Columbia University announced a new joint degree MBA/MS program. This program seeks to combine the strength of the school’s engineering school with that of its business school. The program will have the same 20-month length as the typical MBA program. However, upon graduation, its students will receive two degrees: an MBA and an executive master of science in engineering and applied sciences.
Columbia’s newest joint degree is an MBA and executive master of science in engineering and applied sciences.
The joint degree’s curriculum includes digital disruption and tech transfer, business analytics, and human-centered design and innovation. Students will spend most of their first year completing the core business school and masters-level engineering classes. If you are excited about creating new STEM products, creating new STEM services, and/or addressing a pressing STEM issue, either business or societal, you may want to carefully consider this program.
But what if, on the other hand, you do not have these ambitions? Instead, your interests lie more along the lines of the traditional MBA? In that case, we would recommend the traditional MBA. While you will only receive one degree instead of two, the classes and education will be more likely to give you the greatest benefit in achieving your long-term career goals.
Applicants to this joint degree program must possess a STEM background as well as a STEM undergraduate degree. The first cohort will articulate in the Fall of 2023 and the first-round application deadline is September 28.
Senior Vice Dean of Research and Academic Programs at Columbia’s School of Engineering, Garud Iyengar, explains, “We wanted to bring these elements from the School of Engineering together with strategy marketing and leadership skills that the business school is able to provide and create a new program that combines the strengths of both of these schools.”
