When you’re juggling a demanding career with an Executive MBA program, the idea of adding international travel to your schedule might seem overwhelming. But the McCombs Executive MBA Global Immersion isn’t just another trip—it’s designed to fundamentally change how you approach business challenges in our connected world.
What Makes This Different
Most business education talks about global markets in theoretical terms. McCombs flips that approach. After your first year of weekend classes in Austin, you’ll spend six days with your entire cohort in an international market, putting everything you’ve learned about global economics and leadership into practice.
The timing is intentional. You’ve spent months building relationships with your classmates and absorbing concepts around global strategy. Now you get to test those ideas in real business environments, guided by McCombs faculty who’ve structured the experience around your coursework.
More Than Sightseeing
This isn’t a tourism package with some business meetings thrown in. The Global Immersion is built around a Global Practicum course that begins before you leave Austin. You’ll complete pre-departure assignments, participate in company visits and cultural experiences on the ground, then work through post-trip deliverables that help you process what you’ve learned.
The learning activities focus on the practical realities of doing business internationally. You’ll meet with local executives, visit companies in their actual work environments, and connect with McCombs alumni who’ve built careers in that market. The conversations center on how regional context shapes everything from regulatory approaches to customer behavior to strategic decision-making.
But the learning extends beyond the formal business meetings. The shared experience of navigating a new culture together creates opportunities for deeper connections within your cohort that often prove as valuable as the business insights. As one recent participant noted, the social aspects of the trip provided “the chance to form deeper personal connections within our cohort” than typical one weekend per month classes allow.
What you discover is that the frameworks you’ve studied work differently when cultural nuances, regulatory environments, and market dynamics change. It’s one thing to read about emerging markets; it’s another to sit across from executives who navigate those complexities daily.
The Bigger Picture
The global immersion sits within a broader experiential learning approach at McCombs. Throughout your 20-month program, you’ll also participate in shorter domestic immersions to places like New York and Washington D.C. Each trip is designed to expand your network and expose you to different industry ecosystems.
But the international component adds a crucial dimension. For working executives whose careers may be rooted in Texas or the broader U.S. market, spending concentrated time in a different business environment provides perspective that’s hard to gain any other way.
Recent cohorts have traveled to Southeast Asia, South Africa, and Eastern Europe—regions chosen to provide meaningful contrast with U.S. business practices. The specific destination varies by cohort, allowing the program to respond to current global business trends and opportunities.
Why It Works for Executive MBA Students
The structure acknowledges the realities of executive schedules. Six days is long enough to gain substantial exposure to a new market without requiring the extended time away that many executives simply can’t manage. The faculty-led format means you’re not planning logistics or figuring out which companies to visit, as that’s all handled, so you can focus on learning.
Because you’re traveling with your entire cohort, the experience also deepens the relationships that are often the most valuable part of any Executive MBA program. Navigating international business environments together creates shared experiences that extend beyond graduation.
The Real Return on Investment
The value isn’t just in the specific market knowledge you gain, though that’s certainly useful. The bigger benefit is developing what global business really requires: the ability to quickly understand how context shapes business decisions.
Whether you’re eventually working for a multinational company, considering international expansion for your current organization, or simply trying to understand how global trends affect your industry, the immersion provides a foundation that’s hard to replicate in a classroom.
What Students Actually Experience
The real test of any program is what participants take away from it. Two recent McCombs EMBA students shared their perspectives on how the Global Immersion shaped their thinking about leadership and business.
Aaron Gutierrez, EMBA ’26, traveled with his cohort to Copenhagen, Denmark, and Prague, Czechia. For him, the experience went beyond the structured company visits and cultural experiences. “The immersion was a humbling reminder of how interconnected our world truly is,” he reflects. “We often focus so intently on adding value within our own organizations that we can lose sight of how our actions reverberate across borders.”
What surprised Gutierrez most was discovering similarities across cultures while seeing how they manifest differently in local business environments. The timing of his cohort’s trip—during a period of shifting U.S. geopolitical dynamics—provided an unexpected learning opportunity. “Engaging with European executives and policymakers allowed us to appreciate the ripple effects that U.S. decisions can have on global markets.”
Mykola Makowsky, EMBA ’26, spent his Global Immersion in Japan, then extended his stay to explore Kyoto and Okinawa independently. His experience reinforced that cultural understanding goes deeper than national generalizations. “In Tokyo, where rules and hierarchy are followed very closely, I initially struggled with the slower cadence of decision-making,” he explains. “Traveling to Kyoto and Okinawa afterward helped me manage this by showing me that even within Japan, expectations vary.”
For Makowsky, the deeper revelation was recognizing that Japanese business practices aren’t just “different”—they’re intentional approaches that reflect universal human values. “It’s tempting to frame the culture as the opposite of North America, indirect vs. direct, group vs. individual, consensus vs. speed. But that’s too simplistic,” he reflects. “The real insight? We’re more alike than we think.”
Several Japanese concepts particularly resonated with him as leadership lessons applicable anywhere:
The practice of nemawashi and the ringi process showed him that “decisions often take time in Japan, but once made, execution is frictionless.” This informal coalition-building before proposals are made reminded him that “fast decisions aren’t always the best ones. Buy-in matters.”
He was also struck by tatemae vs. honne—the art of balancing public face with true feelings. “It’s not deception, but empathy. A way to protect harmony while preserving honesty in trusted circles.” As he notes, “We may not name it in the West, but we practice it every day as ‘executive presence’ or ‘reading the room.'”
Perhaps most powerfully, the concept of kintsugi—Japanese pottery repaired with gold that embraces flaws as part of the story—changed his perspective on leadership vulnerability. “As leaders, we often try to hide our cracks. But it’s our missteps, reworked with intention, that shape who we are. That’s where trust is built and character is forged.”
Overall, the biggest insight was recognizing that cultural differences exist at every level and not just between countries, but between regions, generations, and organizations. “The key is cultivating awareness and intentionally leveraging it to bridge divides.”
Both students emphasized how the experience changed their approach to leadership back home. As Gutierrez puts it: “Leadership in today’s world requires not just business acumen, but also empathy, curiosity, and an appreciation for global interdependence.”
The Lasting Impact
Most McCombs Executive MBA students are already successful in their careers. The Global Immersion doesn’t just add international experience to their resumes; it fundamentally changes how they approach business challenges. Whether you’re navigating cultural differences within your own organization or considering expansion into new markets, the skills you develop during those six days abroad prove valuable long after you return to Austin.
As McCombs reminds students daily: “What starts here changes the world.” The Global Immersion ensures that change happens with a truly global perspective.
Visit Texas McCombs MBA to learn more about our programs and upcoming events or take a peek into student life on Instagram. For any inquiries, don’t hesitate to reach out to the MBA Admissions Team. We look forward to connecting with you on your journey to success.
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