Mexico - Country Spotlight

By Melissa Hoyos, CityU Alumni Relations

Non-stop job interviews thrill Francisco Vega Magallanes of Mexicali, Mexico.

American companies, such as Honeywell, Wells Fargo Bank, and Coca-Cola, all recently met with the 23-year-old who simultaneously earned two college degrees in February.

Vega Magallanes says these post-graduate job opportunities are a result of his success in the double degree program—a City University of Seattle partnership with Centro de Enseñanza Técnica y Superior Universidad (CETYS Universidad).

The two-year program allows students to earn an American Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from CityU of Seattle. Students also receive a licenciatura, a Bachelor’s degree equivalent, from CETYS Universidad in business, business administration, marketing administration and international public accounting.

“I knew that I would have to dedicate the extra money, time, and willpower but I knew that the end result was going to be positive,” says Vega Magallanes.

He’s a part of the first graduating class from the double degree program. The program includes a study abroad component in Washington State during the first summer. In addition, during the second summer session, students have the option to complete a second study abroad in Europe.

Vega Magallanes says his decision to choose CityU over other international programs offered at CETYS was based on reputation and the chance to learn from American faculty.

“It was a university that had campuses in the other countries. I’d get to take classes from professors in Washington State and I’d have a degree from the United States,” says Vega Magallanes, who aspires to an international marketing career.

Now in its third year, the double degree program continues to grow in popularity and enrollment with students ages 18-22, says Antonio Esqueda, CityU’s international programs academic coordinator.

Students in the program take CityU hybrid courses at CETYS with CityU faculty. Coursework includes both online and face-to-face classroom instruction. Courses include, but are not limited, to: Writing for the Professions (BS 302), International Business (BSM 404), and Fundamentals of E-Commerce (EC 400). CETYS classes range from Entrepreneurial Development to Strategic Administration.

American professors also visit one of the three CETYS campuses in Mexicali, Tijuana, and Ensenada for a two-weekend intensive training course with program participants.

Students also visit CityU’s Bellevue campus for a mandatory three-week summer course where they tour local companies. They also may travel to Europe the following year for a two-week course at one of CityU’s European campuses. Those who can’t attend take classes online from Mexico.

In Bellevue, students meet with company representatives from Microsoft, Paccar, and Costco, some who are CETYS graduates.

“It was the best experience ever. Just to be walking in the Microsoft headquarters. I never imagined it was such a laid back environment. They looked very happy. Very comfortable to be there,” says Adriana Guevara Gluyas, also a double degree graduate from the Ensenada campus.

Guevara Gluyas now works for CETYS in the International Programs Department. The 24-year-old helps promote the University’s international partnerships with more than 70 prestigious institutions, including CityU.

She speaks three languages—Spanish, English, and some Mandarin—and hopes to develop her business career abroad. Before enrolling in the program, she worked at her father’s company that specializes in exporting mussels. The double degree program fit her schedule and allowed her to study abroad a few weeks instead of months.

“The program helped me with my confidence. I felt that I was capable with whatever I put my mind to. Also English business terms, it (the program) helped me with that. How to contact a business person from the U.S. or another country,” she says.

Double degree graduates also are more likely to be recruited by American companies. Kenworth has an export plant near the CETYS campuses, Guevara Gluyas adds.

Students can save money learning in Mexico’s CETYS campuses instead of enrolling in an international-based school where they must pay for additional housing and other living expenses.

“The program fits extremely well with CityU’s premise, as it’s flexible, affordable, and relevant,” Esqueda says.

CETYS and CityU expect to provide more double degree programs sometime next year. Students will have the option of earning their American Bachelor of Arts in Management degree and a Mexican Licenciatura in hospitality or engineering.

For more information about the program, contact Antonio Esqueda at 425-709-5475 or aesqueda@cityu.edu.

Photography by Antonio Esqueda

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