College of Business Administration Offers Graduate Services

Graduate students at Texas A&M International University's College of Business Administration now have an office that specializes in assisting them with everything from admissions to career planning and placement.

The Office of Graduate Student Services is located in Pellegrino Hall room 215. Director for Graduate Student Services is Ricardo Ortegon.

Ortegon said the office is designed to offer a substantial range of personalized College of Business Administration graduate student services while developing local and area support networks and increasing the College's visibility on national and international fronts.

"For declared graduate business students we will assist with admissions and help register and advise students throughout their program. We will also work with them to secure relevant internships that can help to amplify their program and can assist them with career planning and placement," Ortegon explained.

He noted that the College is also interested in working with local and area businesses to develop additional internships for students.

"Our students are keen business students, who have developed research capabilities and critical analytical skills. Their studies expose them to a variety of current theory and research and an internship opportunity can truly help to further their education. We encourage businesses to consider the possibility of offering our graduate students internship positions," he said.

As part of promoting the programs and opportunities at A&M International's College of Business Administration, Ortegon will attend a number of conferences and student forums across the United States. He will also undertake some foreign student recruitment trips.

"In addition to offering us an opportunity to recruit potential students, these trips also enable us to promote our College of Business Administration and Graduate School of International Trade and Business Administration nationally and internationally. We'll also be using a specialized presence on the World Wide Web to this end as well," he noted.

Ortegon will also be encouraging local members of the business community to enroll for graduate courses relevant to their occupation.

"We offer a full array of graduate business courses and degree programs in International Banking, International Logistics and International Trade that would be of great interest and relevance to the business community. We will be encouraging them to pursue these opportunities and the advancement possibilities that can come with graduate study," he said.

Ortegon, a Laredo native, holds both undergraduate and graduate degrees from A&M International. His BBA is in General Business while his MBA in International Trade was completed in 1996.

Graduate degrees currently available at the Graduate School of International Trade and Business Administration include the master of Business Administration (MBA), an MBA taught in Spanish, an MBA with a major in International Banking (MBA-IBK), MBA in International Trade (MBA-IT), the Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAcc), Master of Science in Information Systems (MA-IS) and the Master of Science in International Logistics (MS-IL).

Approximately 84% of faculty members have extensive international business experience and collectively possess functional literacy in 20 different languages. Of the 129 courses offered by the College of Business administration, all are taught by faculty with terminal qualifications, usually the Ph.D.

The College is also home to The International Trade Journal, Border Business Indicators and the NAFTA Digest. Average graduate business student age is 29 and 50% of full-time students are foreign nationals, with some 63 countries having been represented.

For additional information, please contact Ortegon at the A&M International College of Business Administration, 956.326.2770, or visit offices in Pellegrino Hall, room 215.

University office hours are from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at pais@tamiu.edu