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The newly formed Master of Arts in Business Communication (MABC) program held a celebratory dinner for the graduation of the program’s first students on Thursday, Dec. 5, in North Hall.

Qiaoling Guan, Di Zhang and Qingfen Zhou, three Sanda University employees, will be the first graduating members of the MABC program. Sanda University, located in Shanghai, China, has been a partner institute with С����Ƶ since 2002.

Rider’s 33-credit MABC focuses on the application of communication skills within a business context. Students learn to better understand and leverage communication strategies to achieve organizational goals. Classes are offered weekday evenings on Rider’s Lawrenceville campus, enabling students to earn their degree while working full-time. The entire program can be completed in one to two years, including summers, depending on the student’s course load.

“Their completion of the program is the evidence that anyone could complete this program in a year,” Pamela Brown, chair of Communication and Journalism, says. “It’s also clear for those of us who worked with these three students how much they gained by the program and what we saw in their professional and academic growth over the course of the year.

“This program does emphasis both the cultural differences that are prevalent in the workplace today and also the global nature of the marketplace, that having students like Ling, Di and Rose has greatly enhanced the education of our American students,” Brown continues. “They not only took from the program, but they gave to it, making it a much richer experience for everyone.”

According to Brown, international student participation in the program will continue to be an important factor.