PENN's Lauder Institute Adds India Focus to its MBA/MA Offerings

New Hindi Track Offers In-Depth Language, Business Education, and Cultural Insight into India

PHILADELPHIA, May 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania announced today that they will add Hindi to their roster of programs in international business and culture. The Hindi Program, focused on doing business in India, will become the ninth Language and Culture offering at the Lauder Institute, a unique two-year, joint-degree course of study that combines a Wharton MBA with a Master of Arts in International Studies from the School of Arts & Sciences. Students undergo intensive, advanced-level language training and take courses aimed at a comprehensive understanding of the economic, political, and cultural context in which business takes place. They also spend several weeks at different locations around the world engaged in a rigorous experiential and action-oriented academic program of activities. The new Hindi Program will prepare MBA students for successful managerial careers in and with India, a region of increasing business and economic significance.

"India is quickly becoming one of the economic giants of the 21st century, and a major source of business innovation," said Shiv Khemka, Lauder Class of 1990, Member of the Lauder Institute Board of Governors, and Vice Chairman, SUN Group of Companies. "The Lauder Institute offers the best graduate program to grasp this fundamental transformation, balancing the MBA with an MA degree focused on the values, culture and business practices that so uniquely characterize Indian entrepreneurs and companies, and the emerging Indian market."

The Lauder Institute's new focus on India "expands and complements our strong offerings on East Asian, the Middle Eastern, Latin American, and European business," observed Mauro F. Guillen, the Director of the Lauder Institute. "Our students take advantage of two unique programs. As Wharton MBA students, they benefit from the world's most innovative source of business knowledge, and as Lauder students they learn how to navigate the ever-changing political and cultural currents underpinning the global economy."

The new Hindi Program will tap the University of Pennsylvania's many resources, including the Department of South Asia Studies, the South Asia Center, the Asian Section at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology, and the Center for the Advanced Study of India. Penn is a founding member of the American Institute of Indian Studies, while the Wharton School is a founding partner of the Indian School of Business, and its faculty includes several experts on the Indian economy and business sector.

"Lauder's curriculum goes far beyond language proficiency," said Kenric Tsethlikai, the Lauder Institute's Director of Language Programs. "We offer a joint-degree program that includes intensive in-country immersion experiences, readings and discussions of Hindi literature, business journals, and texts, and a comprehensive training in the business culture and language nuances necessary for successful integration into the Indian business community.  Students also conduct original research projects in India."

The Lauder Institute also offers a JD/MA joint degree program. Students in this program will be prepared to assume positions of leadership in international law and policymaking.

The Lauder Institute welcomes applications in the Fall 2010 for the two-year, joint MBA/MA and JD/MA degree programs starting in May 2011.  

About the Lauder Institute

The University of Pennsylvania's Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management & International Studies, founded in 1983, combines a world–renowned Wharton MBA with a Master's in International Studies from the School of Arts & Sciences. High-level language and culture training, a two-month, in-country immersion, and course work from the School of Arts & Sciences prepares leaders for the ever-evolving global economy. Graduates join the diverse, supportive and committed worldwide Lauder community – continuing a 25-year tradition of international business leadership.  The Lauder Institute also offers a joint JD/MA degree.  For more information, visit www.lauder.wharton.upenn.edu.

About the Wharton School

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania — founded in 1881 as the first collegiate business school — is recognized globally for intellectual leadership and ongoing innovation across every major discipline of business education. The most comprehensive source of business knowledge in the world, Wharton bridges research and practice through its broad engagement with the global business community. The school has more than 4,600 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students; more than 8,000 annual participants in executive education programs; and an alumni network of more than 81,000 graduates.

About the School of Arts & Sciences

The School of Arts & Sciences provides a foundation for the scholarly excellence that has established Penn as one of the world's leading research universities. The School enrolls 6500 undergraduates, admits approximately 250 students each year into its 32 doctoral programs, and offers a wide range of programs for lifelong learning. International studies are a vibrant enterprise at the School of Arts & Sciences. In addition to offering instruction in 50 languages, the school is home to an array of centers, programs and institutes dedicated to the study of world regions and contemporary global issues and conflicts.

SOURCE Lauder Institute