Make global connections and impact on this exchange program with the University of Virginia (UVA) as part of your MGM experience
The Global Impact Program (GIP) brings together students from two world-leading business schoolsâESMT Berlin and the University of Virginia (UVA)âfor a transformative global learning experience. Spanning the US, Germany, and a social impact project in a location of your choice, it provides a platform to develop the skills and perspectives needed to navigate todayâs interconnected world.
More than just an exchange, the Global Impact Program enhances your ability to tackle global business dynamics through practical, hands-on projects in two of the worldâs largest economies.
At UVA, you will join the MS in Global Commerce as part of your Master in Global Management (MGM) journey, building strong ties with peers from both institutions. Through a specialized curriculum focusing on global strategy, financial markets, and operations, youâll gain the expertise to address complex challenges and excel in international markets. . Highlights of the experience include a trip to Washington D.C., where youâll explore the intersections of policy and economics, as well as the Global Challenges Seminar, which sharpens your ability to tackle complex global issues.
This unique collaboration not only strengthens your ties with peers from both institutions but also prepares you to excel in international markets, backed by UVAâs reputation as a leader in global business education.
What is the Global Impact Program?
The Global Impact Program combines an exchange to the University of Virginia with a curriculum that is geared towards social issues and sustainability challenges. Run in collaboration with University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerceâs M.S in Global Commerce program, the GIP is only offered to Master in Global Management (MGM) students.
In Term 4, you will study at University of Virginia (UVA) before returning in Term 5 to Berlin where you will study alongside your UVA counterparts and focus on courses related to leading global organizations and taking on sustainability-related challenges.
You will then take on your Social Impact Projects (SIP) in teams formed of students from both ESMT and UVA, allowing you to leverage the connections you have made earlier in the exchange.
Our partner: University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce
As one of the leading management schools in the United States, UVA's McIntire School of Commerce offers an innovative business education that integrates cutting-edge technology with global perspectives.
With its strong emphasis on real-world experience and ethical leadership, McIntire cultivates a dynamic, collaborative environment where students are empowered to lead with impact.
The schoolâs interdisciplinary approach ensures graduates are well-equipped to navigate the complexities of todayâs globalized business landscape.
Rankings
#4 Undergraduate Business School in the US â Poets&Quants, 2024
#1 in Academic Experience category â Poets&Quants, 2024
#24 among National Universities in the US - US News & World Report, 2024
UVA's McIntire campus in Charlottesville, VA
The McIntire School of Commerce is located on the University of Virginia's historic grounds, home to Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Just a short walk away, Charlottesvilleâs Downtown Mall offers a lively mix of cultural and culinary experiences with its array of restaurants, shops, and entertainment.
Discover the charm of Charlottesville
Located in Central Virginia, just east of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Charlottesville offers stunning beauty, rich culture, and endless activities. Spend your day hiking scenic trails, exploring historic homes of U.S. Presidents, or enjoying the vibrant Downtown Mall.
With Washington, D.C. just two hours away, you can easily connect to the nation's capital, providing access to major events and networking opportunitiesâperfect for students looking to expand their horizons beyond the classroom.
Why take part in the Global Impact Program?
The GIP allows you to build your international network with peers from ESMT and the University of Virginia while engaging in a curriculum designed to prepare you for the complexities of managing global organizations and addressing critical challenges such as sustainability and social impact.
With courses such as Global Marketing in a Digital Age, Global Strategy & Management II, Open Distribution Innovation, and Entrepreneurial Finance and Ethics, the GIP enables you to:
Fast-track your future in global business
Gain real-world experience and a deep understanding of how business is done across the world, firsthand. Explore global challenges, develop essential business skills, and become ready to create sustainable strategies for success anywhere.
Grow your professional global network
Learn alongside an internationally diverse group of students in Charlottesville and Berlin and during your social impact project, in a third location of your choice, where you will work directly with organizations that are tackling critical issues facing the world today.
Take on real-world projects that set you apart
Get hands-on experience leveraging crucial project and client management skills, relying on your business know-how, collaborating with international teams, and leading an initiative for a real global organization.
