a “weekly blind date” system which randomly pairs a Chinese student and an international student to allow them to bond outside of their usual groups and discover each other’s culture.

All three students interviewed say the program brings a new perspective to them and helps to shape their minds in a more business-oriented direction. The career development opportunities offered to these MBA candidates at a top international university such as Tsinghua are a big draw. But upon arrival, the students discover so much more about global education.

清华大学经济管理学院开设的清华-MIT全球工商管理硕士（Tsinghua-MIT Global MBA）项目是清华目前在办的28个全英文授课研究生学位项目之一。该项目提供四个核心课程模块，分别是软技能模块、分析基础模块、管理基础模块以及中国与世界模块。学生可以选择9个方向的众多选修课程，或赴26个不同国家的58所合作学校之一，完成一学期的交换，或申请第二学年攻读双学位，目前双学位的合作院校包括美国麻省理工学院斯隆管理学院、哥伦比亚大学和法国巴黎高等商学院。

我们采访了三名该项目在读学生。当被问及对项目的看法时，他们的观点高度一致，都认为多元化体验是最吸引人的特色。项目的入选者不仅来自不同国家，同时还具有多样的职业和文化背景。

“哈佛大学一直宣称自己的学生群体有多么的多元化，但实际上大多数人都有着类似的成长经历，区别仅仅在于此经历是在不同国家发生。他们的成长经历相仿，甚至连优点都很相似。” 来自中国的2018级学生曾天这样说道。他本科在哈佛大学主修比较文学。“但在这里，同学们不仅来自不同的国家，更有着截然不同的职业经历，很多人从事过我完全不熟悉的事情。这是由一群有趣的人组成的多元化集体。”

在决定回到中国之前，曾天在美国一家好莱坞经纪公司工作。现在美国电影业正处于转型期，所以他决定给自己一个职业休整期，并利用这段时间来清华攻读硕士学位。对于在清华的学习体验，曾天指出项目同学的不同专业背景会让教授面临众口难调的挑战。

德国学生Moritz Bartsch在2018年秋季入读该项目，之前他毕业于牛津大学，在英国伦敦从事软件开发工作。他非常热衷于了解中国以及学习中国文化。Moritz入读全球MBA项目的主要目的是为了提高自己的人际沟通能力。在之前的工作经历中他意识到自己比较欠缺这方面技能。

Moritz说：“项目中中国学生和国际学生各占一半。这为国际学生课下锻炼跨文化适应能力提供了一个具有挑战性的环境。这是我在欧洲或美国求学所无法获得的。”Moritz同时表示在适应北京的新生活方面中国同学为他提供了很大帮助。

出生成长在委内瑞拉的Olga Kasabdji绝对是项目中最能体现多元文化特色的一名学生。她的父亲来自叙利亚，母亲来自匈牙利。她曾从事大型活动策划及产品设计相关工作，希望在项目中进一步拓展自己的商业技能。Olga最近刚刚结婚，她和丈夫都对中国和中国文化非常感兴趣。婚后他们决定一起回到学校继续深造，并且他们幸运地被清华大学同时录取，分别就读于全球MBA和国际工程管理硕士（IMEM）项目。她说：“我们俩同年被录取，并且就读的项目学制都是两年，这简直太完美了。”

清华-MIT全球MBA项目有一个班委会， 将来自不同背景和国家的学生凝聚在一起。他们甚至建立了一个伙伴机制，每周随机将一名中国学生和一名国际学生结成伙伴，让他们能够与自己日常朋友圈以外的同学建立联系并深入了解彼此的文化。

接受采访的三名学生均表示他们从此项目中受益良多。此项目不仅为他们打开了崭新的视角，同时也帮助他们在更加商业化的导向下塑造新的思维模式。并且，在清华这样一所国际知名高校的学习经历能够为项目学生带来丰富的职业发展机会，这也是此项目能够吸引众多优秀学生的原因之一。加入该项目也让学生加深了对全球教育的理解。

供稿：【新闻与传播学院】清华大学国际教育传播实践教学探索教改项目组

编辑：【研究生院】吕敏知 刘丽霞 孙傅 李文

【经济管理学院】荀多多

【社会科学学院】王俊良

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