Lauder Insitute

What Lauder Insitute does

The Lauder Institute is a graduate academic program at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, founded in 1983 by brothers Leonard A. Lauder and Ronald S. Lauder in honor of their father Joseph H. Lauder. It offers a two-year joint-degree program in which students simultaneously earn a Wharton School MBA and a Master of Arts in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Arts and Sciences. Students select one of six regional concentrations—Africa, East & Southeast Asia, Europe, Global, Latin America, or SAMENA—paired with language tracks that include French, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian, Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, Hindi, and Arabic. The cohort is intentionally small at approximately 150 students across two classes, with the student body representing 40+ countries.

The Institute's core academic platform combines Wharton MBA coursework with interdisciplinary Penn Arts & Sciences study in international politics, economics, history, and culture. Required experiential components include a five-week Summer Immersion Program for first-year students and at least two Lauder Intercultural Ventures (LIVs), which are week-long field-based immersions in destinations such as Armenia, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, South Korea, India, the Dominican Republic, and Mongolia. Supporting programmatic infrastructure includes the Jacobson Global Venture Awards ($15,000 pitch competition for student entrepreneurs), the Leadership Immersion Internship funding program, the Culture Quest student adventure, the Politics and Policy Program, and the annual Global Business Insight Report written by first-year students. The Institute also co-produces the All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions podcast with Stanford Graduate School of Business.

The Institute operates as a nonprofit academic unit within the University of Pennsylvania. Its revenue flows primarily through Wharton and Penn tuition at standard graduate rates, supplemented by donor-funded programs including the Jacobson Awards (established 2017 by Andrew Jacobson WG93 and Marina Kunis Jacobson G93, WG93) and internship subsidies from donors such as Tom Bendheim G'90 WG'90, Rene Kern G'90 WG'90, Danton Goei G'90 WG'90, and the Geldzweig family. Student recruitment operates through direct admissions channels and is tightly coupled with Wharton MBA application processes. The Institute produces no proprietary software, AI products, or commercial technology stack; its "platform" is fundamentally curricular, experiential, and alumni-driven.

Name

Lauder Insitute

Legal name

The Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management & International Studies

Website

https://lauder.wharton.upenn.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Lauder Institute is a Wharton School graduate program offering a joint MBA and MA in International Studies. Founded in 1983, it serves aspiring global business leaders through six regional concentrations, language immersion, and a 2,100+ alumni network spanning 40+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Graduate Business Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Pre-Master’s / Graduate Pathway Programs (EDAIAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faculty-Led Study Tours & Embedded Short Programs (Home Institution-Led) (EDAIAIAJ)

Keywords

• Joint MBA degree programs
• International business education
• Graduate management studies
• Intercultural leadership training
• Global immersion programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Degree Program Fees: Students pay tuition for both the Wharton MBA degree and the MA in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. The joint degree program tuition follows Wharton and Penn standard graduate tuition rates for the two-year program.
2. Leadership Immersion Internship Funding: Funding subsidies provided by Institute donors for student summer internships globally. Established through generosity of Tom Bendheim G'90 WG'90, Rene Kern G'90 WG'90, Danton Goei G'90 WG'90, and the Geldzweig family.
3. Jacobson Global Venture Awards: Annual pitch competition providing $15,000 cash awards to student entrepreneurs for venture development. Established 2017 through Andrew Jacobson WG93 and Marina Kunis Jacobson G93, WG93.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Lauder Institute delivers a two-year joint graduate degree program that pairs a Wharton School MBA with a Master of Arts in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Students select one of six regional concentrations and pursue target-language fluency, extended summer immersions, required Lauder Intercultural Ventures (LIVs), a Master's Thesis, and co-curricular programming such as the Jacobson Global Venture Awards and Politics and Policy Program, graduating with two Ivy League credentials in two years.

