Franziska Huening had her heart set on a gap year exploring the Americas after graduating high school in Germany. Then the COVID-19 pandemic upended those plans.

A family friend suggested she could still pursue her goals by enrolling at ESB Reutlingen University near Stuttgart, which offers an international double degree program that would open doors to academic and professional experiences in two countries.

The program would allow Huening to earn a business degree with co-op placement in Germany along with another bachelor’s degree and work experience at a different university in the same time most students earn one degree.

“He said, ‘If you’re going to go abroad, you might as well study while you do it and have travelling be a part of your studies to enhance that journey,’” Huening recalls. “And getting both degrees in four years rather than taking six or eight years made the program very attractive.”

She applied, setting her sights on the North American stream of the program to study in Canada at the Goodman School of Business.

“I was lucky and got the last spot for Brock,” Huening says. “I chose Canada because I always wanted to explore North America.”

It helped that Goodman’s double degree program was accredited by the European Foundation of Management Development (EFMD), a designation that highlights the quality of education at Goodman and its European partner schools, including ESB Reutlingen.

Goodman’s place among top-tier business schools was reaffirmed this fall when it’s Bachelor of Business Administration International Double Degree program earned re-accreditation from the EFMD for its commitment to program improvement and dedication to excellence.

“It’s a big factor in being able to find work after the bachelor’s degree,” Huening says about accreditation. “ESB is renowned and known by employers in southern Germany, and they look for double degree students because of the experience we get in the program.”

Re-accreditation involves a rigorous review, including interviews with faculty, staff, students and alumni, a campus tour, and evaluation of the program’s curriculum, strategic goals and enrolment data.

EFMD’s endorsement shows the program’s merit, says Jennifer Li, Goodman’s Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs and Accreditation.

“It’s a high-calibre, high-quality program that provides real value to Canadian and European students by offering academic experience and work experience on a global stage,” Li says. “It’s not Brock saying ‘We’re the best.’ It’s coming from a third party saying ‘You are the best and you’re the only one in Canada.’”

Accreditation also underscores the global perspective and cultural awareness the program nurtures in its students, setting them apart from their peers as “globally aware managerial talent,” Li says.

“They have much more cultural awareness, acceptance and tolerance, and they understand what diversity means, including the diversity of ideas,” she says.

For Huening, the program delivered on its promise of meaningful international experience.

During her Canadian co-op term, she worked as a market research analyst with Walker Industries to find awards and recognition the company would be eligible for in an effort to increase brand awareness. She was assigned duties and projects that would typically be reserved for more senior employees and was able to build on skills she developed during her co-op term in Germany.

When she graduates from Goodman in June and returns to Germany next summer, she’ll do so grateful for her double degree experience and the advice that led her to the program.

“I wouldn’t change it,” Huening says. “My friends back home say to me, ‘You’re living in Canada.’ It’s truly special and something not enough people know about. To experience a different culture and a different university is invaluable.”