The Lauder Institute at The University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania’s Lauder Institute provides globally-minded business students with a unique and special opportunity to earn an MBA and an MA in International Studies from a world-class university at the same time. Established in 1983 by brothers Leonard and Ronald Lauder, the program is open to students at The Wharton School and takes 24 months to complete the MBA/MA joint-degree program.

To be accepted into the program, applicants must complete the Wharton application along with the Lauder supplemental application which is embedded to the Wharton online application. Candidates complete a Lauder specific essay, pass an oral proficiency interview, provide information on their international exposure, and participate in an admissions interview (upon invitation.) Applicants must apply by the Round 1 or Round 2 Wharton deadlines to be considered.

Applicants also choose a Program of Concentration when applying to Lauder. The six Programs of Concentration are Africa, East and Southeast Asia, Europe, Latin America, South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa, and the Global program. The regionally focused programs also require the pursuit of a target language spoken in the region. For applicants to the Global program and Africa/Anglophone program, superior level fluency in one language other than English is required for admission.

From The School

Founded by brothers Leonard and Ronald Lauder in 1983 in honor of their father, Joseph, the Joseph H. Lauder Institute for Management & International Studies provides a fully integrated business education to a new generation of leaders coming of age in a rapidly globalizing world.

The Lauder Institute prepares leaders to speak the global language of business, culture, and politics. Fluently. Our students are committed to preparing themselves for a world of specialization, change, and uncertainty. Lauder Institute faculty are not only outstanding teachers but also respected thought leaders whose research and publications sway thinking from academia to the business world.

Our rigorous academic program integrates excellent teaching in tailored arts and sciences coursework with advanced language study and cultural immersion experiences. The unique JD/MA or MBA/MA joint degree program at Lauder was the first of its kind and it has remained in a class by itself.

The Lauder Institute is a cosmopolitan hub at the University of Pennsylvania for students who are passionate about international management issues and global studies. Each class of 70 Lauder students becomes part of a small, tight-knit community. While truly a part of Wharton and Penn, Lauder students benefit from dedicated faculty who deliver a unique curriculum specifically designed to create a fully integrated learning experience.

Lauder students don’t just study the world from the classroom; they take the classroom to the world. Students begin their Lauder experience with four weeks on the Philadelphia campus followed by an eight-week summer immersion program in cultures abroad. The Global Knowledge Lab (GKL), a practical, yet analytical, research undertaking, also provides students with the opportunity to develop and merge their language, managerial, and cultural skills during travel to multiple global regions.

Like current Lauder Institute students, Lauder Institute alumni can be found around the world. Our graduates are and have been global leaders in their respective fields, from multinational management consulting firms to microfinance operations in emerging economies, from major media and entertainment companies to technology start-ups.

How the Lauder program works

Unlike a typical academic calendar...