The international business students will graduate with one degree from Elon and one degree from a European partner institution.
Seven business dual degree students will graduate this weekend with two bachelor’s degrees – one in International Business from Elon University and one in International Management from either ESB Business School in Reutlingen, Germany, or NEOMA Business School in Reims, France.
As part of the four-year business dual-degree program, the students spent their first two years studying at their home institution and their last two years studying abroad at the partner institution. While abroad, they deepened their international business experience, completing a full-time, semester-long, work experience and creating a research portfolio.
“I wanted to study in an International Business program that is truly international,” said Anette Koehler, an ESB Business School student who spent the last two years at Elon. “Studying abroad for two years and completing two degrees in different countries offers a great opportunity to experience a new culture and to prepare for work in an international environment.”
Graduating business dual-degree students
Ramon Brandt
Home institution: ESB Business School (Germany)
Internship: Adore Me Inc., New York, New York
Thesis: “Predictive Modeling in Higher Education Fundraising” (mentor: Associate Professor Haya Ajjan)
Post-graduation plans: Move to New York to work for Adore Me
Chloe Chambon
Home institution: NEOMA Business School (France)
Internship: DHL, Weston, Florida.
Thesis: “Foreign Market Entry: Adaptation and Partnerships as a Successful Strategy for Foreign Food Business” (mentor: Associate Professor Lawrence Garber)
Post-graduation plans: Get a marketing or operations position in South America
Jonas Fries
Home institution: ESB Business School (Germany)
Internship: IWD, New York, NY
Thesis: “The Effect of Homepage Complexity on Brand Perception, Attitude and Choice: A Factorial Design” (mentor: Associate Professor Lawrence Garber)
Post-graduation plans: Going back to Europe
Bettina Geissbuehler
Home institution: Elon University
Internship: Omega Pharma Deutschland GmbH, Herrenberg, Germany
Thesis: “Low-Budget Marketing Campaigns – Planable or Pure Luck”
Post-graduation plans: Complete an internship in Germany and then do a master’s program in Germany or Switzerland
Lilian Guenzel
Home institution: ESB Business School (Germany)
Internships: FCB Chicago, Chicago, Ill., and Goldwind Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Thesis: “Agile Sales: An Exploration of Agile Methodologies in Sales” (mentor: Assistant Professor Erin Gillespie)
Post-graduation plans: Gap year with internships and language courses before starting graduate school in Europe
Theo Hardy
Home institution: NEOMA Business School (France)
Internship: The Yacht Sales Company, Houston, Texas
Thesis: “The rise of the craft beer industry in the USA: Can this rise also thrive in France?” (mentor: Frank S. Holt Jr. Professor of Business Leadership Rob Moorman)
Post-graduation plans: Completing a master’s degree in sales in Paris.
Anette Koehler
Home institution: ESB Business School (Germany)
Internships: Henkel, Hamburg, Germany, and LabCorp, Burlington, N.C.
Thesis: “What is the Potential of Business Model Innovation in the Transportation and Logistics Industry” (mentor: Assistant Professor Alisha Horky)
Post-graduation plans: MSc. in Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation program at Lund University in Sweden
The business dual-degree program, led by Associate Professor Mark Kurt, also includes partnerships with Universidad Pontificia Comillas-ICADE in Madrid, Spain, and Universitá Cattolica Del Sacro Cuore in Piacenza, Italy.