Wharton to open study abroad program in France

Wharton undergraduates will be able to mix croissants and classes next fall, if faculty members approve the first study abroad program to France for Wharton students. Wharton Vice Dean Janice Bellace visited several European universities over the past week hoping to find "the perfect match." Bellace, who returned Monday from her trip, said students have long complained about the lack of a program that Wharton students could take. "At the present time Wharton does not give credit for business courses taken outside of Wharton," Bellace said. She added that only elective courses are available to Wharton students who want to spend a semester abroad, making it difficult to graduate on time without making up for missed courses. But the new program would change that. The first class now being planned would be in multinational management. Bellace said the new programs are the result of two factors -- an increasing internationalization of business along with new Wharton requirements instituted last year. "The new curriculum, approved in 1990, has greater emphasis on internationalization," said Bellace. "We see it as an excellent opportunity to make it make sense to take a semester abroad." But more importantly, Bellace said, students should learn about other cultures. "Until you go abroad and experience the cultural influences, you don't realize how very differently people your age think," she added. Each foreign course will be "a Wharton course that is developed with a Wharton professor" according to Wharton academic advisor Elizabeth Bennett, who accompanied Bellace on her trip to Europe. The courses will be co-developed by individual professors and departments at Wharton and the universities abroad with final approval given by the faculty -- most likely in November or February. And although the program is primarily designed for Wharton students, it will not be limited to Wharton students, Bennett said. The University's existing study abroad program in Lyon is currently designed for language majors, and will serve as a base for the new Wharton program. "[Wharton] would utilize existing University programs in Lyon and would offer two courses there that would be of specific interest to Wharton students," Bellace explained. Although Bellace hopes to have 15 to 20 students taking the course in Lyon next fall, it is still in the planning stage. Several other sites, including Germany, Japan, Mexico and Spain, are being considered for the future. And Bellace is also considering the Bocconi school in Milan, Italy, which she said is a "very good match for the Wharton School."

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