Joshua Baehring

The Yale School of Management and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have launched a joint-degree program that will allow students to earn both a Master of Science in Engineering and an MBA in just two years.

The program, which reduces the time required for students to complete both degrees separately by one year, aims to prepare graduates for leadership roles at the intersection of technology and business. Students interested in applying must be admitted to both SOM and SEAS separately. Students in the program will spend their first year completing SOM’s integrated core curriculum before shifting to technical coursework to fulfill the requirements for the master’s in their second year.

SOM Dean Kerwin Charles emphasized that the new degree reflects the school’s commitment to fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across Yale.

“Many of the greatest challenges — and opportunities — in the business world today involve the interdependence of technology and business decisions,” he wrote to the News. “We’re delighted to be working with SEAS to leverage our respective areas of expertise while building on our shared commitment to giving Yale students the best possible business, management, and leadership training.”

Charles added that the combination of technical expertise and management training will help graduates navigate the increasing interdependence of technology and business.

Students will have full access to the resources of both schools, including career development, professional advising, alumni networks and student organizations. The program is also open to all disciplines within Yale Engineering. 

“This program follows our development of master’s programs jointly with the School of Medicine and the School of the Environment,” SEAS Dean Jeffrey Brock wrote to the News. “Yale Engineering wants to work with the great professional schools at Yale to accelerate research and teaching at the interface of their missions with our vision for technological innovation and impact.”

Edieal Pinker, deputy dean for strategy at SOM, also said the program fits within the school’s broader mission of interdisciplinary education. SOM already has joint degrees with the School of Public Health, Law School, School of the Environment and Medical School.

Pinker also highlighted the role that business education can play in shaping engineers into effective industry leaders.

“SOM’s core curriculum is built around understanding businesses from multiple perspectives,” he wrote to the News. “This program will expose engineers to these different perspectives to enable them to more effectively achieve their goals within an organization and in the marketplace.”

Kyle Jensen, associate dean and director of entrepreneurial programs at SOM, framed the joint degree as a response to a long-standing gap in Yale’s academic offerings. Yale has historically struggled to provide students with opportunities to study both business and technology in depth, Jensen wrote to the News, despite most Yale STEM students finding themselves at the interface of technology and management after graduation.

With applications now open, administrators expressed optimism that the program will attract students eager to bridge the gap between the technical and managerial worlds.

“I’m optimistic that these degrees will have very big positive spillovers for the university,” Jensen wrote.

The School of Management is located at 165 Whitney Ave.