Thunderbird School of Global Management at ASU

Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University is ranked No. 1 in the world for international trade by the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) International Trade Rankings (2023, 2024),  scoring 100 out of 100 points and ranking ahead of Harvard, Penn (Wharton) and IMD. As part of Arizona State University, ranked No. 1 “Most Innovative School” in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for ten years in succession, Thunderbird draws on a vast spectrum of disciplines of excellence to empower leaders across sectors with future-ready skills. Thunderbird advances inclusive and sustainable prosperity worldwide by educating and influencing global leaders and managers who maximize the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution for business, government, society, and the environment. 

Thunderbird 1.0: Founded in 1946 on the grounds of a deactivated airbase (Thunderbird Field No. 1), Thunderbird was the first graduate management school focused on global business.

Thunderbird 2.0: The 1960s proved to be a time of global expansion for the institution. Thunderbird enjoyed steady growth and with that came a sense of identity in the world of international education.

Thunderbird 3.0: By the 1980s, Thunderbird had risen to become a major player in the corporate and academic arenas, ranking No. 1 in the world for international management.

Thunderbird. 4.0: In 2014, Thunderbird joined Arizona State University, bringing the world’s No. 1 ranked Master of Global Management program under the umbrella of the No. 1 ranked most innovative university in the United States. With the opening of Thunderbird’s new global headquarters building on ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus, Thunderbird is now strategically focused on delivering the world’s finest leadership and management education for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. 

Thunderbird 4.0 @ ASU Thunderbird School of Global Management became a unit of the ASU enterprise in 2015, bringing with it nearly 75 years of excellence in global leadership and management education as well as international accolades for executive education. The original Thunderbird campus was situated on the grounds of Thunderbird Field No. 1, a World War II-era pilot-training base in Glendale, Arizona. The School occupied contemporary buildings as well as award-winning renovations of some of the base’s historic landmarks. For seven decades, students from around the world flocked to the suburban campus, walking past the multilingual greetings of the Thunderbird Welcome Wall to nurture the global mindset, business skills, and social responsibility that empowered them to become leaders in their organizations and communities. 

The School and its internationally acclaimed graduate programs relocated to ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus in early 2019. Thunderbird’s rich tradition as a premier global institution is stronger than ever today as part of ASU. Thunderbird remains home to a renowned faculty of instructors who carry on the traditions that have placed it among the top-ranked global business education institutions and earned the School the perennial support of loyal alumni. Thunderbird’s new location in ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus offers valuable access to corporate, state, cultural and recreational resources throughout metropolitan Phoenix. 

Our global alumni network 

Thunderbird’s worldwide community of graduates is uniquely equipped to make a difference in this era of rapid change and disruption. The School leverages the resources and talent of our alumni to guide, advocate and support Thunderbird in achieving our mission. 

Our regional centers of excellence

Thunderbird is the world’s only truly global and multinational school. With more than 50,000 distinguished alumni in 145 countries and a rapidly-expanding network of satellite Centers of Excellence in all regions, Thunderbird delivers cutting-edge and fit-for-purpose programs across the globe. Our expanding network of Centers of Excellence from Los Angeles to Tokyo, and Bogota to Nairobi provides a global presence that sets Thunderbird apart by facilitating academic offerings in major commercial centers around the world, connecting and engaging our worldwide alumni network while supporting international recruiting.

Our global headquarters 

At the center of Thunderbird’s global network of Centers of Excellence is our state-of-the-art Global Headquarters, a home that connects us to the rest of the world. Located in the heart of ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus, it will provide greater community embeddedness and enhanced resources for Thunderbird students and faculty. The new building will bring the School closer to key organizations across the public and private sectors in this center of international commerce and state government. As the fifth-largest city in the U.S. with the fastest population growth of any city in the nation, the Phoenix location of our new facility also offers many opportunities for innovation and recreation.

Our new Global Headquarters will leverage the latest cutting-edge learning technology to enable Thunderbird students to experience in real-time what they seek to study and learn. We will unlock all that digital technology has to offer within our formal learning environments with truly active and multi-dimensional learning spaces that fully immerse our students in their disciplines while allowing them to collaborate on a global scale. Construction of Thunderbird’s new building was completed in time to welcome students in August 2021 and includes a rooftop Thunderbird Pub designed in the spirit of the iconic original.

visit thunderbird.asu.edu to learn more.