CSS Program a Magnet for International Students

In recent years international students have figured prominently among enrollees of the Extension School's graduate management program, the Certificate of Special Studies in Administration and Management (CSS). In 1996, 109 of 185 CSS graduates were international students; in 1997, 98 of 180; and this year, 142 of 211.

"These numbers are consistent with national trends," reports Raymond Comeau, Assistant Dean of University Extension and Director of the CSS Program. "Graduate management education in the United States is considered the most enlightened and progressive in the world, and international students are eager to come here to enhance their resumes and advance their careers."

International CSS graduates in the class of '98 represented 34 countries. Heading the list, in terms of number of graduates, were the following: Brazil (25), Mexico (24), Spain (9), Venezuela (9), Argentina (7), Turkey (7), India (6), and Thailand (5). "While our other degree and certificate programs have registered gains in international student enrollments, the CSS Program is clearly in the vanguard of the internationalization of Harvard Extension School," notes Michael Shinagel, Dean of Continuing Education and University Extension.

Why are international students attracted to the CSS Program specifically? A review of data from various sources, including admissions applications and student questionnaires, reveals a number of reasons, such as the program's duration (students can complete the program's eight required courses in nine months--just one academic year); its extensive and varied curriculum (in recent years the program has offered nearly 75 courses, more than many MBA programs); its flexible requirements, allowing students the freedom to select courses relevant to their interests and career plans; and, most of all, its high standard of quality. "Our international students, many of whom are graduates of the most prestigious universities in their countries, tend to strive for excellence. Often they must take a leave of absence from promising careers in multinational corporations or family businesses to study with us. They expect a first-rate educational experience," states Comeau.

International students enrich the CSS Program in many ways, the most important being the multiplicity of perspectives they bring to the classroom. "American and international students alike appreciate the usefulness of taking a multicultural approach to management; our classes themselves have become a kind of microcosm of the new global economy," notes Comeau. International students also tend to do as well as their American counterparts in their studies, despite having to compete in a foreign language. Two of this year's CSS class marshals, in fact, were international students: Laura Turrent, a student from Mexico, and Sara Lomelin, also from Mexico, the only CSS graduate to earn a straight-A average.