The University of Georgia is launching a new dual degree program that will allow students to earn a bachelor’s degree in engineering and an MBA within five years. The program, offered through the university’s Terry College of Business and its College of Engineering, is the first and only combined Bachelor of Science and MBA degree offered at an institution in the University System of Georgia.
 
“We are pleased to add the new engineering and MBA dual degree combination to our innovative educational offerings to provide motivated engineering students with the business skill set that will equip them to excel in today’s workforce,” said Terry College Dean Benjamin C. Ayers.
 
Students enrolled in the program will begin with bachelor’s degree courses in the College of Engineering during years one through three. In their fourth year, students will continue their engineering coursework while completing statistics and data analytics courses in Terry College. At the end of their fourth year, students will complete an internship in either a business or engineering setting. Students will be fully immersed in Terry’s MBA program during year five.
 
“We try to foster an entrepreneurial spirit in our students as they work to solve problems,” said Donald J. Leo, dean of the College of Engineering. “We want them to be able to turn their innovations into products that can have an impact on people's lives, and the partnership with the Terry College will provide them with the business skills they need to do this.”
 
In addition, leaders of the two colleges believe engineering graduates equipped with an MBA will have the technical, analytical and business skills necessary to lead strategic initiatives in high-tech, operations and manufacturing companies.
 
“Engineering graduates with an MBA will be better able to understand business decisions and transition into management roles earlier in their careers,” said Santanu Chatterjee, director of Terry’s Full-Time MBA Program.
 
While other universities in Georgia and the Southeast offer programs that combine an MBA with master’s degrees in various disciplines, UGA’s new dual degree is unique in that it allows students to pair an MBA with a bachelor’s degree in engineering.
 
In addition to earning a bachelor’s and MBA in five years instead of the customary six, administrators believe early-career engineering students in the program will benefit from sharing the classroom with experienced business students.
 
The program will be available to students in all eight of the College of Engineering’s undergraduate degree programs: agricultural, biochemical, biological, civil, computer systems, electrical and electronics, environmental, and mechanical engineering.
 
“Many students coming to us aspire to be not only design innovators and entrepreneurs but also business leaders,” said Ramana Pidaparti, associate dean for academic programs in the College of Engineering. “The new dual degree program with Terry College will provide students with the engineering and business skills they need to excel and be successful in their chosen fields.”