MBA@American Immersions
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, immersions are now hosted online. We are looking forward to the return of our in-person immersion in 2021.
One of the greatest benefits of the MBA@American program is the exposure students gain to domestic and global businesses and cultures through two Business in Capitals immersions. These three- to four-day in-person experiences are offered once per term and occur on the American University campus in Washington, DC, and in other international and domestic business hubs.
Connect with
Classmates and Faculty
Network with
Business Leaders
Explore Global
Business Hubs
Students are responsible for travel to and from immersions. Program fees will be assessed for direct program expenses, and all immersion experiences carry 1.5 credit hours and the related tuition. Accommodations are included in fees for immersions located outside of Washington, DC.
What to Expect
Immersions complement online learning by furthering students’ connections and knowledge in a real-world setting.
Connections in Washington, DC
At least one immersion a year will take place in Washington, DC, on American University's campus. This allows students to explore the unique culture of business in the nation's capital while immersing themselves in American University's home city.
Students will have opportunities to visit local companies and network in this international business hub and learn how Washington, DC, organizations are making a global impact through service, business excellence, and community engagement.
Domestic and International Exposure
Immersions enable students to experience different business capitals across the globe. Students will immerse themselves in the local culture and gain an understanding of how their industry fits into the global business ecosystem.
Students can elect to complete an extension after the international immersion for an additional 3 credits. Extensions count as an elective and are a continuation of what students learn in the prior immersion.
Networking Opportunities
Immersions are designed to strengthen students’ connections with their peers during the program and with business professionals who can help students continue to advance their careers long after graduation. During the immersion, students will:
- come face to face with executives at top companies in Washington, DC, and other global business capitals
- interact with their classmates who come from different industries and have unique perspectives
- develop lasting relationships with faculty who have extensive connections in the field and the experience to advise and support students throughout their careers
Learn More about the Online MBA
Earn a degree that can help you develop connections across the globe.
Featured Immersion Courses
Explore the course content offered at previous immersions.
Business Capitals: China Immersion, September 2018
This course explored negotiation and aspects of global trade in business management in the Chinese context. Students visited local companies, including multinational corporations, transportation and logistics hubs, and other enterprises. The class considered Chinese history to assess the viability of China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative toward trade collaboration and applied negotiation principles to resulting opportunities.
Company visits and structured meetings with managers, executives, government officials, and experts provided an important experiential element to the study of global business and trade in the nation that will soon surpass the U.S. as the largest global economy.
Business in the Capital: Washington, DC, Immersion, December 2018
This immersion offered three tracks for students to choose from:
- Innovation Track
- National and International NGO Track
- Entrepreneurship Track
The Entrepreneurship Track explored starting your own business and the world of start-ups. Students immersed themselves in the thriving Washington, DC, entrepreneurial scene and learned how local companies are continuing to dominate important areas of innovation. Students joined a team of others and created their own company based on the group’s interests, and then pitched their final ideas.
The in-person component included visits to thriving start-ups and meetings with successful entrepreneurs to provide an important experiential element to the study of business in the District. By the end of this course, students were able to better understand how start-ups start and thrive, and how they fail.
Sample Immersion Schedule
The following agenda is tentative and subject to change depending on which immersions students select.
- Optional networking reception
- Welcome breakfast
- Opening speaker
- Lunch
- Site visits (major corporations, start-ups, etc.)
- Dinner
- Breakfast
- Site visit or workshop
- Lunch
- Workshop/group exercise
- Group tour
- Breakfast
- Academic work
- Lunch
- Group presentations
Upcoming Immersions
Topic: Tourism and Marketing
Topic: Women Business Owners
Topic: Startups and Entrepreneurship
Past Immersions
Topic: The Future of Work & the Regulatory Imperative
Topic: Marketing and Consumer Behavior in a Dual-Cultural Environment
Topic: Technology Cluster Formation
Topic: Investment Decision Making
Topic: Lifestyle Brands and “Sporting” Event Sponsorship
Topic: Business Capitals - Entrepreneurship
Topic: Global Trade and Negotiations
Topic: Business Capitals ImmersionâMadrid
Topic: Business Capitals Immersion-Chicago
Topic: Business Capitals ImmersionâBrussels
Get Started
Learn more about American University’s online MBA program and in-person immersions.