Global Business Studies (co-major)
In this co-major, students develop a broad and diverse outlook essential to understanding the financial, social, cultural, ecological and technological changes of today's globally integrated companies. They explore business environments and cultures across the globe in both developed and emerging economies and become conscientious decision makers who are well-versed in international development, environmental sustainability, geo-politics, and global inequities.
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Meet an Economics/ Global Business Studies Co-Major: Kyle Watson
“I applied to Manhattan College early decision. I really liked everything about it, but I was worried that since it’s a smaller school, it might not have the same reach as some of the bigger brand names. Over time I realized that assumption was the opposite of the truth. The faculty are great and I benefit from the one-on-one attention that I wouldn’t be able to get at a bigger school.
"I started as a marketing major. A year in, I took a macroeconomics class and knew that was for me. So I started thinking about economics, and what would pair well with it. Global Business was an obvious choice; It gives you a broad view. There’s a class on multinational finance, international economics, international management. And then there’s the international field study seminar in marketing.
"I looked at the cost of the field study seminar and didn’t think I could pull it off. So I started talking to the Director, and she hired me as a paid research assistant. She helped me out the whole way. Our trip was to Frankfurt, Germany, which is the banking and economic center of Europe, so it fit well with my primary major. One day, we visited Deutsche Bank, another day we went to a marketing company. We had a visit from the American Consulate. We got to see the BMW and Mercedes-Benz factory and museum. It was a really educational experience.
"I had an internship with Weiss Multi-strategy Advisers, a hedge fund that’s run by Jordi Visser, who is a Manhattan alum. He was on campus to recruit students in April of my junior year. I felt like my Global Business major fit in well there. I spent a lot of time with the macro team, which is more focused on multinational finance, and learned a lot outside of the regular ‘here’s your work for the day,’ type of internship. The team members were super open about what they do. There were even a couple times where I’d sit down with Jordi one-on-one, and he’d explain his thought process. To be able to do that with the chief investment officer of a major hedge fund is an unbelieveable experience.
"This past year, I participated in the College Fed Challenge. It was eight weeks of macro bootcamp that led up to the competition in October. Even when I didn’t think I could do it, Dr. Guirguis got me to stick with it. He was such a huge motivator. We probably worked on the presentation itself for about five of the eight weeks. The rest of the time we spent preparing this 80-page book of everything we thought the judges could possibly ask us. Our team made it to the finals, which is the best any Manhattan team has ever done.
"While I was there, I got to talk to someone from the markets group at the Federal Reserve. I applied for a couple positions at the Fed in New York, although none of those came through. But Dr. Guirguis had my back and started sending resumes around, and eventually I got a call for a spot in Chicago, in the markets group. Before my interview, I called the guy who I met at the Fed Challenge, and he helped me out a lot, helped me get ready for it. A lot of luck and a little networking goes a long way.”