The Department has become the first Materials Department in the UK to launch an MBA degree. The new programme is a specialist MBA in Technology Exploitation and Management and has been developed from the continuing MSc programme with the same name launched last year.

The objective of the programme is to help develop the business, management and entrepreneurship skills of scientists and engineers so that they can be in the forefront of developing the new industries based around technology. This exciting new programme includes modules on Entrepreneurship, Human Resources, Finance and Accounting, Total Quality Management, Business Law, International Engineering Economics, all supported by case studies and practical experience.

A strong team has been put together to deliver the programme which includes new staff appointments in Materials, together with external experts and visiting lecturers from industry and commerce. The first cohort of over 20 students has been drawn from 11 countries demonstrating the strong international appeal of the programme.

The emphasis placed on this new programme reflects a general trend within the department which has seen the business and economics of Materials emerge as an important activity for research. Materials scientists and engineers tend to be both innovative and entrepreneurial and incorporating these activities into the departmental portfolio has been a natural development.

The new activity also supports a general development in business activities at Queen Mary as a whole. The new Centre for Business Management is going from strength to strength and close cooperation is envisaged between Materials and Business Management in the future.