Dual degree programs linking the MBA to other disciplines are the latest trend now at top business schools, with Johns Hopkins University’s Carey School of Business the most recent to follow suit. The Carey School announced this week that it will launch a joint MBA/MA in Design Leadership through a partnership with the Maryland Institute College of Art, one of the oldest degree-granting collages of art and design in the country.
The new program, which will enroll its first students in 2012, is the only one so far in the United States where students can earn graduate degrees from a top business school and a major college of art and design at the same time, according to the Financial Times. Johns Hopkins joins schools outside of the United States – such as the Rotman School at the University of Toronto, INSEAD and Spain’s ESADE – which have been incorporating design into the MBA curriculum.
Students in the MBA/MA in Design Leadership program will be able to earn two degrees as part of an accelerated curriculum lasting between 18 and 20 months. Traditional business subjects such as strategy, finance and economics will be complemented by courses in visualization, prototyping, cultural relevance and design theory, according to the FT report.
Carey professor William Agresti told the FT that the new program “will build the management and innovation capacity of designers, engineers and budding entrepreneurs, while instilling the confidence that comes from a solid understanding of the core business disciplines.” The school expects to draw students from marketing, engineering and finance backgrounds as well as architecture and fine arts students who have an interest in becoming business leaders. “It’s difficult to imagine a timelier program, given the tremendous need for innovation, collaboration and leadership for advancing organizations and society,” Agresti said.
To learn more about the new MBA/MA in Design Leadership at Johns Hopkins, click here.
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