The first class of the only bilingual program in China for a master's of business administration will be marked by Cornell and Tsinghua universities at a ceremony in Beijing on Tuesday.

Several well known US business schools including the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University already offer an MBA program in China. Ya-Ru Chen, Cornell's academic dean of China initiatives, said the Cornell MBA will be the only bilingual program.

'We will teach a little over half in Mandarin and the rest in English. We believe that by taking a bilingual approach, we won't have to limit the applicants. We can appeal to the Chinese who may not have the best English skills," she told China Daily.

The program will operate in Beijing at Tsinghua and also at Cornell facilities in Ithaca, New York, and New York City. Approximately 75 percent of the program will be delivered in China, primarily in Beijing with some classes in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. The remaining 25 percent will be in New York City or Ithaca.

Chen said the Mandarin instruction and the partnership with Tsinghua's PBC School of Finance are designed to emphasize the Chinese aspect of the program. "Even the best finance professors in the US would have a hard time teaching finance in China because they don't know the Chinese system or culture. Tsinghua will help us bring the Chinese perspective to the program," she said.

Chen said Cornell's Johnson school will bring its expertise in globalization to the program. Globalization is now a major business topic as companies and organizations prepare their products and services for a global market.

The new MBA program will also help Cornell to establish an alumni network in China. "The goal of this program is to prepare the fast-rising leaders in China. This will help to establish a strong alumni base in China for Cornell," said Chen.

Soumitra Dutta, dean of Cornell's Johnson Graduate School of Management, said Tsinghua is an equal partner in the program. "They will provide half of the faculty and manage the admissions process," he said.

The school will admit about 60 students from China for the first class. "It is a part-time program so the student can continue with their career," said Dutta. Females will make up about 38 percent of the inaugural class. Students will pay about $90,000 to complete the two-year program. "There is no financial aid available from Cornell," Dutta said.

Dutta said the program is designed to appeal to executive corporate and organizational leaders in China. Recruiting will be done primarily in the greater China region. "Our ideal student is a bright working professional at a private firm or an SOE (State-owned enterprise)." Dutta hopes each class is made up of at least "one-third entrepreneurs."

Students will learn about Wall Street, develop case studies and study in the Cornell Tech MBA taught in New York, a one-year program influenced by the needs of the digital age.

In the first ranking of global universities by US News & World Report last year, Tsinghua was ranked behind Peking University in China. Peking was 39th and Tsinghua placed 67th.

paulwelitzkin@chinadailyusa.com