Step into the global arena
The Global Immersion program embeds students within foreign markets, exposing them to the most pressing challenges facing international businesses. During these week-long courses, students move beyond the classroom and into the heart of today’s biggest business questions to explore issues such as global health, the impact of technology in business, and other timely topics affecting organizations around the world.
Typically held during the January Intersession, Spring Break, late May, or the Summer term, Global Immersion is an intense, one-week, two-credit course. Some programs are hosted in partnership with universities abroad, supplementing classroom work with on-site visits. Students visit with government offices and corporate partners, collaborating with leaders to analyze an industry problem from the businesses’ perspective. Through these engagements, students learn firsthand how businesses respond to political shifts and how those developments impact business decision-making and strategy. Topics have included technology, financial systems, healthcare systems, innovation, sustainability, and organizational management strategies, and social impact.
For students interested in a global immersion without travel, the Virtual Global Immersion is an opportunity to work on an international business challenge with graduate business students from an overseas partner institution. The eight-week, fully online Virtual Global Immersion is built around weekly synchronous class sessions that blend faculty lectures from each institution, cultural activities, virtual business site visits, and group project work. Together, students gain a truly international learning experience directly from one another about the business culture in each of their respective countries.
Virtual Global Immersion: Peru - Cross-Cultural Teaming on Business Challenges
(BU.003.930.41)
In this eight-week Virtual Global Immersion, graduate students from both Carey and CENTRUM Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP) collaborate in cross-cultural teams to address an international business challenge. To prepare for their work together, students receive guidance through effective multicultural team-building principles to create a team contract and develop a project work plan. Over the course of the program, teams explore the differences between their respective countries’ business environments and exchange their own perspectives related to their project topic. Faculty from each institution deliver lectures, while weekly synchronous sessions include virtual business site visits, workshops, expert panels, and cultural enrichment activities that support and enhance the intensive team project work.
Date: Spring, Term 1 (January - March)
Location: Online
Faculty: James Calvin, PhD
To participate in the Virtual Peru Global Immersion, students need to be prepared to graduate no earlier than the Spring term. Registration for Spring I courses opens in November.
Italy—Healthcare in Europe: Models, Regulation & Business
(BU.003.904.91)
Students examine European healthcare models and analyze similarities and differences with those in the United States. Through explorations of both public and private healthcare models, students gain an understanding of the regulatory aspects at the country and EU levels, and learn how business dynamics shape the healthcare sector across Europe. Meetings with government agencies, corporate businesses, healthcare providers, clinics, and academic institutions offer a broad range of perspectives to help students build a well-rounded view of how different healthcare models operate. This course includes two remote pre-departure lectures, followed by a week-long travel experience in Milan, Italy.
Date: Spring Break
Location: Milan, Italy
Faculty: Mario Macis, PhD
To participate in the Italy Global Immersion, students need to be prepared to graduate no earlier than the Spring term. Registration for Spring I courses opens in November. Note that required travel for the Spring Break Immersion may conflict with some Spring 1 final exams.
UK—Technology & Society through a Behavioral Economics Lens
(BU.003.906.91)
Does social media make us happier? Are hidden fees exploitative? Can online marketplaces mitigate discrimination? Using a behavioral economics lens, this course explores how technology platforms impact our wellbeing. Through interactive panels, discussions, and hands-on project work, students learn to apply behavioral insights to understand and improve technology's impact on society. Throughout the week, students engage with tech companies, consulting firms, entrepreneurs, and policy leaders, and the UK Behavioural Insights Team–a leading behavioral policy organization–serving as a key partner. Students complete a group project during the trip proposing changes to a product or policy based on behavioral economics principles to enhance societal wellbeing. This course includes two remote pre-departure lectures, followed by a week-long travel experience in London, United Kingdom.
Date: Spring Break
Location: London, United Kingdom
Faculty: Michael Luca, PhD
To participate in the UK Global Immersion, students need to be prepared to graduate no earlier than the Spring term. Registration for Spring I courses opens in November. Note that required travel for the Spring Break Immersion may conflict with some Spring 1 final exams.
United Kingdom—Navigating Through Crises
(BU.003.900.91)
Whether financial collapse, public health emergencies, infrastructure failure, or geopolitical tension, business leaders across all industries face a variety of risks that can quickly evolve into crises. Using recent events in both the United Kingdom and continental Europe as case studies, students in this course will sharpen their skills to manage effectively through a wide variety of challenging business situations. Combining interactive seminars, guest lectures, and site visits to corporate and/or governmental organizations, students will depart with in-depth knowledge and practical leadership skills.
Date: Late July (Week after Summer finals)
Location: London, United Kingdom
Faculty: Rick Smith, PhD
To participate in the United Kingdom Global Immersion, students need to be prepared to graduate no earlier than the Summer term. Registration for summer immersions open in March. Note that this course is traditionally offered every other year, with the next iteration planned in July 2027.
Peru—Community and Societal Impact
(BU.003.907.91)
Explore international social and environmental impact aligned with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. This course empowers students to create positive changes in local businesses and communities while examining the role of social impact work in Peru. Students begin with two synchronous, virtual pre-departure lectures to launch team projects focused on community and social impact. They then travel to Lima, Peru, to continue their collaborative work in person, attend lectures with faculty from CENTRUM Pontificia Universidad Católica Del Perú (PUCP) Graduate Business School, and gain varied perspectives through site visits and presentations from government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and local businesses.
Date: Summer
Location: Lima, Peru
Faculty: James Calvin, PhD
To participate in the Peru Global Immersion, students need to be prepared to graduate no earlier than the Summer term. Registration for summer immersions open in March.
Navigating Innovation in India
(BU.003.908.91)
Immerse yourself in India’s dynamic and rapidly growing economy. Students explore the country’s innovation ecosystem, gaining insights into consumer preferences, cultural nuances, and business practices that drive success in this diverse market. Through incubator and customer visits, guest lectures, and hands-on activities, students deepen their understanding of how to navigate the India’s complex business landscape. The course culminates in an entrepreneurship challenge, where students pitch a startup idea of either a novel concept or an adaptation of a successful U.S. model tailored to the Indian market.
Date: January Intersession (starting in 2026)
Location: Hyderabad, India
Faculty: Supriya Munshaw, PhD
To participate in the India Global Immersion, students need to be prepared to graduate no earlier than the Spring term. Registration for January Intersession courses opens in April. This course is intended to be offered every other year (next offered in January 2028).
Eligibility
To participate in these courses, students must be currently enrolled as a graduate student at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, have a minimum GPA of 3.0, and have completed 12 credits.*
*The 12-credit requirement can be waived with faculty approval for students who demonstrate significant industry experience in the subject matter or international business.
Enrollment varies per program but is generally limited to 26 students, with a minimum of 20 students required. Tuition, international residency fees, and a nonrefundable deposit apply to all students, regardless of status.
