Title:A joint degree program shaping the future of global business

“More and more often, solutions to the world’s most complex issues are found at the nexus of business, geopolitics, and international relations,” Paul Almeida, dean of Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business, said when the Dikran Izmirlian Bachelor of Science in Business and Global Affairs Program first launched. Three years after the first cohort of students began their studies in Fall 2021, the Izmirlian Program in Business and Global Affairs (BGA) continues to attract top talent, accelerating students’ understanding of the interaction between business and international affairs in the global economy.

The program—Georgetown’s first undergraduate joint degree—was created by Georgetown McDonough and the School of Foreign Service, and transformed with a gift from Sarkis Izmirlian (B’94, Parent’25, ’26), who named the program in honor of his father. In addition to the Izmirlian family, many other donors have invested in the program, facilitating the development of its joint curriculum and experiential learning opportunities.

Students have flocked to the offering, with the Class of 2027 having the highest number of applicants yet. Guided by Georgetown’s Jesuit values and using resources made possible by our Washington, DC, location, the Izmirlian BGA program is creating a new educational paradigm, preparing a new generation of ethical global leaders who can integrate the tools of the private and public sectors to confront sweeping challenges.

Georgetown’s first joint degree

In the Izmirlian BGA program, “Georgetown has created a truly integrated new curriculum that combines the best of a business and international affairs education” said Joel Hellman, dean of Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service. Students apply to join the BGA program at the end of their first year of undergraduate studies, after taking an introductory course. Students selected for the program then spend the next three years taking a series of signature courses with their cohort.

The Izmirlian BGA program has several key design features:

• Integrated, interdisciplinary courses co-developed and team-taught by faculty from Georgetown McDonough and the School of Foreign Service representing a range of disciplines.
• Opportunities to apply foundational knowledge in real-world settings: project-based learning in core courses and credit-bearing, on-location experiential learning projects closely tied to course content.
• Engagement with the international business-government ecosystem of Washington, DC. This includes an annual Business and Global Affairs Conference, which convenes businesses and Georgetown’s partners within government and civil society, and highlights case studies of cross-sector relations.
• A grounding in the Jesuit tradition, supporting the development of ethical, engaged, and compassionate leaders.

On-site experiential learning

Hands-on experiences—in Washington, DC, and around the world—are a key feature of the Izmirlian BGA program. In the nation’s capital, students attend congressional hearings, think tank events, and lectures. International experiential learning projects, meanwhile, have included:

• A sophomore-year cultural immersion experience focused on how local communities and stakeholders are affected by national and international business and policy. In March 2024, Izmirlian BGA students visited the Northern and Southwestern regions of the Dominican Republic, examining industries such as gold mining, sugarcane, and apparel, and learning about challenges and opportunities through engagement with local entrepreneurs, community leaders, and NGOs.
• A junior-year global value chain experience, in which students explore the causes and consequences of the distribution of economic and business activity through the lens of an industry’s value chain. In 2024, students partnered with Medtronic and traveled along the value chain of the medical device industry, visiting operational headquarters in Minneapolis; manufacturing in Tijuana, Mexico; as well as R&D and advanced production in Galway, Ireland. Previous value chain experiences included collaborations with Gap, Inc. and Bechtel, in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
• A senior-year capstone business and policy experience, allowing students to explore complex societal problems at the nexus of business and global affairs. In 2024, students traveled to Ghana, focusing on financial and climate change-related issues in collaboration with Ghana’s Securities and Exchanges Commission, as well as its Forestry Commission.

A launchpad for broad engagement

Graduates of the program say it has had a profound impact. “My engagement with the BGA program has facilitated tremendous intellectual growth,” said Kenan Dogan (SFS’23). Classmate Nima Majidi (SFS’23), who went on to win a Fulbright scholarship, said the BGA program was invaluable in showing him the big picture and giving him a breadth of knowledge.

Georgetown has graduated two cohorts of Izmirlian BGA students since the program’s launch—sending into the world dozens of leaders with a highly sought-after skill set. These graduates’ employment outcomes reflect the best of both schools. Students have received offers from management consulting (Bain, BCG, McKinsey, Deloitte, E&Y, PwC); finance (Barclays, Blackstone, Goldman Sachs, Jefferies, JPMorgan Chase); technology (Microsoft, Salesforce); and a range of government, legal, think tank, and non-profit organizations (Development Finance Corporation, Peace Corps, FTI, US-China Business Council, Skadden, and Bates White, among others).

In addition, several Izmirlian BGA graduates have continued their academic pursuits, including two Fulbright awardees (in Uzbekistan and Taiwan), one Yengchin Scholarship (China), one fellowship to the National Cheng Chi University (Taiwan), and two law degrees (Columbia University and Georgetown University).