This is one of the more novel business ideas I’ve come across. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, United Nations University and a range of other academic and industrial supporters have teamed up and turned an old cruise ship into an oceangoing campus. The ship has even been renamed “The Scholar Ship”!

Students will spend 16 weeks aboard the ship which has been refitted with lecture halls, seminar rooms and a library. There is a wireless intranet on board housing the course materials and lecture schedules.

Their website explains:

The Scholar Ship program is built on the integration of four key elements:

1. an onboard classroom learning environment;
2. a multicultural residential and social community;
3. an academically oriented port program; and
4. a strategic research initiative.

As a result, students acquire intercultural skills essential to success in the 21st century workforce and a global network of contacts crucial for conducting business in our globalized economy.

They are offering the following undergraduate courses:

• Global Issues
• Intercultural Communication
• International Business and Communication
• Sustainable Development
• Conflict Studies
• Global Cultures and Social Change
• Worlds of Art and Culture

Plus the following postgraduate courses:

• International Business Strategies
• Communication and Social, Economic & Political Development
• Theory of International Relations

All the courses can be credited towards a full degree at one of the participating universities. It strikes me as a fantastic way for students to really learn about international issues and globalisation - it would be a great basis for a truly international MBA!

Unfortunately it’s not cheap with the courses around $20,000 but if you’ve got the money and the time I’m sure it would be a fantastic learning experience.

To find out more visit The Scolar Ship’s website.

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