For the past 16 years, Texas McCombs has offered MPA students the opportunity to gain a global business perspective by studying abroad. Traditional, integrated, and economic MPA students can study overseas in Prague or Buenos Aires. Let’s learn more about this summer’s program in Argentina.
Many of the MPA students studying in Buenos Aires explored Mendoza, a province in Western Argentina, during one of their free weekends.
Buenos Aires. The capital city known for tango, steak, and soccer. This eclectic metropolis has so many pastimes, delectable eats, incredible architecture, and outstanding educational institutions that it’s easy to see why it was chosen as an MPA study abroad destination.
Since 2014, Texas McCombs has partnered with Universidad de San Andrés (UdeSA), a private university with approximately 2,500 students, to provide a study abroad experience for MPA students. UdeSA offers degrees in business, law, social sciences, and economics on two campuses in the Buenos Aires area. Approximately 70 MPA students study abroad each summer. This past summer, 26 elected to study in South America at UdeSA’s downtown campus. Here, they lived, learned, and explored Argentina together.
One of the unique features of the program is that MPA students take classes with both UT Austin and UdeSA professors. Texas McCombs faculty members Steve Goodson and Kristina Zvinakis traveled to South America to teach one of the courses in the five-week program, and a UdeSA faculty member taught the other course. “MPA students benefit by earning six credits in another country without extending their degree program,” said Emily Maxon, Executive Director of International Programs at UdeSA. “It opens their minds to the ways business is done in a different country while they are also learning to be adaptable and flexible.”
Students noted that Santiago Barraza, their UdeSA Management professor, was one of the highlights of their trip. “He was interested in each student’s experience and applied it to real world situations,” said Charlie Howell, a fourth-year student (pictured below, left) who participated in the program. Professor Barraza even took students on an office visit to a local software development company whose stock was skyrocketing at the time.
But it wasn’t just the ability to earn course credit that drew students to South America; they also participated in cultural assignments UdeSA arranged and organized excursions (both in Buenos Aires and around Argentina) for themselves. Before classes started, students toured a large swath of the city by bus to get a flavor of Buenos Aires. They also learned how to make empanadas and how to tango during their stay. “McCombs and UdeSA planned everything so well. They helped us find a balance between studying and enjoying the city,” said fifth-year student Julia Siegel (pictured below, center). On the weekends, they explored the country by hiking in Patagonia, visiting wine country in Mendoza, and experiencing the beauty of Iguazu Falls.
Fifth-year student Dean Cohen (on the right) summed up his experience stating, “We had a great, dynamic group of students, and we brought that back to Austin.” These students made a connection abroad that will stay with them throughout their time at UT, in their careers, and (we hope) their future travels.
MPA students Charlie Howell, Julia Siegel, and Dean Cohen showcase their Longhorn pride in front of UdeSA.
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