Marshall Students Studying Abroad

Coming here has really made me grow as a person because I got to start over. Studying abroad does that to you because you are an unknown to everyone so you can be free and really find out who you want to be. It’s definately something that will define my college career. I think everyone in college should study abroad. There’s no other time in your life when you can do something like this.”
- Jacky Lei, Korea University Business School, Seoul, South Korea, Spring ’08

Imagine studying about the rapidly growing Chinese market in Hong Kong, or about fashion marketing in Milan, Italy. The Marshall School of Business Undergraduate International Exchange Program (IEP) allows students to realize this vision. As an exchange student, you have the opportunity to study at one of thirteen of the world’s top business programs in some of the most dynamic cities on the planet. Whether Seoul or Singapore, Melbourne or Budapest, Paris or Manchester, the IEP program is an unparalleled academic experience and personal growth opportunity.

The IEP provides you the opportunity to complete courses that can meet the requirements for your concentration requirement (under the new curriculum your Business Elective courses) while studying abroad. These are the only study abroad programs in which business students can receive full-business credit for their coursework. In addition to providing students with new perspectives and views on business trends and theories, this also allows business students to be able to have a study-abroad experience without interrupting their studies or delaying their graduation.

The program is literally an exchange, therefore openings to all sites are contingent upon the partner school sending students to USC. Some sites may not be available during certain semesters. Unlike conventional study abroad programs, students in the exchange programs become fully-integrated into the culture and lifestyle of the host institution, taking classes with local students, eating at local restaurants, and conversing with local people.

Once you have been accepted to the International Exchange Program, you will select your classes from a wide array of business elective courses offered by your host program. We encourage students to take advantage of the strengths of their host institution and enroll in courses that are both interesting as well as unique.

What are the Requirements?

The requirements are quite simple — all applicants must have the following:

• You must have a minimum Marshall School and cumulative GPA of 3.0.

• You must have completed the following courses prior to departure:
  BUAD-250a/b Core Concepts of Accounting (for new curriculum BUAD 280 and 281 or BUAD 305)
  BUAD-304 Leading Organizations
  BUAD-306 Business Finance
  BUAD-307 Marketing Management
  BUAD-310 Applied Business Statistics

Please note: Meeting the basic requirements does not guarantee that you will be admitted to the program as space is limited, and the program is competitive. However, in the past few years, over 90% of persons applying to the IEP program, who met these requirements have been admitted to the program.

When Do I Apply?

You should apply to go abroad at the very beginning of the semester BEFORE you wish to study abroad.

On-line applications are available below,  and are available on the first day of classes during the Fall and Spring semesters and are due approximately three to four weeks later for the following semester of study.

You should plan to go abroad either during your junior or senior year.

How Do I Apply?

Submit the on-line application below, and submit the supplemental materials to HOH 200 by the specified due date.

The application process is quite simple, and requires basic biographical information as well as four short essays. These essays are vital to the application, so be sure to take the time to think about the questions you are answering.Upon submission of the application, you will sign-up for an interview.

You will be notified of your acceptance to the program approximately 2-3 weeks after the application due date.

What courses do I take abroad?

The Marshall Exchange program is the ONLY semester abroad program which allows student participants to complete business coursework while abroad which can be applied towards Business requirements. Students are able to satisfy the concentration/business elective courses as part of their degree requirement. Students CANNOT satisfy business CORE classes while abroad (BUAD 304, 306, 307, etc.) nor are they able to satisfy pre-requisites (ECON 203, 250, MATH 118, etc).  Students, especially those on the new curriculum,  are also able to enroll in a limited number of non-Business courses, including language, history, International relations, etc at a number of our partner institutions.

As each of our university partners offer different courses, both similar to USC Marshall as well as wholly unique, students are STRONGLY encouraged to visit the school pages below, and review the course catalogues of our partners to ensure that they offer courses which interest the student. Students may also download this spreadsheet  (the spreadsheet is multi-tabbed, with each school on a different tab across the bottom of the spreadsheet) which contains courses which students have completed in the past as part of the program (Please note: this list is NOT exhaustive and so if a course does not appear on the spreadsheet this does NOT mean the course is not acceptable or not offered, only that it has not been completed in previous semesters. Also, some programs (Bocconi, CUHK) have a long history (12+ years) of exchange with Marshall, and so the list of previous courses will be longer than newer programs (Nova, ESCEM, Chula) who have only been partners with Marshall for a short time (1 year or less).

Once students have been admitted to the program and assigned a location, we will work with students on the course selection process, including reviewing and approving all courses, as well as ensuring that students complete sufficient courses and units abroad.

