In today’s world English is already a must in a business environment. However, according to Rita Jucevičienė, head of the management programmes’ committee at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), in the future English language competencies will be needed in every career.
“Globalisation, free migration, social networking, the need to talk in a language, which is common for all the partners, is the reality of today”, says Jucevičienė.
According to her, any business, even if it operates mainly on local level, is international by definition. However, the number of overseas corporations investing in Lithuania and opening their headquarters here is constantly growing and English becomes a compulsory competence in every position.
“I can honestly say that soon English will be needed for every engineer, marketing professional, programmer or manager. Even today it is not easy to get a job without sufficient ability to communicate in English. Today’s business language is English, therefore I suggest: let’s study in the same language that we are developing our business in”, says Jucevičienė, associate professor at KTU School of Economics and Business.
The universities, trying to meet the demand of the market, are increasing the number of study programmes in English.
International Business at KTU School of Economics and Business is one of a few master’s study programmes in English, offered in Kaunas. This programme, which will be taught only in English from next September, was founded more than 20 years ago. 5 years ago it was translated and adapted to international students, and every year it is becoming more and more popular among them.
“Our students come from a wide variety of backgrounds: they are graduates of engineering, social sciences or humanities. Moreover, this programme is very popular among the managers and entrepreneurs who are already working. Obviously, the class, which unites people with real work experience and recent graduates, creates a perfect climate for learning from each other, for sharing best practices and insights”, says Jucevičienė.
She says that the decision to transform International Business master’s programme into only English-taught was based on two main factors: its popularity among international students, and an increasing demand from Lithuanians, wishing to study business on master’s level in English.
“From the next academic year, international and Lithuanian students will study together – this will be a fantastic opportunity to all of them to gain knowledge in international business in a multicultural environment. The international board of advisors regards this as a great advantage in seeking international accreditation. By the way, International Business master’s programme has already passed initial stages for obtaining international EPAS accreditation”, says Jucevičienė.
International Business is being partly taught by overseas professors, such as Maximilian von Zedtwitz, Xavier Pavie, Stephan Buse, Hans Ruediger Kaufmann and other globally renowned professors, teaching in the best universities of the world.
