Foreigners interested in doing business in Brazil are increasingly seeking cities like Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo to complement their education and get to know the Brazilian market. In order to meet this demand, FGV's business schools in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo have invested in international programs targeted at this audience, and the number of students is increasing every year.

This is the case of EBAPE, which has partnerships with more than 40 business schools in the world and offers three international programs: Corporate International Master's (CIM), International Masters Program in Practicing Management (IMPM) and International Masters of Management (IMM), all with open enrollment. Students have already realized that knowing the Brazilian market more deeply can give them a competitive advantage in their careers, said the deputy director of the School, Professor Álvaro Cyrino, in the article 'Deciphering made in Brazil' by the newspaper Valor Econômico.

He said that Brazil's exposure is a great motivator for inserting the country in international programs such as IMPM, whose founder is Henry Mintzberg, considered one of the most influential names in management and strategy today. In 2012, EBAPE welcomed 75 exchange students - more than double the number of students the institution welcomed two years ago.

EAESP is considered a pioneer in welcoming foreigners interested in the Brazilian scenario and has partnered with more than 90 institutions, as well as holding three major international accreditations: AACSB International, EFMD/equis and the AMBA - Association of MBAs. Since its foundation, the institution has welcomed students from abroad. Since 2001, however, a course was developed specifically for this audience, says the director of the Doing Business in Brazil program in São Paulo, Rodrigo Bandeira de Mello.

Lasting one to two weeks, the course is part of the international module Mastering Business Excellence - offered by IGV CEDEP - and includes classes throughout the day with the school's professors, guest speakers, company visits and socio-cultural activities. The audience is made up of MBA students who come to the country as part of the course they take abroad.

Mello said that MBA students of international schools are still the most interested in the program, but there is a new profile with increasing participation in the program: groups of executives from only one foreign company or diversified companies, but from one country only, who want to learn more about the Brazilian reality. Mello gives the example of a group of Sweden executives who came as representatives of companies in the country such as Scania and Volvo, and a group of 40 managers from the French oil and gas company Total.

According to the director, the number of foreigners attending Doing Business in Brazil has doubled since 2010. Last year, there were 500 participants, and for the first half of this year there are already over 250 enrollments. Brazil still has a positive outlook in the eyes of foreigners, he concludes.

EAESP also offers OneMBA - a partnership among five international business schools for global executive education. The program was elected one of the top MBAs in the world according to the Executive MBA Ranking 2012, published by the Financial Times. EAESP is the only Brazilian school and also the only one in Latin America among the top 25 of the list.

To get to know EBAPE's international programs, click here. 

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