Global Initiatives in Management

A cornerstone of Kellogg’s international curriculum

Experience firsthand the economic ecosystems, business practices and market dynamics of a particular country or region.

Since 1989, the Kellogg School of Management’s Global Initiatives in Management (GIM) program has provided all degree-seeking students with critical insights on doing business outside of the U.S. This program is meant to be a foundational global experience and takes a holistic approach to understanding global business. It is designed for students to:

There are three factors that make GIM unique: It is open to all programs at Kellogg, so Full-Time, Evening & Weekend, and Executive MBA students can collaborate and expand their networks; it provides premier access to business leaders and organizations relevant to the topics being studied through the Kellogg network; and it allows students to pursue a topic that is relevant to their own interests through their group project teams.

GIM begins with a foundation of classroom learning in Evanston followed by an in-country immersive experience over Spring Break.

In-Class Portion

• Timing: GIM is offered as a winter elective class, worth 1 Kellogg credit, for Full-Time, Evening & Weekend, and Executive MBA students. During winter quarter, students will spend 18 hours of class time at the Global Hub learning about the course topic and region of focus.
• Major Deliverable: Students work in small project groups to design a business plan, research question, or industry analysis, around a business sector of interest relating to the topic and countries being studied. Past projects have focused on women entrepreneurship in emerging markets, social impact education and fighting energy poverty in East Africa

In-Country Portion

• Timing: Over spring break, all GIM classes will spend nine, full days in—country outside of the U.S., learning from leaders and experts on the ground. You’ll experience firsthand the economic ecosystems, business practices and market dynamics of a particular country or region. It is a great opportunity to gain premier access to business leaders around the world, expand your global network, all while connecting with new friends across the Full-Time, Evening & Weekend, and EMBA programs. At the end of the trip, students may either continue traveling or return to Evanston. All students are expected to return in time for their first class of the spring quarter.
  
• Schedule: In-country time is primarily devoted to plenary visits (meetings with government officials and business and industry leaders), group project meetings (each group project team will work to set up their own meetings and conduct first-hand research with key stakeholders in-country), with weekends and evenings primarily for connecting and cultural outings.

Questions? Please contact Global Experience to learn more about the 2025 GIM program.

If you're an admitted or current student and would like more information on the GIM program and other global offerings at Kellogg, please visit our Global Experience SharePoint site.