CSC News

January 27, 2006

NCSU Teams with IBM to Develop New Academic Discipline for Services Economy

NC State University and IBM recently announced a new curriculum initiative in Services Sciences, Management and Engineering (SSME). The new academic initiative is designed to prepare graduate students for careers in the evolving multidisciplinary field of services management.

NC State, whose motto is 'Innovation in Action,' will be the first research university in the U.S. to launch a master's-level curriculum initiative in SSME, which was created in collaboration with IBM through its Academic Initiative program.

The new program draws on research and teaching in the fields of computer science, computer engineering, business strategy, and management sciences to help students develop the skills required in a technology-based, services-led economy.

Dr. Harry Perros, Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor of computer science, and program coordinator of the MS degree in computer networks at NC State, is among a team of faculty members from the management and engineering colleges which developed five new services-related courses that will be added to the graduate-level studies in SSME and Master of Science in Computer Networking (MSCN) programs.

Graduates from both programs will have master's-level expertise in business processes, business strategy, information technology, and management of people in the workforce. Both colleges will be admitting students for the new curriculum in fall 2006. IBM will also encourage its employees to enroll in the program.

See the NC State News Release here for more details on the program.

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