A new MBA offering at the Krannert School of Management will focus on Purdue’s strengths. The STEMBA program is designed for professional engineers and scientists who want a business degree.
Krannert Dean Chris Earley says it will be based in Chicago, because there is no other MBA program like it in the city. He thinks with Purdue's reputation, the effort can take a really strong foothold there.
"We want our competition to be Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Stanford and, eventually, MIT. These are the kinds of places that we feel we can compete head to head with, and our STEMBA is one of the ways of doing so."
The 18 month program will be held on weekends. Earley says each semester, students would take trips to the West Lafayette campus to visit labs and see the cutting-edge research happening in their field.
Purdue Board of Trustees Chairman Keith Krach says it’s a unique partnership between Krannert and the colleges of Technology and Engineering.
"We see tremendous synergy there and a tremendous need out there in industry and corporations. So, we're right there to fill it."
Earley presented the idea to the trustees during a committee meeting Thursday. He did not give a starting date for the program.