What Else Do I Need To Know?

• There is no foreign language proficiency requirement to participate in the International Exchange Program. All of our partner programs offer courses in English.
• You will be assigned a letter grade for your coursework abroad by the host (foreign) institution. However, the marks will appear as credit/no credit on your USC transcript. The minimum grade for credit is the host equivalent to a “C-.”
• You will take 15 or 18 units of upper division elective coursework at your host school. Depending on the program, you will need to successfully complete between 4 – 8 business courses.
• You will pay the standard USC full-time student tuition flat-rate (you will NOT pay tuition at the partner institution). Financial aid packages (scholarships, grants, etc)  still apply and may be adjusted according to your program.  In addition to the USC flat-rate for tuition, you are responsible for all expenses including, but not limited to: room and board, books and supplies, meals, airfare, health insurance, application fees, passport and visa fees, and other personal and travel expenses. Estimated costs for each program can be found here: IEP Program Costs (estimates) 2011-2012
• You will be automatically enrolled in the USC Overseas Health Insurance plan for the semester in which you travel abroad. Students may also be required to purchase the host program health insurance plans, in addition to the USC Overseas Health Insurance plan. Neither requirement can be waived.

Selection Process

In this section, we hope to shed some light on the selection process:

• Students submit an application the semester prior to the one they wish to go abroad. The application consists of biographical information, 4 essays, a letter of recommendation, and the student’s resume. As part of the application, each applicant is asked to rank the the partner locations in order of preference or interest. Each applicant will also undergo a mandatory interview (applicants will register for an interview time when they submit the supplemental application materials).
• The application is reviewed by 4 committee members, each of whom provides a numerical score (0-4). Those four scores, combined with the score from the mandatory interview (0-4), and the student’s over-all GPA (0-4). These six scores are added together, forming the basis for the ranking of the applicants (as you can see GPA is only 1/6th of the total score). The student with the highest over-all score is ranked first, and so on. This ranking not only determines who will be admitted to the program, but also, where they will go. Based on where students are ranked by their application score(s), locations are awarded based on the applicant’s ranking of the exchange locations. For example, the applicant with the highest score will be awarded their first ranked location. The applicant with the second-highest score will be awarded their top-ranked location, if available. If it is not available, then the second ranked location is offered, and so on until all of the locations are filled.
• Students not selected will be placed on a waiting list, as will all students NOT receiving their first choice. If space does appear in a location, students will be moved “up” the waiting-list based on their overall ranking, as well as where that location appears on thier list. In other words, students who have been placed in their 2nd ranked location would NOT be moved to a lower-ranked location.

Students do NOT have to accept any offeres extended to them, no matter if it is their first, or last ranked program. Rejecting an offer carries withit no penalty, and the student is invited to reapply in the future without any ill-will.

Partner Schools

(Please click on the University name for additional information on that location)

Future Destinations

• Sao Paulo, Brazil: EAESP-FGV

 

Additional IEP Information Resources

IEP Estimated Costs (2011-2012)

IEP Grade and Unit Conversion Sheet

IEP Past Completed Courses

Fall 2012 Application

NOTE: We have changed the application process. All applications will be submitted on-line at the link below. After you have submitted your application on-line be sure to also submit the following items  to the Student Services Office (HOH 200) by the stated deadline: February 3, 2012  (NOON) for Spring 2012

• Resume
• Official Transcripts
• 1 Letter of Recommendation (can be from either an academic or professional reference. The letter may be faxed to our office 213 740-2116, mailed (701 exposition Blvd, HOH 200, Los Angeles, CA 90089-1421) or submitted- in a sealed envelope- as part of the application materials. E-mailed submissions are acceptable IF it is a scnned copy sent as an attachment.  ALL letters MUST be on letterhead. E-mail submissions can be sent to seanocon@usc.edu)
• 8 Passport Photos (A note on passport photos- you can print these yourself, either from your computer, or where you have film developed. It will be much cheaper to do this. PLEASE NOTE: The photos MUST be in color, 1.5 inches x 2 inches (or 2″x2″), neutral background, headshot only- no smiling- no Facebook pics. Look at the  the photo in your passport as an example. They must ALSO be printed on photo paper (photos on regular paper will NOT be accepted).
• Photo-copy of your passport- just the information page (if you do not have a passport, you should apply for one before completing the IEP application).

Please note: There will be a MANDATORY Orientation for all applicants held on February 24 from 2-5 pm. Please be sure to make the proper arrangements to attend.

Online Application

 

 

If you would like to discuss your options in person, please contact Sean O’Connell at 213-740-5705 or by email at sean.o’connell @marshall.usc.edu.