Newswise — Indiana University's Kelley School of Business has entered into a partnership with the newly formed American University of Mongolia to offer an MBA for global executives beginning in September.

A recently signed memorandum of understanding between the two institutions builds on long-running ties between IU and Mongolia.

IU is considered one of the world's leading centers of academic expertise in Mongolian Studies, and IU's Department of Central Eurasian Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences is the sole independent, degree-granting academic unit in the U.S. staffed with its own faculty of specialists in the region.

"This new program signifies our commitment to partnering with American University of Mongolia to offer new and innovative business education programs to meet the needs of this dynamic country," said Idalene Kesner, interim dean of the Kelley School and the Frank P. Popoff Chair of Strategic Management. "The growth that is occurring in Mongolia is exciting, and we are proud to be working to support the economic potential of the country through education."

The degree program will be a blend of classes taught on the American University of Mongolia campus in Ulaanbaatar and online instruction.

With a focus on growing international opportunities in Mongolia, the curriculum will focus on four themes that emphasize a global managerial perspective: leadership, managing global resources, innovation and entrepreneurship, and applied projects. It will include a one-week residency at IU Bloomington and a one-week program at the Washington Campus in Washington, D.C.

"We are delighted to be partnering with Indiana University's Kelley School of Business in offering this program, building on the already strong relationship that exists between the school and this country," said J. Peter Morrow, chairman of American University of Mongolia. "The Kelley School of Business was recently ranked as the number one business school in the U.S. in terms of teaching quality, career services and student satisfaction, so this also fits with our emphasis on choosing quality partners while we are developing our own programs."

The Kelley School of Business also offers an MBA for executives with Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea. Kelley and the Indian Institute of Management-Lucknow soon will offer graduate-level certificate programs and eventually a graduate degree program on business analytics to business professionals in India.

The American University of Mongolia is a new independent nonprofit liberal arts university. In addition to the MBA, in September 2014 it will begin accepting students into its four-year undergraduate programs.