Cornell’s New MBA Program Featured in Business Insider
Yesterday, Business Insider published an article suggesting that Cornell University’s Johnson School of Management’s MBA program at its New York tech campus could change the way tech industry leaders are educated. The article is titled “Cornell’s New MBA Could Shake Up How Leaders Emerge in Tech.” Cornell’s new program is specifically focused on teaching students with both management and technical skills.
Stayman, the associate dean of MBA programs at Johnson, told Business Insider: “The goal is to produce leaders for the digital economy. Organizations desperately need people who are true leaders but also understand the business needs and the technical needs.”
The traditional model of MBA education was developed in the middle of the 20th century. Business school educators planned their curricula to prepare their students for work in a very specific type of company–a big company like McKinsey or Procter & Gamble. As part of a traditional MBA, students are given a thorough grounding in analyzing data to solve problems, and developing and implementing solutions. However, tech startups are looking for employees with a different skillset, and sometimes think the MBA style of thinking clashes with their company culture and approach to business.
Cornell consulted with startup companies and tech businesses while developing the curriculum for their NYC MBA. The program aims to develop skills in MBAs that they will find useful while working in a startup, like product development, consumer insights, and planning. Students will be required to work in a startup company as part of their MBA program requirements to give them entrepreneurship skills through hands-on experience.
While Cornell developed an MBA focused on tech businesses and startups, Stayman says that the MBA is meant to be open-ended, allowing students to pursue jobs in startup companies as well as positions in more traditional management roles. Stayman noted to Business Insider: “We want [students] to go to places who hire MBAs – to Deloitte, to Amazon, and to other recruiters who hire MBAs – but also to people who don’t traditionally hire MBAs.”
The first MBA class at New York City’s tech campus will begin in May. For more information about the program and admissions, see our recent article.