Product overview

The Lauder Institute is a pioneering academic program at the University of Pennsylvania offering a joint MBA/MA degree that combines the Wharton School's MBA with a Master of Arts in International Studies. The core program includes six regional concentration programs (Africa, East & Southeast Asia, Europe, Global, Latin America, SAMENA) with associated language tracks. Supporting programs include the Summer Immersion Program, Lauder Intercultural Ventures (LIVs), Culture Quest adventures, Jacobson Global Venture Awards for student entrepreneurs, Politics and Policy Program, Leadership Immersion Internships, and the annual Global Business Insight Report. The Institute also produces the All Else Equal podcast and hosts the Africa Futures Symposium.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wharton MBA / Lauder MA Joint-Degree Program A two-year joint-degree program where students earn a Wharton School MBA combined with an International Studies MA from the University of Pennsylvania. The program integrates professional business training with interdisciplinary coursework in international politics, economics, history, culture, and language.
• Regional Programs (Africa, East & Southeast Asia, Europe, Global, Latin America, SAMENA) Six regional concentration programs focusing on specific global regions, each with associated language tracks enabling deep regional expertise alongside the MBA.
• Summer Immersion Program A five-week global journey for first-year students providing field-based and interdisciplinary learning where students hone target language skills in authentic settings and engage with regional economics, history, culture, and local businesses.
• Lauder Intercultural Ventures (LIVs) Short-term academic immersions to global destinations combining academic insights with practical fieldwork to sharpen intercultural leadership skills. A required component where students complete two LIVs before graduation across destinations including Armenia, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, South Korea, India, Dominican Republic, Mongolia, and more.
• Culture Quest An Amazing Race-style adventure program where students vote annually on a destination and travel in teams for approximately 8 days to explore new regions, earning points through challenges and cultural activities.
• Jacobson Global Venture Awards Lauder's flagship pitch competition for student entrepreneurs, providing $15,000 cash awards to support full-time summer venture development in lieu of traditional internships, along with mentorship from alumni entrepreneurs.
• Politics and Policy Program A co-curricular initiative empowering students to explore the intersection of business and politics through short-term independent field research.
• Leadership Immersion Internships Funding program supporting select students with subsidies for summer internships around the world, allowing them to take on high-impact roles at organizations and startups that might not otherwise afford MBA-level talent.
• Global Business Insight Report Annual report written by first-year Lauder students exploring ways nations, institutions, and individuals tackle pressing global issues, based on research conducted during the summer immersion.
• Master's Thesis Research and writing requirement for the MA in International Studies, completed through individual research papers and Capstone projects.
• All Else Equal Podcast Co-production with Stanford GSB exploring the science and strategy of making better decisions in conversations with prominent global business leaders, hosted by Lauder Institute Director Jules van Binsbergen.
• Africa Futures Symposium Annual symposium convening leaders from business, academia, and government to examine key issues shaping Africa's future, focusing on resilience amid global instability.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,100+ alumni driving innovation globally
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.

• Penn GlobalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2026Co-hosted event with Italian Minister of Economy and Finance Giancarlo Giorgetti discussing global economic instability and Italy's fiscal outlook. Demonstrates Lauder's convening power for global policy discussions.
• Stanford Graduate School of BusinessflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 September 2024Co-production partnership for All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions podcast exploring decision-making science and strategy with global business leaders. Entering third season September 2024 with expanded focus on global leadership. Joint hosting by Lauder Director Jules van Binsbergen and Stanford's Jonathan Berk.
• University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership providing MA in International Studies degree component, integrated with Wharton MBA. Students complete interdisciplinary coursework in international politics, economics, history, culture at Penn Arts & Sciences.
• Penn Jacobs MSQF ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferenced as related Penn graduate program; Jacobs MSQF (Master of Science in Quantitative Finance) shares Wharton faculty and recruitment resources.
• 23 Student Research TeamsminorOthersFirst-year Lauder students (Class of 2026) conducted research for Global Business Insight Report 2025 exploring global fractures and opportunities. Topics include Venezuelan immigrants in Colombia, Taiwan renewable energy, Afrobeats economic growth, Romania EV market.
• Jacobson Alumni Judges PanelminorOthersDistinguished alumni founders and investors including Matthew Addison G06, WG06; Sheynna Hakim G11, WG11; Stephan Jacob G11, WG11; Ron Kerbs G20, WG20; Allan Kwan G87, WG87; Tereza Nemessanyi G97, WG97; Nestor Solari G19, WG19; Aniko Szigetvari G98, WG98 judge annual competition.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Peers

• Harvard Kennedy School + Harvard Business School:

Direct peers

• Columbia SIPA + Columbia Business School: Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs offers dual-degree MPA/MIA pathways with Columbia Business School MBA, providing an analogous international-affairs + MBA combination. Both compete for the same cohort of globally-oriented MBA applicants at Ivy+ tier.
• Georgetown Walsh School of Foreign Service + McDonough School of Business: Georgetown's Walsh SFS offers an MS in Foreign Service that pairs with the McDonough MBA as a dual-degree option, directly comparable to Lauder's MA/MBA in scope and international focus. Both programs emphasize regional expertise and language fluency.
• Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs + Yale SOM: The Yale Jackson Institute's MA in Global Affairs combined with the Yale School of Management MBA is the closest direct competitor—offering a comparable joint business/international-affairs degree with regional specializations at peer-elite prestige. Both programs target the same applicant pool seeking MBA + international affairs credentials.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lauderinstitute
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@lauderinstitute
• Facebookfacebook.com/LauderInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/lauder-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/lauderinstitute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lauder Insitute