Georgia State University's Robinson College of Business has extended its international reach to India, collaborating with a startup graduate management program in Chennai.

Georgia State is helping the for-profit National Management School recruit faculty and develop an American-style curriculum for its masters in business administration program, said V. Kumar, who holds the Lenny Distinguished Chair of marketing at Robinson. 

NMS is not currently accredited and will initially offer certificates, not degrees, said Dr. Kumar. But graduates should be able to get jobs in the private sector with certificates, particularly as the program gains respect among companies in India, he said.

There is a huge demand for additional MBA programs in India, with 70 percent of students turned down for admission to existing quality schools, said Dr. Kumar.

"The idea is to give American education at an Indian price," he said. "We expect it to succeed."

Robinson's dean, H. Fenwick Huss will co-sign student graduation certificates with the NMS dean. Dr. Huss also has a statement on the NMS Website encouraging prospective students to apply.

Robinson, which has the sixth largest business program in the United States, is providing expertise but no cash to NMS, said Dr. Kumar, who is on the NMS board of directors. 

"We don't have any financial liability," he said.

The goal is to eventually expand the program into Mumbai, Delhi and other parts of India.

Robinson has programs with universities all over the world, including Russia, Egypt and South Korea. In 1998, Robinson played a key role in launching the Caucasus School of Business in Tbilisi, capital of the nation of Georgia.

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