As part of the 5th Virtual International Congress of Administration (COINTLA) – «Research and Management Applied to Knowledge,» organized by the Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora in Mexico, Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico, the director of the Business Administration program (both in-person and virtual) at the institution was invited as a speaker to present the talk titled «The Dual Degree as a Tool for the Internationalization of Higher Education – Case of the Agreement Between the Business Administration Programs of ITSON-Mexico and María Cano from Colombia.» This process is considered by the event organizers as an innovative strategy for both institutions, as it marks the first exercise of this type to be formalized at both universities.

The event, scheduled for students of the Bachelor’s and Master’s in Business Administration at ITSON, took place on May 6th and 7th of this year. It featured speakers from Brazil, Spain, Colombia, and Mexico, and discussed challenges and trends in higher education, European and American contexts, as well as key competencies that, according to the organizers, students need to strengthen for their professional careers, such as soft skills and the use of artificial intelligence for productivity.

The presentation served to formally introduce the final stage of the dual degree to ITSON Business Administration students. This month, both rectors will sign the agreement that will allow Mexican students to take 5 courses, starting in their 6th semester, either in-person or virtually at María Cano, meeting the requirements established in the academic regulations. This will grant them a degree from our institution, enabling them to practice this profession in Colombia.

It is important to note that this initiative will also allow Business Administration students from María Cano (both in-person and virtual) to spend a semester in Mexico and achieve the same result. Further information about this will be shared with our academic community in the coming weeks.

With this process, the Faculty of Business Sciences continues to contribute to the institutional strategy of Curriculum Internationalization, with the continued support of the Office of International Relations at María Cano, which has been key to this process that began in 2021 with the expression of intent by our Rector, Hugo Alberto Valencia Porras.