| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Business school of Arizona State University (a public university); in person and online |
| Locations | Phoenix, AZ (headquarters); Washington, DC (one executive master’s); online |
| Credentials | Bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees; for-credit and non-credit certificates. No trade, vocational or licensure programs |
| Typical length | Bachelor’s about 4 years (120 credits); master’s 12 to 24 months; doctorate about 3 years |
| Accreditation | Higher Learning Commission (through ASU); AACSB business accreditation since 1994 |
| Federal aid | Yes, through Arizona State University |
| Founded / owner | 1946, as the American Institute for Foreign Trade; part of ASU since 2014 |
| Facts checked | 13 October 2026 |
An ASU business school, not a trade school
Thunderbird was founded in 1946 as the American Institute for Foreign Trade and became a unit of Arizona State University when ASU acquired it in 2014. Its old Glendale campus closed after a 2017 announcement, and since fall 2021 it has taught in a headquarters building in downtown Phoenix. Thunderbird teaches global management: two bachelor’s degrees, several master’s degrees, a professional doctorate and certificates. It is a university business school, not a trade school, and none of its programs prepares students for a licence. The school says it has nearly 50,000 alumni in 150 countries. It also runs regional centers abroad with partners, including a Guadalajara center opened in 2024; these are not listed here as campuses.
Thunderbird’s degrees and certificates
| Program | Credential | Length / credits | Where taught | 2026-27 tuition (where published) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global Management (BGM) | Bachelor’s | About 4 years, 120 credits | Phoenix or online | ASU undergraduate rates (see cost) |
| International Trade | BS | About 4 years, 120 credits | Phoenix or online | ASU undergraduate rates (see cost) |
| Global Management (MGM) | Master’s | 18-24 months full-time, 49 credits | Phoenix | $73,200 resident; $75,000 nonresident and international |
| Accelerated MGM (for ASU graduates) | Master’s | 12 months, 49 credits | Phoenix | $51,100 resident; $57,600 nonresident and international |
| Leadership and Management (MLM) | Master’s | 18-24 months, 30 credits | Online | Check the program page |
| Accelerated MLM | Master’s | 12 months, 30 credits | Online | $24,000 resident; $24,600 nonresident |
| Executive Master of Global Management | Master’s | 12 months, 31 credits | Phoenix | Check the program page |
| Executive MA in Global Affairs and Management | Master’s | 12 months, 30 credits | Washington, DC (hybrid) | Check the program page |
| Professional Practice in Global Leadership and Management | Doctorate | About 3 years, 45 or 60 credits | Online (ASU Sync) | Check the program page |
| Global Management, Entrepreneurship and Innovation | Graduate certificate | 15 credits | Online | Check the program page |
The MGM can also be taken as a concurrent degree with an MS in Artificial Intelligence in Business or an MS in Health Care Administration and Policy, both in Phoenix. Short non-credit executive certificates, from two to six days in Phoenix and some online, cover topics such as change management, cyber risk and finance for non-financial managers; several more are listed as coming soon. Thunderbird has no accounting, marketing or human-resources degree and no MGM concentration in those fields.
What the main programs cover
Bachelor of Global Management
The BGM is a four-year, 120-credit degree offered in Phoenix or online. Students choose one of two tracks, Business, Language, and Culture or Business and Culture, and every student must complete an international internship. The school’s program sheet lists roles such as marketing manager and compliance manager. Since 2024-25 undergraduates in Phoenix study in the same headquarters building as the graduate students. The BS in International Trade is the second bachelor’s option, with the same length and delivery choices.
Master of Global Management
The MGM is a full-time, in-person degree in Phoenix: 49 credits over 18 to 24 months, starting with an orientation in mid-August. Students pick from more than 15 concentrations, including Global Entrepreneurship, Global Business (a STEM-designated option), Health Care Innovation, Health Care Delivery, Data Science, Public Policy and Nonprofit Leadership. ASU graduates can take the Accelerated MGM, a 4+1 version that covers the same 49 credits in 12 months. In fall 2024, ASU News reported that 86% of incoming MGM and Accelerated MGM students were based outside the US.
Executive Master of Arts in Global Affairs and Management
This is the one Thunderbird degree taught in Washington, DC. It runs for 12 months as a 30-credit hybrid program: students meet in person on weekends at the ASU Barrett & O’Connor Washington Center and complete the rest online. Students take it as a cohort that moves through the year together. The separate Executive Master of Global Management (12 months, 31 credits) is taught in Phoenix instead.
Online master’s and certificates
The Master of Leadership and Management is a 30-credit online degree that takes 18 to 24 months, with a Mandarin-language version; the accelerated MLM covers the same 30 credits in 12 months. The Graduate Certificate in Global Management, Entrepreneurship and Innovation (15 credits) and the Graduate Microcertificate in AI, Analytics and Fintech Innovation (9 credits) are shorter for-credit options. The Doctor of Professional Practice in Global Leadership and Management is taught online through ASU Sync over about three years.
