With two additions to the curriculum in the School of Business and Economics, students will have more opportunities to succeed in the global marketplace.
Engineering Management Bachelor of Science Degree
To better serve students who wish to combine interests in business and engineering, the School of Business and Economics has designed a new degree program: the BS in Engineering Management. The degree, which was approved in February by Michigan Tech’s Board of Control, started this fall.
“I’ve taught business and engineering students for many years, and a common trend in graduate feedback is for an understanding of the technical vocabulary and decision-making process of these two disciplines,” said Professor Paul Nelson, who will teach managerial courses in the new degree program. “This degree goes beyond having students from business and engineering work together. It will provide the necessary foundation for anyone looking to successfully manage in technical fields.”
As part of the engineering management degree, students will take courses in engineering, math, and science while completing a comprehensive business curriculum. They will develop a broad and strategic perspective of business and acquire a solid command of the technical fundamentals of engineering. To link the two areas of study, students have the opportunity to complete two capstone courses in business development, focusing on engineering or technology-based companies.
“The engineering management degree provides students with both the management and technical skills needed in a variety of careers such as project management, production management, and technical sales and service,” said former Dean Darrell Radson, who participated in the early development of the degree.
“Michigan Tech has long been committed to delivering distinctive and rigorous discovery-based learning experiences grounded in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)," said Michigan Tech Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Max Seel. “Combine that with hands-on experience in business, and you have just what students will need to prosper in the new economy."
New Business Minor Prepares Students for a Globalized Market
As businesses around the world become increasingly interconnected, the global marketplace is shrinking rapidly. Students emerging from Michigan Tech in the coming years are likely to work closely with international colleagues from a variety of cultural backgrounds and traditions. To prepare students to be strong cross-cultural communicators and international business professionals, the School of Business and Economics has developed a minor in global business.
“Undergraduate students can benefit greatly from an international experience,” said Dean Gene Klippel. “Students will learn to navigate a new culture, communicate in an international environment, and gracefully handle different cultural and business norms. Graduates who leave Michigan Tech with this experience will have an edge over other job applicants, particularly with companies who do business around the world.”
Students with a global business minor will take courses in international management, study a foreign language, and participate in a study or travel abroad experience. The School will offer special global business study abroad programs, and students have the option to participate in other faculty-led programs through other departments on campus. To round out the global business experience, students can take elective courses in global marketing, global finance, intellectual property management, supply chain management, international law, and cyber law.
To increase diversity, the global business minor is open to students in all majors at Michigan Tech.
Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
