The MMS: DKU Class of 2015 started their journey in Durham during the summer of 2014 and came to China in January 2015 for the second half of the program. During their four months in China our students were exposed to many different activities that enabled them to experience Chinese culture in depth, learn how business is done in China, and get to know many Duke alumni in the region.

I want to highlight two things from the various activities we offered that I feel made students’ DKU career support experience unique and valuable.

The Career Advisor Program

The Career Advisor for MMS: DKU (CAM) program began in 2010 at Fuqua with the purpose to prepare MMS students for a successful career search under the guidance of Fuqua alumni volunteers. In addition to the alumni advisors that are assigned to MMS: DKU students at Fuqua, our CAM for DKU program has helped connect each of our students with one Duke alumnus in Asia (most of whom are in China) based on the student’s career interest and future career goals.

The purpose of this program is to give students a contact point in Asia and help them build their own network in the area since many of them are interested in finding jobs there after graduation. All our volunteer alumni are very helpful and willing to refer students to other alumni or even refer jobs to them. The program is a great success with very positive student feedback.

Reunion for Duke Alumni in China

The purpose of this event we organized in March was to provide an opportunity for all Duke alumni in China to get together, meet with their old classmates and connect to new friends. At the same time we made this event a wonderful opportunity for MMS: DKU students to network with many alumni and learn from them.

On the day of the reunion we had more than 80 Duke alumni coming with their friends and family to the DKU campus. Besides a campus tour and a special Tesla test drive—arranged for guests by a Fuqua MBA alumnus who is the company’s China general manager—we invited three distinguished alumni as guest speakers to share their industry insight. There was also a special career panel specifically designed for MMS: DKU students where they got the chance to learn from five guest panelists about their own career paths, job opportunities at their companies, and advice for future development.

After the speeches and panel there was free networking time that allowed current students to talk to other alumni and learn from them as well. Some of our MMS: DKU students even got job referrals based on those conversations! One of our student bloggers shared some additional highlights from the weekend in a previous blog post.

The reunion was just one of the multiple events that we have organized at DKU. Just a few weeks later, students benefited from the Duke International Finance Forum. These events showcase how wonderful our network is in China and how many great opportunities there are for the MMS students!

The examples highlight just some of the resources we have for MMS students at DKU and hopefully provide useful information for you to better understand our program. I hope to you see on campus at Fuqua and DKU soon!