Purdue is expanding through a new program offered in Chicago.
The weekend MBA for STEM Professionals runs 16 months, beginning with a 10 day orientation in West Lafayette; otherwise, students meet in downtown Chicago.
Krannert Dean Chris Earley says the city has the highest concentration of Purdue alumni anywhere in the world. He thinks a lot of them will be interested in getting another degree from Purdue.
“It’s a global city. It’s a global hub. We’re hoping, over time, because of the weekend format, people may in fact come from different parts of the country, even outside of the country, to fly into O’Hare (Airport) and then come to the West Loop and take the program on the weekend.”
The MBA for STEM Professionals is scheduled to begin in the late summer of 2015.
Earley says Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel thinks the program is a good fit with his “Silicon Prairie” idea.
“That has Chicago as a hub for high tech industries,” he says. “Our program is ideally suited for that and there isn’t really anyone else in the region doing a program of this type.”
“This program will help some of the most talented engineers and computer scientists in Chicago gain the skills they need to start their own tech companies and become business leaders in the new economy,” Emanuel says.
The MBA program will include faculty from other colleges at Purdue, not Krannert alone.
“A number of these courses will be an integrated teaching experience, so that they’ll have faculty from Technology, maybe from Engineering, Science, other areas,” Earley says. “In addition, we’ll draw from individuals with great expertise in the Chicago market area as adjuncts.”
Purdue still needs approval from the higher education commissions in Indiana and Illinois.
Tuition for the program is not set, but Earley thinks it will range from $80,000 to $90,000.
