The International MBA Program at National Chengchi University 國立政治大學, Taipei

In a research room of Yishen Building at National Chengchi University, a notebook computer and an overhead projector are laid on a desk. Research tables and statistics are projected on the screen. Graduate students from different countries are concentrating on their discussion. These students have the same interests and enthusiasm, although they come from disparate cultures. They are all International MBA graduate students at National Chengchi University.

The IMBA program at the College of Commerce, Chengchi University in Taiwan has a pioneering all-English academic environment with graduate students from more than 20 countries learning on an open and free campus.

"It’s a meaningful and unique experience in Taiwan joining this group which has people from many different countries with various cultures and backgrounds." said International MBA graduate student Reginald Goodridge of Liberia.

National Chengchi University is a leader among Taiwan’s business schools as well being in the Top Ten business schools Asia. The College of Commerce at Chengchi University was established in 1957 and its IMBA program began in 2001 and was the first International MBA program in Taiwan.

The IMBA’s program’s Director Dr. Samuel Chen indicated that Taiwan holds an important economic position in Asia. And, unlike other business schools, the IMBA program at National Chengchi University not only offers general management courses but also a specially designed “Management in Asia” course, the only program of its kind in Asia and a vital basis of the IMBA program.

Apart from the economy of Asia and the region’s cultural features, the "Management in Asia" course also includes research on the thought of Confucius, which dominated philosophy in the East over two thousand years, in order to make the IMBA students realize how the thought still influences the management in the economy and to enable an understanding of the uniqueness of Asia’s economy via the aspect of Eastern culture.

The countries of East Asia - China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore - each have their own cardinal economic positions. Chengchi University’s IMBA program offers "Taiwan, Japan and Korea -- Business Modeling Comparison", "Cross-Straits Political and Business Environment", "Chinese Business in Global Perspective" and "Small & Medium Size Enterprises". Among the courses, "Small and Medium Size Enterprises" particularly emphasizes the features of Taiwan’s economic environment structure.

Dr. Chen also described the IMBA program’s newly established relationship with the Indian School of Business, Hyberbad and how it will enhance the school’s research position and provide even broader opportunities in the Greater Asia economy for students.

In order to provide real-world experience, National Chengchi University not only invites business leaders from around Asia to give lectures but has also opened three additional important exchange channels. They are "Leaders’ Forum" (interacting with local with enterprises), "Information Technology and Business Strategy-The IBM Experience" (for global managers) and "Case Study" of Practical Business Project.

Director Chen said the "Case Study" of Practical Business Project is a particularly exciting program that combines Chinese and foreign graduate students into groups for one semester and allows them to have practical training at local enterprises. When meeting any kind of challenge, they bring it back to the campus to get instructed by their IMBA professors and work out solutions. The College of Commerce of Chengchi University has collected these experiences into volumes to become case studies providing practical business solutions.

The spirit of these case studies is the same as same as Harvard University’s Business School. National Chengchi Univ. has been constantly sending teachers to get trained in HBS case teaching. In addition, the university is putting finishing touches on construction of the “Yuanta Lecture Room”, which is similar to the case study research rooms of Harvard and is sponsored by Yuanta Core Pacific Securities.

The campus is a warm setting in the city. Director Chen said IMBA students go hiking on nearby mountains with professors and classmates in the IMBA program. Also, professors who teach Human Resource Management for International Business host 3 or 4 informal get-togethers each year.

National Chengchi University, Taipei is a 100 hectare campus established in 1927. There are 14,894 students in total, with 8,974 students undergraduates, 5,043 for Master’s degrees and 877 doctoral students. The faculty consists of 279 professors, 205 associate professors, 94 assistant professors and 47 lecturers. The school motto is "親愛精誠" – Love, Truth & Fidelity.