FGV Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo, HEC Paris, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Business School, Sauder School of Business University of British Columbia and the Yale School of Management are all participating institutions in the program which is open for applications this month.

The students will complete two master’s degrees over the course of the two years, in two different countries.

Chris Tsang, executive director of HKUST, explained that the entry requirements are high.

“This is a very selective process,” he told The PIE News. “Students have to apply for two schools, so it’s double the competition. We will have no more than 15, 20 students per class.”

Predominantly, those applying need to have an undergraduate degree and completed at least 12 weeks of work experience or internships, according to David Bach, deputy dean at the Yale School of Management.

“They have to be curious, open-minded and be ideally speaking multiple languages.”

The students will gain both an advanced business education and a global perspective that comes from studying abroad.

Bach defined this international approach as an “innovative educational journey that would take participants to multiple locations, exposing them to different cultures and multiple ways of doing business.”

This program helps to answer the demand for these skills among the global marketplace, he added.

“Companies are increasingly looking for young people who are globally minded, speak multiple languages and can easily adapt to cultural surroundings,” he told The PIE News.

The students will become alumni of both of the business schools they study at, and will gain access to both institutions’ career services.

The five participating institutions are part of the Global Network for Advanced Management – a group comprising of 29 business schools from around the world.