Singapore Management University (SMU) and the Washington University in St Louis today announced the inking of a new partnership, a culmination of months of discussions between the Lee Kong Chian School of Business and the Olin Business School, to offer international students with an enriched learning experience in two different continents through the new Global Master of Finance dual degree programme.

The new programme prepares students for success in a wide variety of finance-related careers worldwide.  Under the partnership, students will have the opportunity to acquire cutting-edge financial knowledge and skills from senior finance professors from both universities.

Representing their respective universities at the Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony on 13 February 2013 were Professor Howard Thomas, SMU Dean of Lee Kong Chian School of Business, and Professor Mahendra Gupta, Dean of Olin Business School, Washington University.

“We are honoured and delighted to partner with Washington University in St. Louis and Olin Business School.  This is the first dual degree programme offered by SMU with a leading university in the United States.  The programme promises students the distinctive opportunity to learn about financial systems and practices in the US as well as in Asian markets – giving them a competitive advantage that will stand them in good stead in their future careers,” said Professor Howard Thomas.

“Students will be able to attend classes in two different continents, be exposed to the different business environments, and build valuable networks in the US and in Asia.  They will benefit immensely from their experience studying in Singapore and the United States,” he added.

[(From left to right) Professor Mahendra Gupta, Dean of Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis; Professor Ohad Kadan, Professor of Finance, Washington University in St. Louis; Professor Benedict Koh, Associate Dean (Specialised Masters Programmes), Lee Kong Chian School of Business, SMU; Professor Howard Thomas, Dean of Lee Kong Chian School of Business, SMU; Mr David Conner, Board of Trustee of Washington University and Advisory Board Member of SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business.]

[Featured photo above:Professor Howard Thomas (right), Dean of Singapore Management University (SMU) Lee Kong Chian School of Business, and Professor Mahendra Gupta (left), Dean of Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis, at the MOU Signing Ceremony held at SMU.]

The pioneer batch of about 30 dual degree students will commence lessons in July 2013 in Washington.   Students on the 14-month programme will spend two summer terms in Olin Business School and approximately nine months in SMU.  Upon completion of the programme, students will graduate with two degrees – a Master of Science in Applied Finance from SMU and a Master of Science in Finance from Olin.

“Olin Business School has joined forces with Singapore Management University to educate a new generation of risk managers, research analysts, and investment decision makers,” says Mahendra Gupta, Olin’s Dean and Geraldine J. and Robert L. Virgil Professor of Accounting and Management.

“Individually, each of our schools offers superior preparation for careers in finance. Together, we are greater than the sum of our parts. Students will gain a big-picture understanding of the worldwide financial industry, along with innovative theories and practices,” he added.

The curriculum includes immersion courses in New York and Washington, D.C., that explore U.S. financial markets, policymaking, legislative processes, enforcement agencies, and the Federal Reserve. These courses are offered in collaboration with Brookings Executive Education, part of the Brookings Institution and managed by Olin Business School.

[The newly-established partnership between SMU (left) and Washington University in St. Louis (right) represents the start of many potential collaborations that will be forged between the two universities in the years to come.]

About Olin Business School

Olin Business School is one of seven academic schools at Washington University in St. Louis. Founded in 1917, the business school was renamed for entrepreneur John M. Olin in 1988.  The school offers BSBA, Master of Business Administration (MBA), MS in Supply Chain Management, MS in Finance, Master of Accounting, Executive MBA, and PhD degrees.  Olin has been consistently ranked among the world's top business schools by The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, the Financial Times, BusinessWeek, and the Economist.

About SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business

SMU commenced its curriculum in 2000 with the School of Business, which welcomed its pioneer cohort of students in August 2000. In 2004, the Lee Foundation contributed S$50 million to SMU in honour of the late Dr Lee Kong Chian, a well-known Southeast Asian businessman, philanthropist and community leader.  In recognition of the Lee Foundation's generosity, SMU named in perpetuity the School of Business, the building and the university-wide scholars programme after Dr Lee Kong Chian.

Today, Lee Kong Chian School of Business (LKCSB) is a dynamic Asian business school with more than 2,500 students and over a hundred full-time faculty members with postgraduate degrees from renowned universities such as Cornell, Harvard, INSEAD, Oxford, Stanford and Yale.  The school offers undergraduate, master's (including MBA and EMBA) and doctoral programmes and is affiliated with a number of research centres such as the Institute of Service Excellence and the Centre for Marketing Excellence.

In 2011, LKCSB received both the AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accreditation and a five-year EQUIS (European Quality Improvement System) accreditation.  For both accreditations, the School has the distinction of being one of the youngest schools in the world to be accredited.  In June 2012, LKCSB also gained admission into the EMBA Council to join the ranks of other internationally-renowned business schools.