|
New
masters program designed for practicing engineers
Eileen M. Rafferty ‘06
This Fall, the College of Engineering and the College
of Commerce and Finance (C&F) will be jointly offering a new masters
degree program: the Master of Technology Management (MTM). The purpose
of this cross-disciplinary program is for engineers to become adept in
business functions, while also updating their engineering skills.
“Research shows that after a few years of working in the field of
engineering, many transition into management positions,” said Dr.
Mohammad Najdawi, senior associate dean of C&F and professor and director
of graduate business programs. “Then the engineers find out they
don’t have the business background and expertise to perform the
managerial responsibilities the way they would like to.”
The innovative curriculum, which will take students three years to complete,
is comprised of a weekend leadership challenge, six core business courses,
six engineering within a specific discipline, one elective business course,
one elective engineering course and an international trip. The purpose
of the international trip is to give the cohort group of students an opportunity
to apply their learned global business knowledge.
“Not only does the MTM program bridge the gap between engineering
technology and management strategies,” said Karen Ringlaben, coordinator
of graduate business programs, “but it allows engineers to advance
to leadership positions and at the same time gain the competitive edge
needed to succeed.”
The MTM project has been in discussion between the two colleges for a
few years. Dr. Barry Johnson, dean of the College of Engineering, finalized
the project and got it approved. Additionally, students will be able to
utilize resources from C&F and College for Engineering Education and
Research (CEER), and they will be provided with laptops to create an interactive,
adaptive learning environment.
Najdawi expects that many companies and business partners will be interested
in this new program. Ringlaben said, “We hope that MTM graduates
will be able to advance to the next level in career, and provide new solutions
to clients and employers.” The MTM program will be featured at the
Graduate open house on March 23 in Connelly Center.
|
|
