Vietnamese Student Attends WSU Vancouver as Part of Cooperative MBA Program

VANCOUVER, Wash.–  Tien Tran, a Vietnamese student, arrived in the United States just over a month ago. He is attending Washington State University Vancouver as part of a cooperative MBA program between WSU and National Economics University (NEU) in Hanoi. The program includes recruitment and selection of outstanding Vietnamese students who study with visiting WSU business faculty in Vietnam for the first half of their MBA program, and at one of the WSU campuses for the second half of their MBA courses. Students also complete a research proposal as part of the program.

WSU business faculty members have been traveling to Vietnam to teach courses at NEU for over five years. Tran first learned about WSU Vancouver from Jane Cote, director of the Business Program at WSU Vancouver, while she was teaching at NEU.

“I chose to pursue my MBA while I was working in Taiwan for Deutsche Bank,” stated Tran, who is fluent in Vietnamese, English and Chinese (Mandarin dialect). “I was very impressed by the professionalism of my supervisor, and [I wanted to emulate his management style]. I knew that I could not advance anymore in my career without furthering my education. I chose WSU Vancouver because it is an excellent learning institution. It was my final choice for my education pathway.”

When asked what kind of career path he would like to pursue after obtaining his MBA, Tran expressed his interest in helping others overseas to obtain advanced degrees. “There are many educational consulting companies in other countries that provide misleading or inaccurate information to students wishing to study abroad. Even now while I am still a student, I email my friends back in Vietnam [concerning the ‘do’s and don’t’s’] that will make finding the right information and applying to the right schools a lot easier for them.” Tran added, “In Vietnam, [the educational consulting companies] don’t understand their market. I hope to be able to provide a [seamless] service that helps students choose and apply to colleges overseas.”

Tran cited the differences in his higher education experience at WSU Vancouver versus institutions in his native country. “At WSU Vancouver, the teaching methodology is different. There is much greater interaction between the students and the professors at WSU Vancouver, so that students [know where they stand throughout the semester], and the courses offered meet consistently high standards.” Tran is attending WSU Vancouver for the summer session.

WSU Vancouver offers 14 bachelor’s and nine master’s degrees in more than 35 fields of study. The campus is located at 14204 N.E. Salmon Creek Ave., east of the 134th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205. WSU Vancouver’s Web site address is http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu.