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Session 2342

An Undergraduate Program in Technology and Management

Russell D. Jamison University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

ABSTRACT

A new program in Technology and Management at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign brings together undergraduate students from the colleges of engineering and com- merce and business administration to gain knowledge and experience in complementary, cross- disciplinary fields. The program provides custom-designed and mainstream courses in engineer- ing and business subjects as well as interdisciplinary team projects supported by industry spon- sors. Students enter the two year program as juniors and complete twenty two credit hours be- yond the requirements for their major degrees. This paper describes the curriculum and adminis- trative structure of the program. It also describes the backgrounds and motivations of students who enter program and offers some lessons learned based on early experience and feedback from recent graduates and their employers.

I. Background

The need to expose engineering students to ideas and people outside of engineering has been recognized for some time1-3. The workplace which engineering students will encounter when they graduate has undergone profound and irreversible change in the last decade4-5. Many com- panies have eliminated entire layers of middle management and have moved to a team-based project management model. This model requires effective interaction of team members from diverse academic backgrounds and widely different problem-solving experiences. It places a premium value on those who can function effectively in such an interdisciplinary and interde- pendent environment.

The Technology and Management Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a new course of study in which engineering and business majors learn together in an integrated program without sacrificing disciplinary depth in their major fields of study. The focus is on the undergraduate student. Teams of business and engineering students working together develop comprehensive solutions to real world problems. There is an emphasis on experiential learning and inclusion of hands-on elements in each of the courses in the program.

The program provides undergraduate students a working knowledge of the fundamental elements of their cross-disciplines and the opportunity to exercise this knowledge by working together on interdisciplinary project teams that mirror those found in many companies today. The goal is to prepare these students to “hit the ground running” in their first job.

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Jamison, R. D. (2000, June), An Undergraduate Program In Technology And Management Paper presented at 2000 Annual Conference, St. Louis, Missouri. 10.18260/1-2--8789