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The MSc in International Business from UPF-BSM and ESCI-UPF, a close collaborator with the United Nations

22 Julio - 2021
cerf

The Master of Science from the UPF Barcelona School of Management and ESCI-UPF through the Careers Service offers its students the opportunity to undertake an internship agreement with the United Nations (UN).

The MSc in International Business includes curricular internships as an essential element of the study plan. Internships are considered an academic subject that must be taken in order to obtain a Master's degree,” explained Mercè Roca, academic director of the Master of Science in International Business at UPF-BSM and ESCI-UPF.

Students that are selected by the UN will undertake their internship at the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), where they can apply the knowledge acquired during the Master's degree and be part of multidisciplinary teams made up of people from all over the world. According to Mads Frandsen, Head of the Central Emergency Response Fund: “Students who carry out UPF-BSM internships add value to the CERF team and have the opportunity to be part of processes and lines of work that are beneficial for their growth when it comes to getting started in the world of work”.

Students who carry out UPF-BSM internships add value to the CERF team" explains Mads Frandsen, Head, Central Emergency Response Fund's (CERF).

Michael Tobia, a student on the first edition of the MSCIB, undertook his internship at the United Nations headquarters in New Delhi (India): “It was a very good experience where, in addition to working at United Nations ESCAP South and Southwest Asia Office, I was able to do it in a city like New Delhi. For me, being from New York, it was a very rewarding experience that I would do again without any doubt."

Despite the global pandemic due to COVID-19, students have been able to continue taking internships at the United Nations in remote format thanks to the management of the Professional Careers Service of the UPF-BSM. “Searching for a professional opportunity is a very exciting time, an opportunity to grow the professional profile, and find a challenge that will help develop many of the skills which are needed for the professional future of students,” said Montse Ontiveros, Careers Advisor at the UPF-BSM Professional Careers Service.

Sebastian Meijer, alumni of the 2019 MSCIB and Aanandita Ticku, alumni of the 2020 MSCIB, were the last students to be part of the CERF team. “We were able to offer Sebastian Meijer a consultant position for another six months after the end of the internship agreement and we are currently looking at how to continue collaborating,” said Mads Frandsen of the United Nations CERF.

For Aanandita Ticku, who ended her experience last May, the assessment is positive: “I have already done five interviews to be able to start working on what I like and I am grateful for the knowledge that the United Nations CERF internships gave me.” She adds: “I keep in touch with the work team who do not hesitate to help me and recommend my professional profile to other organizations.”

"I have already done five interviews to be able to start working on what I like and I am grateful for the knowledge that the United Nations CERF internships gave me" explains Aanandita Ticku alumni of MSCIB.

The Master of Science in International Business will begin its 10th course this September, welcoming people from all over the world, from different fields and with a multicultural environment that helps to create a rich international group when it comes to communicating, working, and developing business on a global scale. 

UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF)

The United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund is one of the fastest and most effective ways to ensure that urgently needed humanitarian aid reaches people in situations of extreme vulnerability. Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2005 as the global United Nations emergency response fund, the CERF enables life-saving humanitarian aid to be provided wherever crises occur.

As an essential facilitator of global humanitarian action, CERF's rapid response window allows teams in each country to immediately begin humanitarian efforts in a coordinated and prioritized manner when a new emergency situation arises or ongoing emergencies deteriorate. The CERF window for Underfunded Emergency Situations helps support critical humanitarian efforts in forgotten and underfunded emergency responses.

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