‘STEMB’ Is The New Strategy: Why Tech-Linked MBAs Are Shaping The Future Of Business

Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University

Established: 1949 (Tepper School of Business), 1900 (Carnegie Mellon University)

Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Graduate Courses In: Big Data, AI Ethics for Business Analytics, Machine Learning for Business Applications

Founded in 1949 as the Graduate School of Industrial Administration, CMU Tepper was renamed in 2004 following a $55 million donation from MBA alumnus and founder of hedge fund investment firm Appaloosa Management, David A. Tepper.

“The outstanding education I received at Carnegie Mellon gave me the ability to analyze investment options in such a unique way that I am still capitalizing on what I learned,” Tepper said at the time.

Today, analytics remains a core component of CMU Tepper’s program portfolio, with a STEM-designated MSc in Business Analytics. The course combines competencies in software engineering, including large-scale data management and programming in R and Python, with more “human” skills such as corporate communication.

The MBA likewise has STEM certification, offering five tracks in Business Analytics, Technology Strategy and Product Management, Energy and Sustainability, Entrepreneurship, and Management Innovation and Product Development.

While focusing on different specializations, the tracks share common ground in fostering engagement with emerging technologies, combined with customized leadership coaching to create a space where data and imagination connect. Both programs include capstone projects that provide students with opportunities to apply their knowledge in real-world contexts.

“Our students represent a new generation of business leaders who understand that technology is central to strategy,” says Masters Admissions Director, Kari Calvario. Through concentrations such as Business Technologies and AI in Business, students explore topics ranging from machine learning and data analytics to the ethical implications of AI,” 

The MSc in Business Analytics similarly offers a chance to test students’ analytical skills on real business datasets, and the MBA Strategic Management of the Enterprise capstone enables students to work on projects spanning operations, technology, digital media, supply chains, and more.

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