Thunderbird School of International Management

Executive Certificate in International Management
- Global Management
- Global Leadership
- Global Strategy Implementation

Executive Certificate in International Marketing
- Global Marketing Strategy
- Global Marketing Management
- Global Brand Management

Established in 1946, Thunderbird was the first school to focus exclusively on international business education, as well as the first to recognize that the emerging global economy — a complex, continually flowing and constantly evolving network of information, goods, cultures and people — would be led by a new breed of global business managers. Fifty-eight years later, Thunderbird is still the best in the business of graduating global leaders. For the ninth consecutive year, Thunderbird was ranked the #1 graduate program in international business by U.S. News & World Report and ranked #1 in global business by The Wall Street Journal’s poll of corporate recruiters.

The International Executive Certificate Tracks from Thunderbird deliver “Truly Global” knowledge and expertise from the top leaders in international business education. Each Executive Certificate is made up of three 8-week global certificate programs, each building on the last in a step-by-step process. These programs are designed to quickly and effectively increase individual and organizational international business skill sets and success.

Accreditation
Thunderbird, The Garvin School of International Management, is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International is the primary accrediting association for American schools of business), the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS is the prestigious international system of strategic audit and accreditation for the assessment of business schools) and by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA is the primary accrediting agency for schools in its region of the United States).

Thunderbird’s International Executive Certificate Tracks deliver “Truly Global” knowledge and expertise from the top leaders in international business education. By focusing on both the “hard” and “soft” skills of proven international leaders, these Executive Certificate Tracks prepare business professionals and their organizations for the extreme demands of today’s global environment.

Each Executive Certificate is made up of three 8-week global certificate programs, each building on the last in a step-by-step process designed to quickly and effectively increase individual and organizational international business skill sets and success. The Executive Certificate Tracks are open to anyone interested in achieving “Truly Global” success.

Alumni
As a Thunderbird graduate, you are part of one of the most valuable business communities in the world.

You are one of more than 35,500 alumni � a highly resourceful and close-knit group of individuals who work in more than 12,000 corporations, governments, NGOs and other enterprises in 141 countries. As a T-bird, you know people in almost every major city and have friends and business contacts nearly everywhere you go.

You and other T-birds around the globe meet and network at chapter events worldwide, during reunions in Glendale, Arizona, and other global locations, and through the Web via your exclusive connection to The My Thunderbird online community. As a T-bird, you also have access to a lifetime of benefits and services, including learning programs, career development, networking events, business research and travel opportunities.

Faculty
Truly Global Experts

The character of a great business school is synonymous with its great thinkers, teachers and writers -- thought leaders who originate new ideas and perspectives and inspire a global following in their fields. Thunderbird's thought leaders are recognized for innovative teaching methods, global best business practices, and groundbreaking research as well as commentary and viewpoints on the global business scene. They are:

Global thought leaders: They come from many different countries around the world, and more than 50 percent have extensive professional experience working and living in the regions of the world that they teach about.
Real-world consultants: They are highly sought after real-world business consultants who help companies worldwide remain competitive in rapidly evolving global markets.
Published authors/writers: They write about the future of global business through a stream of thought-provoking books, articles, guest lectures and more.

Ranking
Since its founding in 1946, Thunderbird has been synonymous with Global Leadership in Business Education.
This leadership is recognized by major publications around the world, which have consistently named Thunderbird as a leader in global business education.
The following is a list of our current rankings

Overall Rankings
- #1 -"International" Full-Time MBA U.S. News & World Report 2007; 11th consecutive year
- #1 -"International Business" for Full-Time MBA Wall Street Journal 2006; 6th consecutive year
- #1 - "Global Business" EMBA BusinessWeek 2005
- #3 - Best Overall GMBA in Latin America for Latin American Managers Expansion 2005
- #7 - "GlobalScope" Full-Time MBA BusinessWeek 2004
- #7 - Best Overall in Latin America LatinTrade 2005

Full-time MBA in International Management
- #1 - "Regional Schools" Wall Street Journal 2006
- #5 - "International Schools" Wall Street Journal 2006
- #31 - "U.S.Schools" Financial Times 2006
- #48 - BusinessWeek 2004
- #54 - "GlobalRanking" Financial Times 2006

Executive MBA in International Management
- #24 - "U.S.Schools" Financial Times 2005
- #46 - "GlobalRanking" Financial Times 2005

Non-Degree Executive Education
- #7 - "Custom Programs" Financial Times 2005
- #12 - "Open Enrollment Programs" Financial Times 2005
- #15 - "Custom Programs" BusinessWeek 2005
- #16 - "Open Enrollment Programs" BusinessWeek 2005

Student Story

Class president of Thunderbird�s first On-Demand (OD) cohort, Rich Schoener, 36, credits his upbringing in Germany for his insatiable global appetite.

Born in Nebraska to an American chief master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force and to a German mother, Schoener was raised in Germany from age 3 to 14. He also found himself drawn back to Germany as an undergraduate exchange student during the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990. �The stark cultural comparisons between East and West were stimulating,� explains Schoener, who completed three internships in the early �90s, working alongside both West and East German populations.
�The first 10 years of my working career took me down a different path,� says Schoener of a primarily U.S.-based sales and marketing career � most recently with Anheuser-Busch Inc. �However, now I am refocusing on my original globalization plan and am leveraging Thunderbird�s knowledge to help achieve that goal.�

Already, he says the plan is working, citing his recent job appointment with global corporation Hilti North America, where he is now the director of market research. Schoener is developing new data mining methods and determining, with his staff, how best to create value from the insight that such data provides.

�Lessons learned in class are applied almost immediately in real-time at Hilti,� says Schoener. He believes his strategy and finance classes have been tremendous assets, providing an understanding of the full scope of decisions made at a management level and how such decisions impact the entire organization. �That�s the beauty of this On Demand program � what is learned can be applied and tested in real-time.�
Schoener says an added benefit of the OD program is exposure to new technology. �As one grows older, it�s easy to lose the edge of keeping on top of new technology and processes,� he explains. �Learning how to effectively leverage new or improved virtual tools that, in the �real world�, can reduce or eliminate the need for e-mail and provide more fluid communication provides significant opportunities long-term.�
Schoener has always focused on making the most of opportunities presented to him. Although he already holds a master of marketing research degree from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, and a B.A. degree in economics and German from the same institution, he felt Thunderbird could provide an additional global edge. And, despite a hectic schedule, he still finds time to share cultural opportunities with others.

A board member of the St. Louis-Stuttgart Sister Cities Organization, Schoener mentors new exchange students and helps integrate foreign exchange students into American culture. �My involvement as a board member evolved after I was selected to join an internship exchange program with Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri,� he explains. Although his current residence in Oklahoma prohibits face-to-face mentoring, Schoener plans on putting his newly honed technology skills to use on a virtual level, organizing cultural events, student exchanges, as well as business trade missions.

When he�s not corresponding online with his Thunderbird classmates and OD professors, Schoener can be found golfing, camping, hiking or traveling. He says he�s lost track of the number of times he�s moved throughout Germany and the United States or the places he has visited. But he�s definitely looking forward to adding Asia to his list of continents visited when the OD class heads to Beijing in January.