MBA's with an international focus?

[alex.gellatly]

OK a little about myself: 27, white-American, 3.4GPA, Major: Economics, Minor: Business Administration, will take GMAT soon (scoring between 680-740 on practice exams)

Since graduation in 2007 I have been living and working in Taiwan. I have been studying Chinese and teaching English. I recently passed level 3 (out of 5) of a Chinese proficiency exam (TOCFL). I plan to take level 4 next May. I have been working at the same school for almost 5 years and have revived pay increases every year. I have also been promoted and now am in charge of training for all new foreign teachers in the district (a pretty large district).

OK enough about my profile, my question is simply: What MBA programs are suitable for me? I want to apply to some schools which have an international and/or trade/econ focus. Obviously I will want to use my international/language experience.

Thus far I have researched into these schools:
USC (Program has PRIME which requires its students to travel overseas)
UCSD (Not an MBA but a degree in International Relations with a focus on the Pacific region)
Tufts University (Not an MBA but a degree in International Business)
BU (An MBA with international opportunities)
Hult (Rotating campus internationally. Only 1 year program)

These are all I have come up with and I would like to fine tune my search before I take the GMAT. Are there any suggestions out there?

Thanks

[machichi]

All schools will have some kind of international focus. Wharton is super well known for its Wharton/Lauder program, Duke has a known international focus. The question is what geographic area? Schools in Europe will help you get your foot in the door in Europe, and schools in Asia will help you in the Asian markets. There are of course schools like INSEAD, LBS or IE, which have pretty good US representation if that's important to you.

As far as other American schools, Georgetown and Thunderbird come to mind.

[Marc@AcceptU]

I'd second Thunderbird - I'd argue it has the best international business program in the US. A lot does depend on where you'd like to end up post graduation. If it's in the US, you should concentrate your search here. If outside the US, you might consider further those programs overseas that have regional strengths.

[alex.gellatly]

Thank you for feedback. Yes, I should have been more clear about my goals. Post graduation I would like to live/work in America, although a temporary position overseas is acceptable. I would like to get my MBA from an American university. Because I have been studying Chinese I would like to focus on Asia, not Europe. Also, I studied and am interested in Economics, so I would like to focus on International Econ/Finance as well. I am from Washington State (Not DC), so I'd probably like to stick with the west (especially since in's closer to Asia), but the east is not out of the question as there are many more universities to choose from.

[Jon@Admissionado]

Well, if you really are interested in working abroad, the quickest and best way to do that is to study abroad, in European or Asian programs. I mean, you study Chinese, so if you can get into HKUST or CEIBS, then you are set. (plus you'll learn a whole lot of Chinese along the way).

Actually most US programs have a very similar profile when it comes to internationalism. About 20-40% international students coming in, and then about 20% of people working out of N. America. Programs in Europe and Asia tend to see international student rates of anywhere from 60-95% and mobility rates from 40-80%. So, you may want to reconsider, as since you are American it's always super-easy for you to come back home, and the advantage of establishing yourself abroad can be great.