IU, Purdue team up to offer distance master's degrees to GM

May 3, 2001

NOTE: This is a joint release by Indiana and Purdue universities. More background materials are available from our Web sites, http://newsinfo.iu.edu and http://news.uns.purdue.edu/

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- While they may compete hard in athletics, Indiana's two leading public research universities -- Purdue and Indiana universities -- are teaming up to provide graduate education to future management at General Motors Corp., using the latest in information technology.

The two universities today (May 3) announced that IU's Kelley School of Business and Purdue's Continuing Engineering Education program will join four universities in offering a special one-two educational punch -- a master's of engineering paired with a master's of business administration (MBA).

The offerings will be available via distance education directly to GM professionals. GM is Indiana's largest private-sector employer.

The new double degree program will enable employees to earn the master's degrees from their home or office, using the Web and various other media. After earning technical master's degrees from Purdue and other universities, GM engineers then would be eligible to apply for the online MBA program at Kelley School of Business.

With the combination of degrees, GM employees are expected to better meet industry standards for management roles.

"We at the Kelley School of Business are delighted with our partnership with General Motors, Purdue University's School of Engineering and these other fine universities," said IU Kelley School Dean Dan Dalton. "It is said that you are known by the company you keep; this is, indeed, terrific company. Most importantly, however, it is the students who will benefit from the concerted efforts and resources of this consortium."

Ray Eberts, director of Purdue's Continuing Engineering Education department, said, "Engineers learn how to use mathematical equations and technology to solve engineering problems while managers emphasize financial strategies and people skills. Those completing this double degree program will learn the human side of technology and combine engineering problem solving with financial strategizing."

"Our strong relationship with our partner universities has helped us to lead the way in offering our employees the means to maintain our innovative edge, and to meet the challenge of quickly changing technology," said Joe Joseph, director of GM Knowledge Center and Dean of GMU Engineering College.

Joseph added that the "program is unique in that it offers employees two competitive graduate degrees in the areas that are important for the employees' and GM's success. The program's modern distance learning technologies offer employees flexible, convenient education at work or at home."

The degree programs will include material tailored to GM and the automotive industry. The partnership comes at a time when more and more engineers are leaving the profession and distance education is becoming more viable through advanced computer and telecommunications technology. IU and Purdue are among the first research universities nationally to provide specialized graduate programs in this manner.

This combination of technical and managerial expertise is increasingly central to helping corporations remain competitive in a high-tech global economy.

GM's Technical Education Program currently offers continuing education with a number of other universities. The new program will broaden the company's educational offerings by adding the Kelley Direct Online MBA, a master's degree in engineering from Purdue, a master of science degree in management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and graduate degrees from other universities involved.

The other universities offering master's degrees in engineering through the GM program are Carnegie Mellon University, Kettering University and the University of Michigan.

The GM double degree program will start next January, with the application and registration process beginning this fall. There are more than 1,400 GM engineers who have completed technical master's degrees, and who are eligible to apply.

IU's Kelley School, which offered the first fully online MBA among nationally ranked top-20 business schools, will deliver all coursework for its Kelley Direct MBA via the Web. Purdue offers master's degrees in engineering that can be customized to the needs of the client, based on employees' job responsibilities.

The schools will deliver the advanced engineering education via the Internet and videotapes of campus-based classes to more than a dozen TEP sites across the country, in Canada and Mexico.

(George Vlahakis, IU, 812-855-0846, gvlahaki@indiana.edu or J. Michael Lillich, Purdue, 765-494-2077, mlillich@purdue.edu or Nicole Ehart, GM, 810-986-0223, nicole.ehart@gm.com)

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