IU, Purdue team up for GM dual degree program

By George Vlahakis

Using distance education, Indiana’s largest private-sector employer will be able to offer a dual M.B.A. and graduate engineering program to its employees.

IU’s Kelley School of Business and Purdue’s Continuing Engineering Education program will join four universities in offering a special one-two educational punch—a master’s of engineering paired with a master’s of business administration (M.B.A.).

The offerings will be available via distance education directly to GM professionals. GM is Indiana’s largest private-sector employer.

The new double-degree program will enable employees to earn the master’s degrees from their home or office, using the Web and various other media. After earning technical master’s degrees from Purdue and other universities, GM engineers then would be eligible to apply for the on-line M.B.A. program at Kelley School of Business. With the combination of degrees, GM employees are expected to better meet industry standards for management roles.

“We at the Kelley School of Business are delighted with our partnership with General Motors, Purdue University’s School of Engineering and these other fine universities,” said IU Kelley School Dean Dan Dalton. “It is said that you are known by the company you keep; this is, indeed, terrific company. Most importantly, however, it is the students who will benefit from the concerted efforts and resources of this consortium.”

“Our strong relationship with our partner universities has helped us to lead the way in offering our employees the means to maintain our innovative edge and to meet the challenge of quickly changing technology,” said Joe Joseph, director of GM Knowledge Center and dean of GM University’s Engineering College.

The degree programs will include material tailored to GM and the automotive industry.

The partnership comes at a time when more and more engineers are leaving the profession, and distance education is becoming more viable through advanced computer and telecommunications technology. IU and Purdue are among the first research universities nationally to provide specialized graduate programs in this manner. GM’s Technical Education Program currently offers continuing education with a number of other universities. The new program will broaden the company’s educational offerings by adding the Kelley Direct Online M.B.A., a master’s degree in engineering from Purdue, a master of science degree in management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and graduate degrees from other universities involved.

The GM double degree program will start in January, with the application and registration process beginning this fall.

For an expanded story on the GM initiative, go to this Web site:

http://newsinfo.iu.edu