INCAE Business School Announces New Dual-Degree Link for MBAs

Starting this fall, MBA students at Latin America’s INCAE Business School can also pursue a master of public administration (MPA) degree at the University of Michigan, as part of a new dual-degree arrangement.

Students who are admitted jointly by INCAE Business School and the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy must first complete the redesigned one-year MBA program at INCAE’s Costa Rica campus, before progressing to the Ford School to take the University of Michigan’s public policy courses and other requirements that make up its MPA.

The Ford School’s dean, Susan Collins, described the dual-degree program as “tremendously exciting,” adding that “[I]t will strengthen our connections in Latin America, bring talented students to our classrooms and eventually create new internship and career opportunities.”

From the perspective of Luis Umaña Timms, MBA program director at INCAE Business School, a further benefit for the school’s graduates will come from adding public sector expertise to knowledge of the private sector gained during their MBA and the “alignment of best practices”.

A redesigned MBA program in Costa Rica 

In August, the first class of INCAE’s redesigned 14-month and English-language program will commence in Costa Rica and it is through this program, a global MBA by name, that the dual-degree option with the University of Michigan is available.

The deal with the Ford School adds to the school’s existing dual-degree arrangements with Yale School of Management and the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. At St. Gallen, INCAE MBA graduates can pursue one of its flagship master’s offerings, the Strategy and International Management program known as SIM. At Yale SOM, INCAE graduates can pursue the Master in Advanced Management (MAM) that is offered to the alumni of 28 schools worldwide that belong to the Global Network for Advanced Management. “It’s very valuable for recruiters to see you have US experience but also that you can work with people from different countries and cultures,” Juan Cogorno, a recent graduate of the MAM at Yale and MBA program at INCAE recalled in the FT last year. 

INCAE Business School aiming to increase students’ options

INCAE’s dual-degree arrangements are part of the school’s desire to move away from a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to the MBA. Indeed, there are now three types of full-time MBA program available with the Latin American institution. In addition to the global MBA option taught in English, INCAE offers two Spanish-language MBAs: A 12-month program from its campus in Nicaragua and a 21-month option from its Costa Rica campus, offering its participants a chance to gain a specialization.

“With these changes we have increased the flexibility and learning options, without compromising on academic quality,” Timms said in INCAE’s announcement.