Important Program Information

Deadlines

All online applications must be received by May 31, 2009, to be considered for the program. To apply, click here. Once participants have been selected, they must make an initial deposit of $1000 by September 1, 2009, to guarantee their place in the program.  The first installment toward the ECLA program fee will be due by January 1, 2010. Second installments will be due no later than June 1, 2010, half-way through the program. Please note that payments must be made prior to the start of each phase to avoid penalty. See Payment Schedule below.

Costs

The cost of the program is $13,000 for the first participant and $6,000 for a second participant from the same company. The program fee includes tuition, materials, and double occupancy lodging for all six learning modules. Airfares to program locations and some meals are not included.

Payment Schedule

Payments must be made by the following schedule to avoid late penalties:






Due Date


Amount Due (USD)*
Deposit



September 1, 2009


$1000 (first participant)
$1000 (second participant)
First Installment



January 1, 2010


$6000 (first participant)
$2500 (second participant)
Second Installment



June 1, 2010


$6000 (first participant)
$2500 (second participant)
To make payments by credit card, click here.

Cancellation Policies

All notification of withdrawals and substitutions must be sent in writing to the Chazen Institute. Up to 30 days before the start date of each phase of the program, payment is refunded in full. If written notification is not received prior to 30 days before the start of the program phase, 30% of the amount due for that phase is assessed to cover irrecoverable costs paid to service providers on the participant’s behalf. Any withdrawals, substitutions, and transfers after the start of the program are subject to the sole discretion of the Faculty Directors of the ECLA program and may result in relinquishment of up to 100% of the amount due for that phase.
  • Withdrawals. Notification of withdrawal must be received at least 30 days prior to the start date of each program phase to avoid penalty. Within 30 days of the start date, withdrawals are subject to 30% of the amount due. After the start of the program phase, any withdrawal will result in forfeiture of the full amount due.
  • Substitutions. All substitutions of participants are subject to the sole discretion of the Faculty Directors of the ECLA program. Requests must be submitted with an application and will be reviewed based on applicant qualifications and time required to complete preparatory work. Substitutions within the same firm may only be made with the prior approval of the Faculty Directors.
  • Transfers. Applicants cannot make transfers to any other Columbia Business School Executive Education, Di Tella Executive Education, or Endeavor program. No transfers of ECLA program fees will be considered valid.

Program Benefits

The Chazen Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness (CEC) is exclusive to Columbia Business School and is awarded to participants successfully completing all six learning modules, the process improvement project, the business growth plan, and the company case study.  Earning a CEC will grant students limited alumni privileges at Columbia Business School and at the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, including:
  • Invitations to Columbia Business School and Di Tella alumni events and programs around the world
  • Global networking opportunities
  • Subscriptions to Columbia Business School and Di Tella publications
  • Eligibility to join a Columbia Business School and Di Tella alumni club
  • An invitation to participate in the Business Fair culminating each ECLA program.

Academic Policies

It is expected that students will successfully demonstrate the skills, tools, and perspectives introduced in the program through three program deliverables: a Process Improvement Project, which involves the creation, implementation, and evaluation of actionable strategies to improve company performance; a Business Growth Plan, which outlines steps for cross-border expansion; and a final Case Study, which reports how students attempted to grow their businesses throughout the program. Students who cannot demonstrate impact on their companies as the result of their Process Improvement Projects will not be asked to continue the program after Module Four; decisions about  program termination will be made by the Faculty Directors in consultation with faculty and other program contributors. Students terminating the program after Module Four will be refunded a portion of their program fee.

Attendance Requirements

Attendance in all six program modules is mandatory. However, for firms sending two participants, this attendance requirement can be loosened for the international immersion trip: although both students are encouraged to participate in Module Three, only one representative per firm is required to attend.

Language Requirements

All program components will be in English: all modules will be taught in English, and all written and spoken deliverables will be in English. As such, participants must be sufficiently fluent in English to complete reading assignments and meaningfully participate in discussions and working groups.

As a guideline, we recommend that participants have a level of English equivalent to a TOEIC score of 700. This score indicates that participants are able to communicate with success in various situations where they have expertise; their vocabulary and grammar may not always be the best choice or completely accurate, but their meaning is understood. Participants do not need to take the TOEIC or submit test scores with their applications, but they should self-assess at this level and demonstrate through their written application materials that their language abilities are at this level.

If you need to improve language skills, we suggest that you enroll in an English language course in your home country with emphasis in spoken English; alternatively, we can recommend English language providers in the United States. Contact ecla@gsb.columbia.edu for more information.

Visas

If you require a visa, we recommend the B1 business visa for our programs. Note that some embassies may ask that you apply for a student visa. Since our programs are nondegree and our participants are visiting the United States on business, however, the B1 is the appropriate visa. We follow U.S. State Department guidelines, which can be found here. It is against university policy for a representative to contact the embassy directly for a participant. However, we do have a standard letter that we can send to you to present to the embassy if needed. If you would like to request this letter, please contact us at ecla@gsb.columbia.edu.
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