Rensselaers Lally School Introduces New MBA Curriculum

The Lally School of Management and Technology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is introducing a new MBA curriculum for the fall 2004 academic semester. Through hands-on courses that emphasize real-world experiences, the program will provide aspiring business innovators and entrepreneurs from all fields the skills they need to transform emerging ideas and concepts into commercial products and services.

(PRWEB) February 3, 2004 --The new curriculum will give students practical expertise in five critical areas, embodied in year-long courses. These areas include:

- Creating and managing an enterprise;
- Creating value, managing networks, and driving innovation;
- Developing innovative new products and services;
- Formulating and implementing competitive business strategies; and
- Managing the business implications of emerging technologies.

The infusion of innovation and entrepreneurship into the curriculum begins prior to the start of classes with a week-long immersion in the study of Leaders, Heroes, and Innovators. In the course, key characteristics of successful business leaders are analyzed through case studies and laboratory simulations.

The new Networks, Value Creation, and Innovation class will illuminate methods that corporations use to create and capture value in todays global economy. In the Lally Schools hallmark Developing New Innovative Products and Services course, students will work throughout the year in an intensive lab setting to create, develop, and market new products and services. In the capstone Managing on the Edge class, students will develop solutions for a series of business problems characterized by uncertainty, instability, and market turbulence.

Students will graduate from the Lally School not only imbued with an innovative spirit and entrepreneurial mindset, but with their own 'business portfolios that they will be able show to prospective employers," Simon said. He noted that the portfolios will contain examples of their analytic skills and business acumen, and will include a marketing plan, business plan, technology assessment, competitor analysis, and strategic map, among others.

Building on Rensselaers core strengths in engineering and the sciences, the new program also will leverage the technical savvy of Lally School MBA students and help them fully understand the business implications of such emerging technologies as nanotechnology, biotechnology, and information technology," said Simon. The Lally School will provide business leaders with the skills and thinking that are essential for successful managers to meet the day-to-day challenges of running a business in todays rapidly changing global marketplace."
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