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Indiana University's professional schools are increasing the international content in their courses and developing global areas of specialization. Their faculty and students conduct research and study abroad, while international scholars and students come to train and participate in applied projects. But international involvement is not new to IU.
The School of Business, which began special training programs for European managers in the 1950s, is nationally recognized for designing both undergraduate and graduate curricula with strong international components. The school also works closely with IU's Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), a National Resource Center with a long history of providing international outreach to the larger business community. Within the university, it has been particularly active in developing innovative programs and holding an annual workshop attended by business educators from around the country.
From its inception, IU's School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) has emphasized comparative and international dimensions. One of its most challenging projects abroad is to help restructure the parliamentary system of the Ukraine into one based on democratic principles.
Similarly, the School of Education's comparative project on Russian educational reform has brought a fruitful exchange of scholars and given a number of Russian administrators a chance to observe Indiana school systems.
| CIBER has a long history of providing international outreach. |
The School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation has short-term exchanges with a major university in the People's Republic of China which have increased the sharing of curricula and promoted intercultural understanding.
The Schools of Law at Bloomington and Indianapolis are both internationally engaged. At IUPUI, there is an important exchange at the University of Lille, France. IU Bloomington attracts many international students to the master's degree in comparative law and doctorate in juridical sciences programs. The law school at IUB has received national recognition for founding the Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, and for hosting important international conferences and visiting scholars.
The School of Dentistry in Indianapolis has a far-flung network of linkages, including Australia, Thailand and Hungary. Different departments within the School of Medicine train graduate students, researchers and practitioners through long-term exchange programs with Africa, Asia and Europe. IU South Bend's School of Nursing has developed an international issues health-care course which sends nurses on a summer exchange program to Northern Ireland.
IUPUI's School of Engineering and Technology has a multi-year project to provide an undergraduate curriculum in Malaysia; a whole new generation of engineers will be trained in electrical and mechanical engineering.
Closer collaboration with the College of Arts and Sciences is taking place in recognition of the need to combine professional training with area studies knowledge. It is now possible for graduate students to earn a master of business administration degree concurrently with an area studies specialization in East Asian, Russian and East European, or West European studies. At SPEA, the master of public affairs degree program allows a number of regional concentrations, while the master's degree at the School of Library and Information Science can be combined with a master's degree in Russian and East European, or Latin American and Caribbean studies, or with a specialization in African studies.