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12-Credit Hours

Students complete 12-credit hours of course work in the areas of Regulatory and Policy Considerations, Professional Development, Operations and Project Management, and Business Development. Students can request to have 3-credits substituted with an approved elective.

MST 6100 —Policy and Regulatory Considerations for Scientist and Engineers
(3-credits)

This course will provide students a broad perspective on how government policies and regulations impact the work of scientist and engineers, their companies, and industries. Students will be introduced to federal and state regulatory processes, government-private partnerships, and the role of non-governmental organizations. Comparison of policy and regulations across disciplines will be presented with opportunities to explore areas of environmental impact, ethics, and social responsibility. This is a cohort class for first-year MST students. Permission of PMST Program Director required.

Course outcomes:

  • Students will be able to describe how government policies impact industries in their field of study.
  • Students will be able to evaluate the impact of government regulations on their industry, company, and work.
  • Students will be able to describe differences between state and federal regulatory requirements in their industry, company, and work.
  • Students will be able to discuss the ethics of government policy and relationships to social responsibility.

MST 6110 Business Development for Scientist and Engineers
(3-credits)

This course provides an introduction to Business Development as practiced in technology-focused companies. Concepts of strategy (vs. strategic planning), the role and deliverables of marketing organizations within companies that focus on business to business sales, and the fundamentals of accounting and finance that are essential for managers and other decision-makers will be presented. The course focus is on how scientists and engineers support and work with business development teams. This is a cohort class for first-year MST students. Permission of PMST Program Director required.

Course outcomes:

  • Students will be able to outline the Product Life Cycle
  • Students will be able to apply the kernel method to communicate strategy
  • Students will be able to construct a product scorecard based on customer metrics
  • Students will be able to design a Markets Requirements Document
  • Students will be able to demonstrate a SWOT analysis
  • Students will be able to prepare a product forecast
  • Students will be able to specify the different roles of buyers in sales
  • Students will be able to analyze the tools used for Business-to-Business sales
  • Students will be able to demonstrate how the time value of money impacts financial decisions and metrics.
  • Students will be able to describe the differences in business models between startups and established companies.

MST 6200 Professional Development for Scientist and Engineers
(3-credits)

This course offers strategies for effective communication and leadership that are essential for managers and other decision-makers. Students will develop skills in communication, collaboration, negotiation, and persuasion. Students will examine best practices of managing meetings, facilitating group problem solving, and consensus building within cross-functional teams that are commonly found in technology companies. This is a cohort class for first-year MST students. Permission of PMST Program Director required.

Course outcomes:

  • Students will recognize effective communication.
  • Students will evaluate their own communication behaviors and identify areas that need improvement.
  • Students will demonstrate presentation skills including audience analysis, selecting a topic, organizing a presentation, effective introductions and conclusions, and effective delivery.
  • Students will demonstrate effective teamwork skills, including decision-making, developing and understanding team structure, the role of leadership and power, group roles, motivation, and conflict styles in working as a team member and/or leader.
  • Students will be able to understand the key practices and commitments of effective leaders.
  • Students will be able to adopt action strategies to integrate the practices and commitments of leadership in daily activities.
  • Create a personal leadership development plan and process.
  • Effectively lead at the individual, team, and organizational level

MST 6210 Operations and Project Management for Scientist and Engineers
(3-credits)

This course focuses on the management of value creation through effective and efficient process design and project management. The course will cover operational design and theory within the planning, organizing, implementing, and monitoring functions of management, the fundamentals of traditional project management and agile processes. The goal of this course is to provide students with context and tools to increase their ability to function within and improve organizational processes.

Course outcomes:

  • Students will be able to identify the four functions of operations management: planning, organizing, implementing, and controlling.
  • Students will have an understanding of the supply chain and be able to identify and analyze the supply chain of an organization.
  • Students will be able to understand and describe the relationship between efficient design, waste, and LEAN Management.
  • Students will have an understanding of the uses of technology, efficient inventory management, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), and Material Resource Planning (MRP) systems.
  • Students should have an understanding of effective process design and be able to create a flowchart that illustrates a process.
  • Students will be able to identify the critical path of a process and calculate crashing costs.