The College of Business Administration has expanded halfway around the world, offering an executive master of business administration degree at two universities in China.

Beginning this fall, members of the business faculty will travel to China for intensive face-to-face interaction with their Chinese students, spending a week to 10 days at a time in the country. New classes will begin about every six weeks, and the in-person class time will be supplemented with Internet and e-mail instruction. Instructors from the local universities will also be available to assist.

To begin, UTA professors will be teaching at Tongji University in Shanghai, one of the country's top 10 schools, and at the Beijing University of Science and Technology.

"The demand for business education far exceeds what the universities in China can provide," UTA business Dean Daniel Himarios said. "The Chinese universities by themselves don't have the physical and human capital to train everyone who wants to learn."

So the Chinese have partnered with schools in Europe, Australia and the United States, including the University of Chicago, Arizona State University and Syracuse University. UTA officials worked with the China Education Network to establish the executive MBA program.

"They take care of all the details of setting up and organizing the program," Dr. Himarios said. "They also set up a meeting for us with the vice minister of education in China and arranged for us to meet with Chinese university presidents."

Dr. Himarios and Provost George Wright traveled to China in March to sign contracts with the Chinese universities and to obtain official approval from China's Education Ministry.

Economics Professor Roger Meiners is one of the UTA faculty members traveling to China. "I expect our faculty will benefit at least as much as the Chinese students," he said. "As we think about how to teach MBA students who work in an ever more global business environment, we as faculty need more international experience. We will bring back to our courses on campus a better appreciation for the business world of the new century."

While in China, the professors will do more than just teach classes. They'll also showcase the University to a large pool of prospective students.

"We'll go and we'll talk about UTA," Dr. Himarios said. "Our name is getting out there, and people are getting to know us. Hopefully that will result in more students wanting to come to UTA. This enhances our reputation."

Administrators intend to expand the MBA program into additional Chinese universities over the next several years. "The economy there is growing so fast, and so many multinational companies are moving in, they really need highly trained people," Dr. Himarios said.

Training for some Chinese business executives may continue on the University's home campus in Arlington. Last fall 20 executives from PetroChina took specialized courses keyed to the petrochemicals industry. Dean Himarios wants to repeat and extend those offerings.

"The Chinese really look up to American business," he said. "The American MBA continues to be king in China. It is very highly respected."

-SWN