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The only dual MBA program to be offered in English and Mandarin will launch next year in a partnership between Johnson and China's Tsinghua University.

The Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management announced June 3 that it has entered into a partnership with Tsinghua University and its PBC School of Finance to offer a dual-degree MBA and finance MBA taught in English and Mandarin. The 21-month-long, part-time, 60-credit program is scheduled to enroll its first students in April 2015.

“The launch of the dual-degree program is truly a historic moment in our respective schools’ histories. With China as the second-largest economy in the world, it is an important point in time to collaborate and develop this important partnership and unique program, to benefit students and executives from both America and China,” said Johnson Dean Soumitra Dutta.

Approximately 65 students with an average age of 30 to 35 and an average of five to eight years work experience are expected to enroll. Coursework will include two, two-week study trips consisting of case competitions, a Wall Street trek and integration with Johnson MBA and Executive MBA students on the Ithaca campus and Cornell Tech in New York City.

“Innovation is so important to the next phase of economic development in China,” said Ya-Ru Chen, academic director of China Initiatives and the Nicholas H. Noyes Professor of Management and Global Business. “Facing the growth pressure, China inevitably has to upgrade its focus and move up the value chain; for this reason, innovation is key.”

“We plan to carry forward the excellent tradition of the two schools, hand in hand, to create new opportunities and prepare our students for challenges in the business world of the 21st century,” said Liao Li, PBC School of Finance executive associate dean. “We are honored to be part of this formidable partnership and foresee the tremendous possibilities for mutual growth.”

Tsinghua is among the highest-ranked universities in mainland China. The PBC School of Finance, founded in 2012 as a collaboration between the People's Bank of China and Tsinghua University, seeks to build itself into a world-class financial institute that trains professionals for financial sectors and provides policy advice to the Chinese government.