Tuition for 2026-27 and paying for it
Thunderbird charges a flat price for each master’s program, usually with separate resident, nonresident and international rates. For 2026-27 the full-time Master of Global Management costs $73,200 for Arizona residents and $75,000 for nonresident and international students, per the school’s MGM program sheet (June 2026). The Accelerated MGM costs $51,100 or $57,600, and the online Accelerated Master of Leadership and Management $24,000 or $24,600, per the school’s August 2026 program sheets. The sheets say prices are subject to university fee changes, and the school’s older program-comparison page still shows different figures. For the other executive degrees, the MLM and the doctorate, check the current program page.
Undergraduates in Phoenix pay ASU’s Fall 2026 rates for Thunderbird’s fee group: $7,363 a semester for Arizona residents ($6,089 tuition plus $1,274 mandatory fees), per ASU’s Fall 2026 resident tuition table; nonresidents pay $19,567 and international students $21,240 a semester at 12 or more credits, per ASU’s Fall 2026 nonresident and international tables. Online undergraduates pay ASU Online rates instead.
Federal student aid is handled by Arizona State University, which is the Title IV institution. Thunderbird’s program sheets say scholarships are available but give no amounts.
Starts and schedule
Graduate students start in mid-August with an orientation called Foundations. The MGM is full-time and in person. The executive degrees are 12-month cohort programs; the Washington, DC degree meets on weekends and online. Executive-education certificates run on fixed dates, for example 12-13 October and 9-10 November 2026. Check each program page for its admission requirements before applying.
Accreditation and results
Thunderbird is accredited through Arizona State University, which the Higher Learning Commission has accredited since 1931. HLC last reaffirmed ASU’s accreditation on 17 July 2023, lists no sanctions and has scheduled an Assurance Review for 14 June 2027 and the next comprehensive evaluation for 2032-33, per HLC’s record for ASU.
Thunderbird also holds its own business accreditation from AACSB, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, which it has held since 1994. AACSB reaccredited it on 2 July 2024, per ASU News. Thunderbird says it ranks first in the world in the QS International Trade Rankings 2026. We found no lawsuits or regulatory actions involving Thunderbird from 2023 to 2026.
Thunderbird says 89% of its graduates accepted a job within six months of graduating, with average salaries of $69,000 for young professionals and $94,000 for experienced professionals, per its employer page. The school does not say which year or which programs these figures cover.
ASU’s six-year graduation rate is 69.3% for full-time first-year students who started in 2019, per ASU’s 2026 Student Right-to-Know report. That figure covers all of ASU, not Thunderbird alone. There are no licensing-exam pass rates, because no Thunderbird program leads to a licence.
Before you enroll
- This is not a trade school. Every program is a university degree, a for-credit certificate or a short executive course in management. None trains for a skilled trade or leads to a licence.
- The outcome figures are undated. The 89% job rate and the $69,000 and $94,000 salaries come from the school and name no class year or program.
- Most master’s degrees are not online. The MGM and Executive MGM are taught in person in Phoenix, and the Washington, DC degree needs weekend attendance. The online master’s degrees are the MLM and the Accelerated MLM.
- Prices change between sources. Thunderbird’s comparison page still shows older MGM prices; use the dated program sheets and confirm with the school.
- ASU’s other campuses are not Thunderbird sites. Tempe, West Valley and Polytechnic offices, and the ASU business school W.P. Carey, belong to other parts of ASU. Thunderbird’s own Glendale campus closed after a December 2017 announcement.
Where Thunderbird teaches
- Phoenix, AZ: Global Headquarters, 401 North 1st Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004. All other in-person programs.
- Washington, DC: ASU Barrett & O’Connor Washington Center, 1800 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20006. Executive MA in Global Affairs and Management.
- Online: bachelor’s degrees, the MLM, the doctorate, the graduate certificates and some executive certificates, through ASU Online and ASU Sync.
ASU’s Lake Havasu site, listed on this page before, was never a Thunderbird site and held its final graduation in May 2025 before closing.
What students say
Niche, the review platform we checked, lists fewer than 25 reviews of Thunderbird (October 2026), so we do not summarize reviews here.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Undergraduate
- Bachelor of Global Management (Phoenix or online)
- BS in International Trade (Phoenix or online)
- Undergraduate Certificate in Global Management
- Undergraduate Certificate in International Trade
Master's
- Master of Global Management (Phoenix, full-time)
- Accelerated Master of Global Management (4+1, for ASU graduates)
- MGM with MS in Artificial Intelligence in Business (concurrent)
- MGM with MS in Health Care Administration and Policy (concurrent)
- Master of Leadership and Management, including a Mandarin version (online)
- Accelerated Master of Leadership and Management (online)
Executive degrees
- Executive Master of Global Management (Phoenix)
- Executive Master of Arts in Global Affairs and Management (Washington, DC, hybrid)
Doctorate
- Doctor of Professional Practice in Global Leadership and Management (online, ASU Sync)
Graduate certificates
- Graduate Certificate in Global Management, Entrepreneurship and Innovation (online)
- Graduate Microcertificate in AI, Analytics and Fintech Innovation (online)
Executive education (non-credit)
- Global Finance Certificate (online)
- Short executive certificates in Phoenix, such as Change Management and the Executive Certificate in Business Administration
Campus Locations
Phoenix, AZ 401 North 1st Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004
Washington, DC 1800 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20006
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