Duke University Fuqua School of Business Programs

Duke University Fuqua School of Business has long been engaged with Sub-Saharan Africa through various partners, alumni network, and diverse curriculum including exchange programs, Global Academic Travel Experience (GATE) elective courses, and Global Consulting Practicums. These programs have provided students with the opportunity to internationalize their MBA experience, and in recent years, they have been busy building an even stronger foundation in Sub-Saharan Africa so that they can genuinely become embedded and connected in the region.

Global Academic Travel Experience (GATE) — This course combines classroom instruction with international travel to provide an overview of the business and economic conditions in a region or specific country. A GATE class has traveled to Africa every year since 2003, when GATE was established. More than 334 students have participated in Africa GATEs - making it one of the most popular GATE destinations. Countries visited in the past include South Africa, Zambia, and Botswana.

GATE students study the business, culture, economy, and politics of a country or region for 6 weeks before traveling to the area. The travel portion of the course is typically 12 days in length during which students visits multinational corporations, local enterprises, government agencies, exchange program partner schools, alumni and other partners in the region. Students also visit significant cultural, historical, and social landmarks such as the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Robben Island where former President Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, and the Pilanesberg Game Reserve.

For each Africa GATE, students also find ways to give back by organizing clothing drives or collecting money and school supplies to donate to schools, orphanages, and other organizations in Africa.  

Fuqua Client Consulting Practicum (FCCP) — This Daytime MBA elective course enables students to participate in collaborative consulting engagements with a variety of businesses and organizations. Students assist their client organizations in addressing existing and emerging challenges. Clients are based in the U.S. and internationally. With international clients, students travel to the field, including Johannesburg, South Africa, for on-site consultation with their clients. FCCP clients in South Africa range from social enterprises to multinational corporations.

The FCCP builds on a history of Fuqua engagement in South Africa through the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE). From 2008 through 2012, CASE's Global Consulting Practicum in Social Entrepreneurship (now a part of FCCP) sent 115 students to Johannesburg to work on various projects with social enterprises tackling issues such as poverty alleviation, economic development, and social transformation.