In a move that further strengthens its international mission, the ILR School at Cornell has announced a new dual degree program with the ESCP-EAP European School of Management (ESM).

The program is the first of its kind for the ILR School and builds on a pre-existing student exchange agreement with ESM, which is ranked among the top business schools in Europe, according to the Financial Times, with campuses located in Paris, London, Madrid, Berlin and Turin.

The three-year degree program is open to American and European graduate students who are accepted to both schools. They earn an MILR degree from the ILR School and a Master of Management from ESM. The first group of students will enter the program in fall 2008 and study at ESM's Paris campus.

Robin Remick, managing director of Cornell's ILR International Programs, says that ESM was interested in this joint effort because of ILR's social science perspective, which enhances an overall business education in ways a partnership with another business school would not.

"Participating in this program will help our students gain an even greater global perspective," said Remick. "They'll be studying in Europe, doing internships in Europe, learning languages and, overall, making themselves much more marketable." Remick also said that employers the ILR School has contacted, as well as students, have expressed great interest in this new program.

Students also will have opportunities to complete summer internships in Europe before and after their year of study there.

The program requires MILR students to take 10 courses -- six core business courses and four electives on European/global issues -- at ESM. Admission to the program requires proficiency in two European languages.

"The dual degree is a tremendous opportunity for ESCP-EAP students. They will be able to acquire, within one of the best international academic institutions in the field of industrial and labor relations, a more complete perspective in social sciences and to combine it with their business education," says Béatrice Collin, professor at ESM. "Moreover, in these fields where the cultural environment plays a determining role, they will be able to immerse themselves in the American context after having gained in-depth knowledge of the European context of management."

To learn more about the dual degree program, contact Remick at rjr4@cornell.edu.