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News Release
Office of News and Information
212 Whitehead Hall / 3400 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21218-2692
Phone: (410) 516-7160 / Fax (410) 516-5251
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July 23, 1996
CONTACT: Phil Sneiderman
prs@jhu.edu
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JHU Launches New Business Minor to
Prepare Engineers for Management Posts
New engineering graduates often possess top-notch technical
skills, but they may not be well-equipped to run a small company
or supervise a team of employees. Beginning this fall, however,
undergraduates at The Johns Hopkins University will be able to
bolster their courseload with business and management training.
The new "Minor in Entrepreneurship and Management" is designed to
prepare students to move quickly into leadership positions in
industry and the public sector.
Professional organizations and business leaders have been
encouraging universities to supplement their engineering training
with more instruction in management and finance areas, JHU
administrators say. As many large corporations have "downsized,"
more opportunities have opened in small businesses, where
employers and professionals such as engineers need strong
management skills and knowledge of marketplace dynamics and
international trade. In addition, many students themselves are
hungry for more education in these areas. A three-day engineering
course on technological leadership and financial strategies,
offered last January at JHU, was set up for 40 students. Twice as
many tried to register, and many had to be turned away.
By offering the new business minor, said Roger Westgate,
associate dean for academic affairs at JHU's Whiting School of
Engineering, "I think we're answering what seems to be the loud
and clear message that's coming from the engineering
community."
Backing up an engineering program with finance and management
courses is not unusual at universities that also have a school of
business. But such a curriculum is far less common at other
campuses, such as Hopkins, that do not have a business school,
JHU administrators say. "We're near the leading edge on this,"
said Westgate.
Hopkins students who opt for the business minor will not receive
less rigorous instruction in the fundamentals of engineering. "I
hope it will be an important supplement to the engineering
program," said John C. Wierman, the mathematical sciences
department chairman, who led the development of the new minor.
"It's not replacing anything. We want to improve the education of
engineering students."
Although the minor was organized by the engineering school,
students majoring in the humanities, social sciences and natural
sciences will also be able to sign up. Students will need to
complete at least seven courses in five categories: quantitative
methods, business and finance, leadership and organizational
behavior, operations, and international trade. Students preparing
for different professions can customize their coursework. For
example, an engineering major may select classes in corporate
finance and mathematical models for decision-making. A student
planning a career in human resources may choose business law and
marketing for credit toward the minor.
The new business program initially will draw on courses already
offered by JHU, including its School of Continuing Studies. An
advisory committee of alumni and business executives will make
proposals to improve and expand the program. "It was put together
with existing courses," said Westgate, "but it's not going to
stop there."
Johns Hopkins University news releases can be found on the
World Wide Web at
http://www.jhu.edu/news_info/news/
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of science and medical news releases is available at the
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