Frequently Asked Questions

What is an international executive certificate?

The international executive certificates from Thunderbird deliver the knowledge and expertise from the top leaders in international business education. These programs focus on both the "hard" and "soft" skills proven international leaders use in order to prepare business professionals and their organizations for the extreme demands of today's global business environment.

Like a college degree course, these comprehensive professional development courses use a step-by-step approach. Each eight-week course builds on the last, and students are taken through the most critical subject areas in international business today.

What is the Doing Business in Emerging Markets Series?

Thunderbird’s Doing Business in Emerging Markets Series is a unique and powerful educational experience for professionals who want to gain the mindset and global skills to conduct business in the world’s most rapidly growing markets. This series consists of five courses:

Doing Business in China
Doing Business in India
Doing Business in Russia
Doing Business in Latin America
Multicultural Negotiations

Taken independently or as a series, these certificate courses provide critical case studies and self-evaluation tools that help students discover their own cultural preferences and develop the key social, economic and political knowledge to succeed in these emerging markets.

How much does each program cost?

Click here for tuition and discount information.

When does your next session begin?

Sessions start on the first of every month and last 8 weeks.

How does earning a course certificate work?

Once you complete the course – its lectures, assignments and tests – you will be awarded a course certificate and CEUs (Continuing Education Units) from Thunderbird School of Global Management.

What is Online Faculty Support? What type of interaction can I expect from this program?

Online Faculty Support offers extended interaction with program faculty and classmates ensuring an engaging and rewarding educational experience. In fact, many students will find that they are actually learning, participating – and enjoying themselves – more in this online program than they ever did in a traditional classroom!

The Online Faculty Support format is also an excellent way to meet, collaborate and network with professionals from around the world.

Is there a time limit that I must complete a course within?

Yes. You have eight weeks to complete each individual certificate course in a program.

What kind of materials will I receive?

You will receive a set of video CD-ROMs and a study guide to complement the lecture materials. The video CDs are provided to ensure that you will be able to see the video lectures regardless of your Internet connection speed. If you have a broadband connection, please try the streaming video option first. If your connection speed is under 56K, or if you wish to view the videos offline, you may use the CD option.

Will I have assignments or exams?

At the end of each section of the course, there will be a module evaluation with a set of questions you must answer online before receiving your certificate. Move at your own pace, and review the lectures and study guide materials as many times as you want — the materials are yours, so take your time!

Who is Thunderbird School of Global Management?

Thunderbird School of Global Management is the world's leading source of international management education and a pioneer in this field. Founded in 1946, Thunderbird consistently ranks among the best in global business education and remains among the top business schools worldwide. Thunderbird has been ranked the #1 Graduate Program in International Business by U.S. News & World Report for more than a decade, #1 in International Business by The Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive 2007 Survey of Corporate Recruiters and #1 in International Business by Financial Times.

Is Thunderbird accredited?

Recognized worldwide, Thunderbird is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the European Quality Improvement System and by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

AACSB International is the primary accrediting association for American schools of business.
NCA is the primary accrediting agency for schools in its region of the United States.

Will I actually learn from the same faculty who teach at Thunderbird?

Online streaming video lectures bring your PC to life and the classroom to you, offering an educational experience that no other Internet program can match! You will watch and learn from the same global leaders who teach at Thunderbird as they deliver lectures and course material online — when and where it's convenient for you!

When do I have to register for the program?

You can register anytime and begin the program on the first of the month. You then have eight weeks to finish each program.

Is there any credit given for earning an executive certificate?

Students who successfully complete all three courses in an executive certificate program will earn 4.5 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and receive a total of four certificates – three course certificates and an executive certificate – from Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Is there any credit given for completing the Doing Business in China program?

Students who complete the Doing Business in China certificate program will earn 1 Continuing Education Unit (CEU) and receive a certificate from Thunderbird School of Global Management. In addition, the American Council on Education (ACE) has recommended the Doing Business in China course as material suitable for 3 semester hours of undergraduate credit in International Business or International Management.

Which courses are recommended for college credit with ACE?

The American Council on Education (ACE) has recommended the following Thunderbird online courses for college credit: Global Management, Global Leadership, Global Strategy Implementation, Global Marketing Strategy, Global Marketing Management, Global Brand Management and Doing Business in China.

What is ACE? What are the ACE Benefits?

The American Council on Education’s College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT) has evaluated and recommended college credit for six of Thunderbird’s online courses. The American Council on Education, the major coordinating body for all the nation’s higher education institutions, seeks to provide leadership and a unifying voice on key higher education issues and to influence public policy through advocacy, research and program initiatives.

For more than 30 years, colleges and universities have trusted ACE CREDIT to provide reliable course equivalency information to facilitate their decisions to award academic credit. For more information, visit the ACE CREDIT website at www.acenet.edu/acecredit.

Benefits to Thunderbird online students include:

ACE credit recommendations allow many students to utilize corporate tuition assistance programs to pay for these programs.
ACE credit recommendations also give successful students the potential to apply college credit to a formal degree program.

Will my school accept ACE?

ACE credits give you the ability to either transfer earned credits to an accepting university or apply them to educational or training programs. Universities accept ACE credit recommendations based on their own policies and requirements and should be contacted regarding the transferability of any credit hour earned. Contact the American Council on Education (ACE) at www.acenet.edu for more information. For a complete listing of ACE cooperating colleges and universities click here.

Does Thunderbird accept these credits?

These professional development programs were developed with Thunderbird School of Global Management based on the same information and instruction found in existing degree programs but have been repackaged as open-enrollment certificate programs and are not currently part of any formal degree curriculum at Thunderbird. Thunderbird does not accept these credits because there are currently no existing classes in any degree curricula that exactly match these professional development programs.

"Earning an online executive certificate with Thunderbird provides you with an excellent understanding of global business issues. The certificate is confirmation to existing and potential employers of a commitment by you to improve your global knowledge and skill set.

If you are interested in further expanding your global knowledge by pursuing one of the world-class master's degrees offered by Thunderbird, this certificate will be a positive addition to your degree application."

- Office of Admissions
Thunderbird School of Global Management

What should I do to obtain ACE credits for my Thunderbird Online Certificate course?

Students wishing to earn ACE credit will be required to take a proctored exam for each course. The steps follow:

Step 1 - Pay the additional administrative fee of $100 for each course that you desire ACE credits for.
Step 2 - Request a proctor selection form.
Step 3 - Return the completed forms.
Step 4 - Take the exam and return the forms identified to be filled out. There is an additional one-time $35 fee that ACE will require for registry to be initiated.

Note: Transcripts are $35 for the first and $10 each additional. Transcripts will be sent directly to the university or employer.

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