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Chriss Swaney
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For immediate release:
September 6, 2006

Carnegie Mellon Launches Graduate Program To Train New Breed of Corporate Innovation Leaders

PITTSBURGH—Carnegie Mellon University's College of Engineering has created a new graduate degree program designed to help corporations turn invention and creativity into shareholder wealth. Beginning in January 2007, engineering and technical professionals can earn a one-year interdisciplinary master of science degree in Engineering and Technology Innovation Management (E&TIM).

"A new kind of business enterprise that leverages creative resources and global management skills is needed in today's competitive world," said Pradeep K. Khosla, dean of Carnegie Mellon's College of Engineering. "Our program will be a model for unlocking innovation."

E&TIM will equip students for meaningful careers as leaders in innovation and the strategic management of technology, according to Eden Fisher, executive director of E&TIM.

Carnegie Mellon's scholarly research into the economics of technological change provides a basis for the program's core courses. The program also builds on the university's long-standing strengths in engineering, entrepreneurship and integrated product development classes.

A recent report by the Conference Board reported that two-thirds of the world's top chief executives plan to incorporate innovation into their business models to drive growth.

Kathryn Jackson, executive vice president and environmental officer of the Tennessee Valley Authority, praised the development of a new degree encompassing innovation. "Tomorrow's most difficult problems will be the ones that fall between traditional fields of study. We need people who can leverage diverse disciplines to create solutions that can provide sustainable competitive advantage," said Jackson, who received her master's degree and Ph.D. in 1990 from Carnegie Mellon's College of Engineering.

Alex G. Sciulli, president-elect of the Engineering Society of Western Pennsylvania, said today's competitive marketplace demands leaders with a good mix of technical skills and the business acumen to work in a 24/7 environment. "It is imperative that our workforce be exposed to leading-edge educational toolkits that will make us competitive on the global stage," Sciulli said.

Some of the program's core courses will include managerial and engineering economics, the strategy and management of technological innovation, and a product or process innovation project. The program will be tailored to individual student interests through electives, which include both graduate engineering courses and courses that address different aspects of innovation management. Students will also participate in a summer internship and a speakers seminar featuring industry leaders in innovation.

The program will be coordinated by the Engineering and Public Policy Department in collaboration with the Tepper School of Business, the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management, and the Department of Social and Decision Sciences in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

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