Seminole State partners with Scotland university to offer master’s degree in international business

Business students in Central Florida now can earn a master’s degree with a unique, international perspective without leaving home.
Through a first-of-its-kind partnership between Seminole State College of Florida and Robert Gordon University (RGU), based in Aberdeen, Scotland, students in Central Florida who have earned a four-year degree can earn a Master of Science (MSc) degree in International Business locally.
The program can be studied part-time over one year, and will provide students with an up-to-date knowledge of international business management, including key theories and concepts and also the ability to apply a significant range of professional skills, practices and techniques in international business management.
“The objective of this agreement is to bring the global educational experience and make it local,” says AnneLiese Busch, director of the Center for Global Engagement at Seminole State. “This isn’t just another master’s degree program. It’s a degree from an institution outside the United States that has a different perspective and curriculum than what you might find locally.”
In addition to its accelerated completion time, the program, known as RGU @ Seminole State, is more affordable than similar offerings in Central Florida. At a cost of $18,500, based on the current exchange rate, tuition is less than two-thirds the cost of similar programs taught at local universities.
Classes will take place on Seminole State’s Heathrow Campus, but they will be taught entirely by fly-in faculty from RGU’s Aberdeen Business School. Graduates from the program will earn an official RGU degree, which is intended to denote proficiency in global business practices that can lead to careers in either the United States or Europe.
“With its international focus, this program gives students all the advantages of studying abroad without any of the obstacles,” Busch says. “It allows students who otherwise may never have the opportunity to have a multicultural, international experience to get all the associated benefits in a much more accessible way.”
The program is composed of eight modules, or classes, spread across two semesters, plus an applied work project or thesis. The modules are taught one at a time over four weeks. The first three weeks of each module comprise 46 contact hours of direct instruction taking place Tuesday and Thursday evenings and all day Saturday. The fourth week is to be used as a consolidation period, during which students can do home study or complete any outstanding assignments.
As semesters can be completed in any order, cohorts of students will be able to enroll in the program each year beginning in either August or January. The program is open to anyone in Central Florida.
With an average class sizes of about 25 students, RGU staff will be able to provide students with the very best in international education. A waiting list system will be in place, but the program is expected to grow over the next several years to allow increased enrollment. One full scholarship will be awarded to one Seminole State College student in each cohort based on qualifications and financial need.
“Our mission is to prepare the innovative leaders of the future with the capacity to anticipate and manage change in international business and the professional environment and we strive to achieve this through our teaching and research carried out in an international context and to the highest academic standards,” says Rita Marcella, a professor and dean of the Aberdeen Business School.
Associate Dean of Aberdeen Business School Bob Gammie adds: “This course is particularly suited for those who wish to enter higher level posts in the international business and management sector and several of our graduates have gone on to set up their own businesses.”
Unlike many similar programs, prospective students are not required to take the GMAT; however, applicants must have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, and they must meet minimum academic requirements. There’s no application fee, but applicants are asked to include academic and professional letters of recommendation and a personal statement.
This exclusive program will be the only one of its kind in Florida, but RGU has a strong track record of bringing its degree programs to international cohorts. Similar programs have found success in other countries such as Algeria, Sweden and Switzerland, with the Swiss program’s enrollment growing by about 400 percent in just six years.
You can learn more about the program by visiting the RGU @ Seminole State website. Applications will be made available at a later date to be submitted through Seminole State’s Center for Global Engagement.
Seminole State College supports students who hope to gain an international perspective during their academic studies through the Center for Global Engagement. To learn more, you can visit the center’s website, or call 407.708.2907.

About Robert Gordon University: RGU’s Aberdeen Business School is one of the leading providers of management and professional education in Scotland. Its approach to preparing graduates for employment sees the university consistently placed among the top universities in all league tables. It is the top university in the UK for graduate employment according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and has the lowest unemployment rate for graduates in Scotland, as well as the second-lowest in the whole of the UK at 2.8 percent (The Sunday Times University Guide 2013). For more information, visit https://www.rgu.ac.uk/

- Special to the Herald