Academics

Penn State Behrend establishes partnership with Thailand university

First collaborative efforts will focus on MBA program

The Black School of Business at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, has developed a partnership with Chulalongkorn University in Thailand to collaborate on academic projects, joint research efforts and faculty exchanges. Pictured here, from left to right: Balaji Rajagopalan, director of the Black School of Business; Bundhit Eua-Arporn, dean of the faculty of engineering at Chulalongkorn University; Donald Birx, chancellor of Penn State Behrend; Natcha Thawesaengskulthai, associate dean of the faculty of engineering at Chulalongkorn University; and Akawat Sirisuk, deputy director of the International School of Engineering at Chulalongkorn University. Credit: Penn State Behrend / Penn StateCreative Commons

The Black School of Business at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, has developed a partnership with Chulalongkorn University in Thailand to collaborate on academic projects, joint research efforts and faculty exchanges.

Located in Bangkok, Chulalongkorn is Thailand’s oldest university with an enrollment of nearly 40,000 students. One of the first collaborative efforts between Penn State Behrend’s Black School of Business and Chulalongkorn’s School of Engineering will bring Chulalongkorn students to Behrend to pursue a one-year MBA after earning a four-year engineering degree from Chulalongkorn.

“Bringing international students to the Black School of Business from Chulalongkorn will diversify our MBA student base and expand the boundaries of our MBA program beyond the tri-state region,” said Balaji Rajagopalan, director of the school. “By bringing diverse students into the program, our students will benefit by learning from peers of different cultural backgrounds. This will prepare our graduates to be effective in the globalized world and give them the ability to integrate knowledge and diverse perspectives critical to solving real-world business problems.”

As the partnership develops, Penn State Behrend and Chulalongkorn are planning a similar collaboration involving Penn State’s Master of Project Management degree, offered through World Campus and administered by Penn State Behrend.

Chulalongkorn was founded in 1917 by King Vajiravudh as Thailand’s first institution of higher education. The institution was named for Vajiravudh’s father, King Chulalongkorn, who laid the groundwork for modern education in Thailand. Today, the 456-acre campus has 19 faculties (academic schools of study) as well as three graduate schools.

Last Updated June 19, 2015

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