Atlanta, September 29, 2000. The Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University is one of six business schools around the world participating in concert in the first international e-management executive master's degree program in electronic commerce.
With the launch of the Global eManagement EMBA (GEM) program this semester, Georgia State is currently the only U.S. university taking part in this innovative new model for international educational collaboration. Along with Georgia State, other participating universities and founding members of the GEM Consortium include Athens University of Economics and Business (Greece), Copenhagen Business School (Denmark), Erasmus University Rotterdam (The Netherlands), Norwegian Schools of Economics and Business Administration, and University of Cologne (Germany).
"At Georgia State, 30 entrepreneurial professionals who are motivated to succeed in the new economy have begun classes in the GEM program," noted Dr. Richard J. Welke, Director of the eCommerce Institute. "The group recently met with their counterparts from all participating universities in Rotterdam during the first of three international seminars to be held during the program. We have an exceptional, diverse group of students who represent a variety of organizations … from huge corporations to new dot-com ventures. Yet they all have a common goal – to use this new knowledge to gain a leading edge in business, regardless of their industry sector."
Classes for the 15-month GEM program are held at Georgia State's new Alpharetta Center in executive (weekend) format. The all-new curriculum for the GEM program was developed by the six participating universities and is focused completely on e-business, as opposed to traditional business. There are 12 months of actual course work involved in the program, followed by a three-month in-company project. Students from Georgia State will graduate with an EMBA degree in addition to a certificate awarded by the GEM Consortium at the third international seminar in Athens, Greece, next November.
"There are 172 students total at the six universities presently participating in the GEM program," Welke added. "Each of those students will be in position to lead their companies into the future by employing technology and business models adapted to the digital economy. E-business is global, which is why our collaboration with business schools in other countries is imperative in order to offer the first global master's-level degree in e-management. It is a unique program, and one that will provide tremendous advantages for its graduates."
The number of universities participating in the GEM program is growing, as negotiations with additional leading business schools on several continents and here in the U.S. are under way. At Georgia State, the GEM program begins each fall. For additional details on the program, send e-mail to mailto:geminfo@eci.gsu.edu
