Students who were the first to be admitted to the dual MBA programme of Széchenyi István University and the University of Rhode Island two years ago have successfully passed their final exams. The graduates have gained world-class business and management skills that they can put to good use in their professional careers.

In September 2020, Széchenyi István University and the University of Rhode Island launched an English-taught Master in Business Administration (MBA) programme, which is unique in that graduates will receive a degree not only from the University of Győr, but also from the American university. Members of the first cohort successfully passed their final exams on Saturday at Széchenyi University's Budapest Innovation and Education Centre and were welcomed afterwards at a celebration.

The graduates with colleagues from Széchenyi István University and the University of Rhode Island (Photo: József Bankó / Paradignow Photography)

At the event, Dr Maling Ebrahimpour, Dean of the College of Business at the University of Rhode Island, recalled that more than five years ago, Professor Gyula Vastag approached him with the idea for the innovative programme, which was made possible through the tireless work of Dr Eszter Lukács, Vice Rector for International Affairs at Széchenyi István University, Dr Shaw Chen, Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, Research and Global Education at the College of Business, and their colleagues. He expressed his pleasure that the collaboration has helped to ensure that the programme has been maintained and successful despite the uncertainties caused by the coronavirus epidemic.

Dr Shaw Chen and Dr Maling Ebrahimpour (Photo: József Bankó /Paradignow Photography)

In her speech, Dr Eszter Lukács referred to the fact that only 5 percent of the more than 15,000 MBA courses worldwide have the highest quality AACSB accreditation, including this one.

She thanked Dr Maling Ebrahimpour and Dr Shaw Chen for their trust and for the tremendous work they have contributed to the collaboration. Turning to the graduates, he said he was proud of the excellent results they had achieved and asked them, as alumni, to promote the reputation of both institutions throughout the world.

Speaking on behalf of the students, in his opening remarks, Attila Balogh addressed the audience: "It has been a fantastic journey for them over the past two years and it has been a great honour to be part of this unique experience.”

He mentioned four important aspects of the programme, the first being that, despite the difficulties caused by the pandemic, the education was extremely effective. He also stressed that, in addition to the theoretical knowledge, they had received important practical knowledge, real-life examples that were immediately applicable and that had supported their professional careers.

He also highlighted the strong community that had been created between students, professors and programme leaders and, finally, the professional approach, combined with the highly supportive and friendly attitude of all the teachers and staff involved in the programme.

The programme will run again from September 2022 and applications are open until 30 June. Further details can be found on the Admissions website of Széchenyi István University, here and here.

Students were delighted to have passed the final exam (Photo by József Bankó / Paradignow Photography)