History

WPI has long recognized the need for management studies that focus on the opportunities presented by technology. The first courses in management were offered during the 1960s; the joint efforts of several existing campus departments. The need for a full management curriculum focusing on technology was soon realized, and the Department of Management became its own entity later that decade. Since that time, the department's growth has reflected the evolving needs of a technology-driven economy.

1970	MSM (Master of Science in Management) program started.
1979	MBA (Master of Business Administration) program begun. Distance Learning program started, becoming the nation's second-oldest MBA program available entirely at a distance.
1992	MSMM (Master of Science in Manufacturing Management) program begun.
1996	Entered into candidacy for accreditation by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
1997	New MBA curriculum introduced; as well as introduction of MSMTI (Master of Science in Marketing and Technological Innovation) and MSOIT (Master of Science in Operations and Information Technology) programs. MSM and MSMM programs phased out.
2000	Distance learning goes entirely online.
2003	Awarded accreditation by AACSB International Full-time faculty up to 21 from 11 in 1995 Ranked as one of the nation's Best Online MBA Programs by U.S. News and World Report.
2004	New Master of Science programs introduced in Information Technology (MSIT) and Operations Design and Leadership (MSODL). Master of Science program in Operations and Information Technology (MSOIT) phased out. Princeton Review ranks WPI as one of the nation's 'Top MBA Programs', ranking WPI # 2 for "Greatest Opportunities for Women" and #9 for "Best Career Prospects." Business 2.0 ranks WPI #9 in the U.S., "Where Your Career Prospects are Brightest"

Maintained by webmaster@wpi.edu
Last modified: May 30, 2007 10:55:26