History
For more than 75 years, Thunderbird has produced leaders capable of tackling the world’s greatest challenges. 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. 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. By the 1980s, Thunderbird has risen to become a major player in the corporate and academic arenas, ranking No. 1 in the world for international management.
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. Thunderbird 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’s new location in ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus offers valuable access to corporate, state, cultural and recreational resources throughout metropolitan Phoenix.
At the center of Thunderbird’s global network of Centers of Excellence is our new state-of-the-art Global Headquarters, a home that connects us to the rest of the world. Opening its doors in the fall of 2021, the new building brings the School closer to key organizations across the public and private sectors in this most technologically-advanced center of international business education.