Boost your prospects, inspire global impact
Make a meaningful difference on a global scaleâfrom envisioning fresh approaches to solving grand challenges with an international organization or producing innovative strategies for a transnational enterprise.
Immerse yourself in global business dynamics
The GIP immerses you in two of the worldâs most influential economies, offering invaluable insights into global business dynamics. In the US, the worldâs largest economy, youâll explore trade, innovation, and economic leadership. In Germany, Europeâs economic powerhouse, youâll examine industrial strategies that drive success.
Through the Social Impact Project, you can choose a location to explore emerging opportunities and create meaningful change. This international exposure equips you to tackle global challenges and societal impacts, preparing you to lead in an interconnected and evolving world.
Beyond academics, the program offers unique networking opportunities. In addition to collaborating with your ESMT classmates, youâll build meaningful connections with your UVA counterparts through the âlive and learnâ model at Global House and the programâs small class size. This international exposure equips you to tackle global challenges and societal impacts, preparing you to lead in an interconnected and evolving world.
The Social Impact Project (SIP)
Because the Global Impact Program features a customized curriculum focused on how businesses can positively impact sustainability and societal challenges, the SIP offers a fantastic opportunity for you to put new insights and skills into practice, while relying on, and leveraging the bonds you have built with UVA students.
The SIP allows you to step into the role of a management consultant for an organization committed to creating positive change and implement many of the skills and insights you have acquired over the last 24 months of learning.
This five-week experience in an international setting of your choice, challenges you to address real-world challenges, engage in hands-on fieldwork, conduct extensive research, and manage projects that aim to solve pressing societal issues.
Choose to support an organization whose mission speaks to you or work with one of more than 20 ESMT Berlin partner groups around the world, including CSR departments in for-profit companies, NGOs, local nonprofit organizations, social entrepreneurship ventures, and a host of innovative companies launching products or services to support the neediest members of society, such as microfinance initiatives.
Who is the Global Impact Program for?
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This program is exclusively for Master's in Global Management students at ESMT and their UVA counterparts. If you are interested, please indicate your interest in the GIP during your application for the MGM.
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The Global Impact Program is perfect for students looking to gain practical experience and find innovative new ways to leverage business and management skills to take on social and sustainability challenges.
How do I join the Global Impact Program?
When submitting your application to the Master in Global Management program at ESMT, you can indicate your interest in the GIP. You will be asked to confirm your choice during the first months of your ESMT experience.
Places in the GIP are limited to 30 slots. SIP teams will be formed among students from both schools while at UVA, building global teams from schools across two continents.
The Global Impact Program curriculum
Master in Global Management students who participate in the Global Impact Program will be taken through a distinct curriculum during Terms 4 and 5 rather than working through elective courses.
For information on Terms 1 â 3 and Term 6, please visit the MGM curriculum page.
Schedule for Terms 4 and 5
Students will spend their entire Term 4 at UVA, taking a carefully crafted curriculum focused on social impact while immersing themselves in the culture of the USA.
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Global Challenges & Sustainability Solutions Seminar (Required)
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Social Impact Project Prep I: Consulting (Required)
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Social Impact Project Prep II: Project Management (Required)
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Global Financial Markets (Required)
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Global Marketing in a Digital Age (Elective)
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Global Strategy & Management II (Elective)
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Business Analytics for Decision Making (Elective)
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Business Ethics (Elective)
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Doing Business int the US (Required)
ESMT students, along with the UVA cohort, will continue their journey together at ESMT. They will take further courses while preparing for the SIP and the actual field study in April.
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Negotiation (Required)
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Open Distribution Innovation (Elective)
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Entrepreneurial Finance (Elective)
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Ambidextrous Leadership (Elective)
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Social Impact Project Prep III: Social Entrepreneurship (Required)
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Social Impact Project Prep III: Impact Consulting (Required)
At the end of this term, students will take part in the 5-week mandatory Social Impact Project, where they will work together with UVA students, supporting an organization anywhere in the world to tackle a social or sustainability challenge.