Planning is under way for the University of St. Thomas’ London Business Semester for fall 2013.
The London Business Semester (LBS), in its 18th year, is a program that was specifically designed for business majors and is open to business majors in the fall of their junior year. The program runs each fall with two Opus College of Business faculty members and approximately 50 students. While in London, classes are held at the University of London, Birkbeck College, in Bloomsbury. Students live in homestays in Northern London and experience England through their Friday excursions.
The London Business Semester began in 1995. Dr. Phil Anderson, LBS faculty director and a professor of management in the university's Opus College of Business, led the first group of 22 students on what would become a transformative and meaningful educational experience in England.
The program gives business students the opportunity to experience international business and the growing global economy in the context of one of the world’s largest financial centers. Many students enjoy living and traveling abroad (usually for the first time) with 50 other St. Thomas students and St. Thomas faculty.
This is what intrigued alumnus Ryan Kanne about LBS, “I wanted to live outside of the United States, but still be safe, and the London Business Semester allowed me to test the waters.”
Kanne said his time abroad gave him “a different perspective on the U.S. … and (showed him) how others perceive the U.S. and our culture.” Students continue to be a part of LBS for these same reasons.
Upon return, LBS students often find that they are more competitive and their experience abroad deeply impacts their employability in the eyes of their future employers. “I looked at the world in a different way and saw how competitive the world is. Having my international experience was a key part in getting my first job, and I wouldn’t have gotten it if I hadn’t done the London Business Semester,” Kanne explained.
This coming year, LBS will be directed by Christopher Michaelson from Business Ethics and Jon Seltzer from Marketing. To learn more about LBS and the two faculty members, check out their blog.
Students who are interested in participating in the London Business Semester are invited to attend one of two London Launch Sessions this week. They will be held at noon Wednesday, Oct. 24, and Thursday, Oct. 25, in Room 100, McNeely Hall.
For those unable to attend either session, regular information sessions are held at the International Education Center through mid-November. Attendance at one of these sessions is required to receive application information and permission to apply for the program. The LBS program priority application deadline for the fall 2013 program is Dec. 7, 2012.
