Immersion FAQs

MBA@UNC Immersions provide students in the MBA@UNC program at Kenan-Flagler with an opportunity to engage in short-term experiential learning abroad for academic credit. Immersions are offered twice per year (in March and September) following an international Summit. Each Immersion combines relevant and timely international business issues with nuts-and-bolts discussions of how to conduct business in targeted countries or regions. These highly participatory global experiences give you firsthand insight into a region’s culture, social and political environment, and economic development challenges and successes.

Immersions are worth 2 hours of elective credit. To participate, you must also enroll in the corresponding Summit. Led by UNC faculty, each Immersion starts with a series of classes, providing participants with a strong foundation in the region’s history, economy, and culture. The travel experience requires energy and dedication, with full days of activities, meetings, visits, and cultural engagements that sometimes extend into the evening. You’ll develop an understanding of the forces and factors that shape business in the region and the world. You’ll visit a range of companies, from multinationals to non-profits. You’ll meet business and government leaders, and interact with local communities. Offerings are tailored to the region.

Immersions are dynamic and enriching, providing deep insight into the business and culture of a key global region while pushing you to grow and adapt beyond your comfort zone. Recent Immersion locations have taken students to: South Africa, Poland and Lithuania, Bolivia, and Portugal and Morocco.

Immersion locations are chosen to target regions and countries around the world based on the program theme, current business environment, and impactful learning experiences. We look at each Immersion as an opportunity to tell a story of comparison and contrast around a particular business theme, culture, and socio-economic-political-religious environments.

Immersions are elective courses held at the end of July quarter or January quarter. 

• A January quarter Immersion will be held after the March international Summit (usually late March). 
• A July quarter Immersion will be held after the September international Summit (usually late September).

Each Immersion course will be led by a Kenan-Flagler faculty and staff member. While each Immersion course may differ slightly, you should be prepared to present on specific companies highlighted in the course, review a presentation while in-country to your peers, and complete a final paper upon return. To uphold the integrity of the group course, attendance for all pre-departure courses, company visits, and cultural activities are mandatory. You should expect to spend the vast majority of your time in-country with the entire Immersion class. The Immersion is an intensive experiential course.

Immersion registration opens during normal registration windows, typically the quarter before the Summit and Immersion take place. You are able to register at the start of your registration round which is determined based upon how many Summits you have attended. It should also be noted that you may not register for an Immersion unless you have secured a seat in the associated Summit. Also, if you’ve already enrolled in a past Immersion, we ask that you first add yourself to the waitlist. If the Immersion does not fill, we will then manually add you to the course. 

Immersions focus on the business context and culture of the areas studied, but do not include a language component. Students who have studied a language that is spoken in an area they will visit will undoubtedly encounter opportunities to utilize their skills during the immersion portion of the course. However, there is no language prerequisite or requirement for participation, and a student´s knowledge of local languages will not affect his or her grade

Kaitlyn Murphy, Associate Director, MBA Global Programs: kmurphy@unc.edu.

Immersions are worth 2 credit hours.

Possibly. Our team is here to support you and will provide targeted guidance based on country. In the meantime, please review our Visas and Entry Documents for MBA Global Programs document.