The Western New Mexico University School of Business hopes to grow its dual degree agreements with Mexican universities. Through these agreements, students are able to earn degrees from both universities, the Mexican university and WNMU, at the same time.
WNMU currently has fifteen students in the program, all students from Mexico studying in Silver City. The program has not yet had a U.S. student study in Mexico; however, that opportunity is available, said Assistant Professor Iván Ibarra Sánchez, who oversees the program for WNMU. In addition to having a rich cultural immersion, said Ibarra, students from the U.S. would also enjoy economic benefits if they took part in the opportunity. “They will be spending three semesters there, and they will be paying tuition as [Mexican university] students, which is about $300 dollars per semester, and food and housing is a lot more affordable down there,” he said. “So that is a win-win.”
The students from Mexico studying at WNMU have the opportunity to study virtually any subject offered by the School of Business, from management to human resources. Ibarra emphasized that students who have participated in the program so far have had great success. “The Mexican students have been enjoying it here, and they also have been learning and taking advantage of the experience,” he said.
Indeed, some students in the program have decided to continue their study after earning their bachelor’s degree. “We have two students that were part of the dual degree program that are now MBA students,” said Ibarra. “We hope we can inspire [students in the dual degree program] to continue their education at the graduate level.”
Beyond benefitting the students enrolled in the program, Ibarra said that having Mexican students on campus in Silver City makes for a more enriching college experience for all students. “WNMU is really pretty international,” he said. “We have students from Africa, from Europe, and it is a good thing that they all get to work together and learn about their perspectives of the world and their different cultures. That opens their minds because they see a different way of thinking.”
The dual degree program has been such a success that the School of Business is looking to expand it, including opening up opportunities for graduate students. “We are close to signing agreements at the graduate level with University of Chihuahua and the University of Sonora,” explained Ibarra. “The disciplines will be in human resources, marketing, administration, and market research.”
Ibarra is also looking for opportunities that might entice students from the U.S. to study in Mexico. “I am trying to set up an agreement with a university that has a tourism [program],” he said. “Since we do not have that here, and [tourism] is one of the main economic activities of [Silver City].”
Ibarra, who has a background in mechanical engineering and a PhD in project management, taught at Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua prior to accepting his position at WNMU, and he maintains a number of connections with that university and others in Mexico.
These connections, he said, have helped facilitate the process of reaching agreements that allow the dual degree program to grow. “I am glad I can use my connections there to speed up the processes,” he said. “I am excited that I may be able to expand this to other universities.”