Troy, N.Y. — The Lally School of Management and Technology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is introducing a new MBA curriculum for the fall 2004 academic semester. The new curriculum does not follow the traditional MBA approach in which each course focuses on a specific business discipline, such as marketing or accounting; rather, it combines coursework into year-long classes that capture the complexity of the real-world business environment.

"This curriculum really responds to the changing demands of business in the 21st century," said Denis Fred Simon, dean of the Lally School. "It integrates basic business principles and presents them in a framework that mimics real-world conditions. It truly gives students an understanding of what it takes to be a manager or entrepreneur in a successful enterprise today."

The new curriculum will feature "streams of knowledge" in five critical areas. These areas include:

• Creating and managing an enterprise;
• Creating value, managing networks, and driving innovation;
• Developing innovative new products and services;
• Formulating and implementing competitive business strategies; and
• Managing the business implications of emerging technologies.

The infusion of innovation and entrepreneurship into the curriculum begins prior to the start of classes with a week-long immersion in the study of Leaders, Heroes, and Innovators. In the course, key characteristics of successful business leaders are analyzed through case studies and laboratory simulations.

The new Networks, Value Creation, and Innovation class will illuminate methods that corporations use to create and capture value in today's global economy. In the Lally School's hallmark Developing New Innovative Products and Services course, students will work throughout the year in an intensive lab setting to create, develop, and market new products and services. In the capstone Managing on the Edge class, students will develop solutions for a series of business problems characterized by uncertainty, instability, and market turbulence.

"Students will graduate from the Lally School not only imbued with an innovative spirit and entrepreneurial mindset, but with their own ‘business portfolios' that they will be able show to prospective employers," Simon said. He noted that the portfolios will contain examples of their analytic skills and business acumen, and will include a marketing plan, business plan, technology assessment, competitor analysis, and strategic map, among others.

"Building on Rensselaer's core strengths in engineering and the sciences, the new program also will leverage the technical savvy of Lally School MBA students and help them fully understand the business implications of such emerging technologies as nanotechnology, biotechnology, and information technology," said Simon. "The Lally School will provide business leaders with the skills and thinking that are essential for successful managers to meet the day-to-day challenges of running a business in today's rapidly changing global marketplace."

For more information or to apply to the Lally School MBA program, go to http://lallyschool.rpi.edu/.

About Rensselaer's Lally School
Rensselaer's Lally School of Management and Technology was founded in 1963 as an integral part of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the nation's oldest technological university. Rensselaer's Lally School is dedicated to advancing business through innovation. Its curriculum is designed to produce leaders who combine creative passion with the ability to integrate technology across business functions. Lally School faculty members emphasize the value of hands-on experience available through campus resources such as the Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship and a world-class Business Incubator. Rensselaer's Lally School offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs in management, doctoral programs in management and technology, an Executive MBA program, and a joint Sino-U.S. MBA for aspiring managers in China. For more information: http://lallyschool.rpi.edu/.

Contact: Caroline Jenkins
Phone: (518) 276-6531
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