Canada's HEC Montréal has announced that it will launch a new aerospace-focused MBA program later this year.
The new program is aimed at helping participants supplement their technical backgrounds with the management skills they need in this fast-changing industry. "Aerospace is faced with a series of transformations requiring that managers in this sector develop specific competencies,” says Jacques Roy, academic director of the new program.
"These managers often start with scientific and technical backgrounds before moving into team or project management positions. An MBA will give them the skills they need to be more comfortable in these roles and speed them along their career paths."
To do so, the new "AeroWorld MBA" will cover both general management topics with courses like "Analysing Data for Decision Making," as well as industry-focused classes such as "Managing Supply Chains in Aerospace," "Managing Space Programs," and "Lean Management in Aerospace." Additionally, the program will also include a consulting project that students will do in an aerospace company.
Although the global aerospace industry is large and has grown in recent years, there are relatively few MBA programs catering specifically to this sector. Other schools offering programs in aviation or aerospace include France's Toulouse Business School, which has an "Aerospace MBA" on offer, and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, which offers a blended "Aerospace & Defense MBA."
Business schools offering concentrations in aerospace or aviation include Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, and University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, which has an MBA concentration in "Space Systems Management."
Last year, Western Michigan announced the launch of an MBA concentration in Aviation.
According to HEC Montréal, the school's location is a great place to study aerospace, given the number of related firms in the region. Indeed, according to Aéro Montréal, an industry group, the Montréal region has the second-highest density of aerospace jobs in the world. Companies in the area include Bombardier, Bell Helicopter, and Pratt & Whitney.
Although the AeroWorld MBA program "should be of particular interest to people in the aerospace industry," no experience in the industry is required to apply. Instead, candidates should have at least three years' of work experience, along with a bachelor's degree with a satisfactory GPA and a GMAT or GRE score.
The program will take one year to complete and will launch this fall.
For more information, please see HEC Montréal's AeroWorld MBA webpage.
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