Launched in 1991. Accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools) (US) and by the Ministry of General and Professional Education (Russian Federation). The American partner of the Irkutsk State University was the University of Maryland University College. (UMUC). Founded in 1947. A recipient of numerous awards for distance education achievements.

Since 1 July 1991, it has been known as the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC). The joint dual degree program offers a BS degree in Management from Irkutsk State University and the University of Maryland Global Campus. Instruction in Irkutsk is given in English and Russian. The junior and senior students are supposed to take 10 additional courses offered by the University of Maryland Global Campus. These courss are taken by way of distance learning. The undergraduates interact with American professors on the Internet.

UMGC offers the program tailored for students who devote a good deal of time to independent study and hands-on projects as it is normally the case in the United States. So, the system presupposes interaction with the American faculty on the Internet as well as

consulting and in-class activities with Russian SASM advisors, plus peer-to-peer interaction and doing joint projects. .

A group of the American program students is supervised by a SASM mentor (''proctor'') to conduct in-person classes in Irkutsk. The proctors are to assist the students to make sense of the areas being covered. They dwell on difficult parts in the American text-books and go through assignments to help the students understand complex things. Attendance at the proctor's classes of UMGC students contributes to complete comprehension of the material at hand and good results in exams.

Admission
The students must do well in the first two years and pass the English language proficiency tests: IELTS: 6.5 and above, TOEFL iBT: 78-80 and above. The University of Maryland Global Campus clearly specifies the required courses to be taken prior to the American program: Calculus, Introduction into Management, Computer Science.

The total number of courses towards the American degree is 40. The UMGC honors 30 disciplines taught by the Russian faculty. These are the disciplines that comply with the state BS standards in ''Management.''

The courses of the University of Maryland Global Campus (US):

PACE111B - Program and Career Exploration

ACCT301 - Accounting for Non-Accounting Majors

WRTG394 - Business Writing

BMGT - Problem Solving

BMGT485 - Leadership for the 21st Century

BMGT305 - Knowledge Management

FINV 421 - Financial Analysis

FINC 430 - Financial Management

BMGT484 - Managing Teams in Organizations

BMGT304 - Managing E-commerce in Organizations

The 30 courses of the Russian portion of the American program are taken within the following timeframe: the required general education courses of the curriculum are offered to the Management students in the freshman and sophomore years. The students take some Russian disciplines while in the American program. At this stage, the students must take five courses in English taught by the SASM faculty:

Written English Academic

Writing and Critical Thinking

Research Academic Writing

Organizational Leadership

Organizational Communication

The American program graduates earn

a diploma and the Bachelor's degree in management studies from the University of Maryland Global Campus (USA);

the bachelor's degree in management from the Irkutsk State University