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Related Information

2009 GATE Program Information

GATE General Course Policies and Guidelines

GCP Testimonials 2008

Student Profile

The highlight of the trip for me was visiting the women, who sang to us in the rural village in the Ajmer district, where a multi-year drought has seriously threatened an already impoverished region.

Sophie Messer on her trip to India

Read more and view a video of Sophie's experience.

GATE Courses

Global Academic Travel Experience courses are three credit elective courses. Students study the business, culture, economy, and politics of a country or region for 6 weeks before traveling to the area studied. The travel portion of the course is typically about 12 days in length.

Students gain exposure to international businesses through visits to multinational corporations, local enterprises, government agencies, exchange program partner schools, alumni and others in the region.

Note: Please see the link to the right for GATE Policies and Guidelines.

*This information is subject to change, especially prices, departure and return dates.

From the International Office:

Students participating in a GATE course must check to see if their U.S. visa stamps will be valid at the point they will be returning to Fuqua. If not, students will have to obtain new stamps from a U.S. embassy/consulate while abroad. If in a country that is not one's home country, this sometimes can take more time, and it also is possible that your application will not be processed. Be sure to check your visa stamp's validity and also check to see that your I-20 has been revalidated within the past year. If the signature on page 3 will be more than 1 year old when you return to the U.S., please take steps to have your visa document revalidated for travel by the International Office *before* you leave the country. For more information contact Paul Bumbalough .

GATE Course design

Classes - meet once a week for 3 hours during the term preceding the trip. These classes are highly participatory and require students to help educate each other on their findings.

The professor teaching the GATE course facilitates the classroom component of the course and provides a consultant role during the trip. Faculty invite high-level regional experts to provide in-depth information on the historical and current political, economic and cultural situation in the countries to be visited.

Coursework – assignments by faculty members may include company research and presentations in class prior to the trip, international case studies, participation in all required activities on the trip, and an individual or group paper or case write-up upon return. After 6 weeks of coursework, students take an intense two-week study tour to the country or region studied.

The Trip - is coordinated by two student Team Leaders, in consultation with the professor. During the trip students will meet with businesss and government leaders in a wide variety of industries and economic sectors.

Specifics regarding field visits:

Field visits – 8 field visits are required for the trip participation part of the grade. The goal is to provide the students with an opportunity to experience an in-depth view of a company or organization and to learn about some of the current challenges facing each organization.

Cultural visits - several activities will be planned to expose students to the culture of the country being visited. Some examples of cultural activities include a reception with company representatives, meeting with Fuqua alumni, a reception with local MBA students, a city tour, a short hike, and a museum visit.

Global Consulting Practicum

The Global Consulting Practicum (GCP) is a three credit elective course. Working in small consulting teams with faculty supervision, students will have the opportunity to learn about, visit, and engage with social entrepreneurs and businesses serving base-of-the-pyramid markets in developing countries.

After 6 weeks of initial research and preparation, students travel to the field for approximately 12 days of on-site consultation with their clients.  Through this service-learning course, students gain an ability to recognize, critically assess, and contribute effectively to various forms of social enterprise and base-of-the-pyramid strategies as tools of poverty alleviation, economic development, and social transformation.

 GCP Courses for Spring 1, January-March, 2009