Curriculum

World Bachelor in Business

Three universities. Three continents. Three degrees. One unparalleled experience. 

 

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business

Students begin their WBB education at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business. Consistently ranked among the nation’s premier schools, USC Marshall is internationally recognized for its emphasis on entrepreneurship and innovation, social responsibility and path-breaking research. Its undergraduate programs emphasize experiential learning that nurtures entrepreneurial talent and critical-thinking skills. Located in Los Angeles, USC Marshall is integrally connected to Pacific Rim industries defining the new business frontier.

Curriculum

At USC, students are immersed in business from day one. The first year includes foundational business courses like Microeconomics for Business, along with classes designed to build essential business skills like Writing and Critical Reasoning.

In Leading Organizations, which focuses on leadership and management skills, students participate in hands-on projects at the Experiential Learning Center, one of the top business training facilities at any institution of higher education. Through business simulations, students put theory into practice and develop leadership, negotiation and communication skills.

The WBB cohort also travels to South America for exposure to an international market outside of the three zones included in the degree.  

About USC

• Founded in 1880 and the oldest private research university in the West

• Consistently ranked among the nation’s top tier of research institutions

• University Park campus attracts nearly 35,000 students from throughout the United States and 100 countries; USC has the largest number of international students of any U.S. university

• 400+ internationally regarded graduate and professional programs

• Strong corporate connections and Trojan Family Network of more than 300,000 alumni in over 100 countries

 

 

Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)

Year two takes students to Asia for an intensive year of study at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. HKUST is a top-ranked international university with world-class faculty and facilities. The HKUST Business School is recognized as one of the most respected business schools in Asia and has an international faculty of 140 professors. The school has also established a solid international reputation for its research excellence, with consistent rankings as No. 1 in Asia and top 20 in the world.

Curriculum

Leveraging HKUST’s strengths as a school of science and technology, students gain professional and technical knowledge while developing a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking. Courses offer unique insights into the way business works in China and Asia and provide an introduction to the Chinese languages. Other courses such as Mathematics for Economists, Business Statistics, and Introduction to Information Systems emphasize mathematical and analytical skills. Students take their first Accounting class and develop critical-thinking skills studying Science and Technology and other subjects.

In the first and second years, students can select from a variety of humanities courses (literature, art, anthropology, religion, etc.) designed to encourage an appreciation of Western and/or Chinese cultures and to develop analytical and communication skills.

About HKUST

• Named the top university in Asia by QS Asian University Rankings 2011–2013

• Global reputation for its world-class EMBA and MBA programs, as well as high-quality research

• 30-plus nationalities creating a diverse undergraduate student mix

• Dynamic learning environment designed to nurture well-rounded graduates with a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking

• Strong ties with global thought leaders as well as wide-ranging connections with Mainland China

 

Milan, Italy

Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi

For the third year, WBB students move from the Pacific Rim to the heart of Europe to study at Università Bocconi in Milan, Italy. Founded in 1902, Bocconi is a university of international standing in business, economics, and law that welcomes students from dozens of countries. Its programs, from Bachelor through Ph.D., focus on interactive teaching methods and hands-on experience that prepare students for success in the job market. Bocconi promotes economic advancement through research and instills civic values in all its students by placing a strong emphasis on ethics.

Curriculum

The Bocconi curriculum focuses on finance, economics, and law; and courses in the third year will include Corporate Finance, Financial Markets and Institutions, and European Economic Policy. Students examine the fundamentals of Italian civil law within the broader framework of European legal culture in Introduction to the Legal System, and analyze economic developments in Western nations in Economic History. The course in Public Management explore the complex relations between private businesses and the government bodies for whom they supply products, services, and management know-how at the national and local levels.

In additional classes, students learn about the specifics of doing business in the European Union and build introductory Italian language skills.

About Università Bocconi

• Highly ranked MBA and Master of Science programs

• Dynamic study environment with students and faculty coming from 80 countries; international programs from Bachelor to Ph.D. taught in English, with emphasis on research at all levels

• Network of relations with 200 leading universities in 50 countries, enabling more than 2,000 study abroad opportunities each year

• Strong connections with the global business community and the international job market, including a solid network of alumni

• Modern, urban campus, fully equipped with up-to-date resources and facilities, providing a variety of cultural, social, and sporting activities

 

Los Angeles, Hong Kong, or Milan

Choose any of the 3 partner universities

 

In the fourth year, WBB students choose one of the three partner universities to complete their studies. Throughout their journey, students gain an understanding of their interests and future goals. This crucial fourth year provides students with the flexibility to truly customize their college experience. Year four allows students to focus on specific interests and objectives, not only in the choice of which school to attend, but also through the selection of elective courses. 

Curriculum of Your Choosing

• A final year at Bocconi honing Italian skills and taking seminars on international finance

• More time at HKUST to further explore Hong Kong as a world financial center and China as an engine of growth in international business

• Return to USC, leveraging partnerships with the university’s connections to the entertainment, real estate, or communications industries

WBB Senior Thesis

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All WBB students complete a senior thesis before they graduate, working closely with WBB Academic Directors as well as faculty advisors to write a 30-page paper on a business topic of their choice. Topics range from global economic policy to sustainability to trends in technology and commerce. It is an opportunity for students to apply the concepts studied over the course of four years, combined with heavy individual research.

 

Parker Banfield, WBB '20
Topic: The New Space Economy

I’ve been interested in ‘space' as long as I can remember. To me, developing an interplanetary enterprise is an opportunity to share the best of who we are with whatever lies out there, but also an opportunity for introspection — to contemplate who we want to be. I’m still not quite sure where my functional value in the 'New Space Economy' lies. There’s still so much about space development I don’t understand and that’s really why I’ve chosen this topic. Hopefully, I’ll clear some things up for myself and others, and maybe along the way I’ll even find an issue that I can help tackle in the future.

 

Kirthi Gomatam, WBB '20
Topic: Social Impact and Sustainability

My thesis explores scalable models for a restaurant to minimize food waste in its production and disposal processes. I am researching case studies of restaurants that have come up with creative solutions to try to construct an end-to-end model that is financially feasible and easy to adopt for restaurants, while creating a scalable impact. I've always been a huge foodie and through college developed an interest in the food industry, social impact, and technology, all of which have significant applications to the problem of food waste in restaurants. After graduation, I'll be working in management consulting and hope to one day start my own social enterprise in the food industry, so focusing my thesis on this topic gives me a head start in spotting key problems and opportunities in this market.

 

Holly Lewis, WBB '20
Topic: The Economics of Globalization

I am researching the negative externalities of export shocks for workers' mental health, and how they can affect culture and politics. I am particularly interested in how those communities most exposed to export shocks can tend toward nationalism and populism. We see this dynamic in the Brexit vote, for example. I chose this topic after taking a course at Bocconi from an Italian economist, Italo Colantone, who researches this topic and is now my thesis advisor. I am planning to apply for a masters program in economics in the next few years, so this thesis is an opportunity for me to explore topics that have piqued my interest.