Purdue News
Purdue News
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October 5, 1999 Purdue's MBA program 7th in nationSources: Richard A. Cosier, (765) 494-4366; rcosier@mgmt.purdue.edu WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University's "techno-MBA" program ranks seventh in the nation, according to a new survey by Computerworld magazine. "The ranking reflects what we've known for a long time: Krannert prepares its graduates to be tomorrow's technology leaders," said Richard A. Cosier, dean of the Krannert Graduate School of Management who is also the Leeds Professor of Management. "It's little wonder that our graduates often are found among the top executives in Fortune 500 companies." Purdue, which calls its master's of business administration (MBA) degree a master's of science in industrial administration, has been turning out management graduates since 1958. "As a relatively young school, Krannert has done amazingly well," Cosier said. "We've been ranked among the top 20 business schools repeatedly by U.S. News and World Report and Business Week. Even more importantly, we're one of only a handful of truly public universities to be considered in that elite class." Those news magazines also have noted Purdue's strength in preparing students to take advantage of technology. "This certainly is one area in which Krannert has a special niche," said Cosier, who came to Purdue in August from the University of Oklahoma, where he was dean. "Our curriculum has a tendency to focus on the power of technology to drive strategic change in an organization." Logan Jordan, assistant dean at the school, added historical perspective. "First, it's important to understand that Purdue's international reputation in science and engineering helps us attract students who have degrees in those areas," Jordan said. "More than 60 percent have degrees in those areas, compared to a third or a quarter at most leading business schools." Krannert also is progressive in using technology, Jordan said. "For example, we were one of the first schools in the country to join the SAP University Alliance and teach 'enterprise integration' concepts utilizing SAP software. Now, 70 other schools have followed our lead." Purdue this year also partnered with the University of California at Irvine, ranked fifth in the country, to develop a programwide, on-line curriculum delivery system for the master's students at each school. "We've created an Intranet to support key communication functions, creating class-support pages devoted to helping faculty and students communicate," Jordan explained. "Students have the ability to browse class information, syllabi and information about the professor. The pages provide a standardized way for faculty to publish documentation, lecture notes, homework and reference materials." Krannert's emphasis on technology goes beyond faculty and software to include corporate recruiters, business partners and alumni. "We seek their guidance and feedback on our systems and curriculum," Jordan said. "We also focus on the topic each year with a forum called 'Emerging Technology' at which leaders in the field talk with our students about ideas on the cutting edge and how to manage emerging technology." Technology also is evident in the way faculty teach. "The faculty routinely incorporate it into the classroom lecture," Jordan said. "The days of a professor standing at the head of the class talking, with maybe just an overhead projector by his side, are long gone. Now we're routinely using multimedia and the Internet." The magazine surveyed 1,000 campus recruiters to determine the 25 top techno-MBA schools, based on curriculum and placement rates for graduates. Purdue has 359 graduate students enrolled in its master's programs, which are tailored to the students' needs. In addition to a traditional structure, other Krannert programs offer classes on weekends or make heavy use of the Internet to allow executives to take classes long-distance from their homes supplemented by concentrated, periodic visits to campus. Writer: Susan Gross, (765) 494-2077, susan_gross@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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