German Consul Ralf Horlemann told UConn Today the EUROBIZ program will respond to a dire need in today’s global marketplace. (File/The Daily Campus)
The University of Connecticut School of Business and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences hope to give students an advantage when applying for jobs with international companies through its new dual-degree German immersion program.
The program, called EUROBIZ, is launching this fall and includes internships with German companies, a semester at a German university, German language fluency and extensive cultural exposure, according to UConn Today.
“UConn’s EUROBIZ program is designed to prepare you for a career in the global marketplace by offering you the opportunity to experience firsthand the practice of business and management in another industrialized country, Germany,” the EUROBIZ website says. “The program prepares you to work with any of the thousands of companies that have gone global and need business experts that can work in a variety of cultural settings.”
EUROBIZ is open to all School of Business students and does not require any previous knowledge of German, according to the website. Students in the program will study at a German university for one semester and will complete a three- to six-month internship in Germany.
The program links the German Studies major with majors in the School of Business, according to the website.
“Through classes and program-specific events, the program introduces you to German-speaking business faculty and German business professionals from the very beginning,” the website reads.
Students begin the program by taking German 1131 and 1132 their freshman year, the website says. In their second year, they continue studying German with a focus on learning about different cultural differences, office contexts, politics and business communication.
“As juniors and seniors, EUROBIZ students take all upper-level classes necessary to earn both degrees,” the website says. “Many of our students take some of these classes before or after their internship in Germany at one of our German partner universities, especially the University of Mannheim which is home to the number one business program in Germany.”
The program will also include special guest speakers, networking events and visits to German companies, according to UConn Today.
School of Business Associate Dean Bob Day told UConn Today EUROBIZ will give students an advantage when they seek jobs with German companies that have locations in Connecticut.
“Connecticut is a second home to more than 100 influential German-headquartered companies, such as Henkel, Boehringer Ingelheim and Trumpf,” Day said. “There is a high demand for employees and managers who understand and appreciate the intricacies of working for a global German company.”
German Consul Ralf Horlemann told UConn Today the EUROBIZ program will respond to a dire need in today’s global marketplace.
“We need internationally and interculturally competent graduates, fluent not just in more than one language, but also in different business contexts,” Horlemann said. “EUROBIZ will enable graduates with work expertise in their special fields not in one, but in two countries, to apply these transferable skills across the world.”
Gabriella DeBenedictis is a staff writer for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at gabriella.debenedictis@uconn.edu.
