The TMMBA International Study Tour lands in Sweden and the Netherlands

Each year, the Technology Management MBA (TMMBA) Program provides students with the opportunity to participate in a 7-10 day International Study Tour (IST). This trip takes place during spring break before the students’ final quarter of the 18-month Program. Over the years, the TMMBA IST has taken students to locations all over the world including Vietnam, Peru, and the United Arab Emirates, to name a few.

Throughout the TMMBA IST experience, students have the opportunity to apply what they have learned during the program while exposing them to diverse business practices and cultural perspectives. To achieve this, the TMMBA IST includes a robust schedule of company visits and local cultural experiences.

This past March, the TMMBA IST took 30 students from the Class of 2018, two TMMBA staff members, and a faculty member to the historic cities of Stockholm and Amsterdam. The students who joined the IST represented both the Monday and Wednesday class sections, which allowed the opportunity for students to build deeper connections across sections. 

Adventures in Stockholm

For the first few days of the TMMBA IST, students immersed themselves in Scandinavian culture in Stockholm, Sweden. Cultural highlights included visits to Stockholm’s medieval city center Gamla Stan, the Stockholm City Hall to see the historic venues for the Nobel Prize Ceremony and Banquet, and the Vasa Museum.

The company visits in Stockholm included trips to Spotify, Sollentuna Municipality, the City of Stockholm, Telia Company’s Division X, and Microsoft Sweden.

One key highlight in Stockholm was the visit to Sollentuna Municipality.  Students were matched up with members of the municipality’s Leadership Development Program to serve as advisors and apply concepts they have learned during their MBA courses.  Each team discussed some of the municipality’s difficult challenges and were tasked with presenting their suggested solutions at the end of the workshop. It was great to see the different perspectives TMMBA students brought to the table!

 

Exploring Amsterdam

The TMMBA IST wrapped-up with a 2-day visit to Amsterdam, Netherlands where students were greeted by the famous canals, historic architecture, and streets packed full of bicyclists.

While in Amsterdam, students visited ING Bank, Palo Alto Networks, and Booking.com.

Students were also able to experience many of the city’s famous cultural landmarks including the Anne Frank House, the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum, and the Moco Museum.

The 2018 TMMBA IST gave students a unique opportunity to combine international travel with candid insight into global business practices. Additionally, students had the opportunity to developed deeper bonds with their classmates through rich cultural excursions, and maybe a few rounds of late-night, international, Karaoke.