Manufacturing Leadership

Overview

The Manufacturing Leadership program of Rochester Institute of Technology integrates business and engineering management courses, delivering them online or on-campus where students continue to work while taking classes.

Manufacturing leadership is a focused program developed jointly by the Kate Gleason College of Engineering and Saunders College of Business. Particular emphasis is placed on supply chain management, global manufacturing and operations, lean systems thinking, leadership, and decision making. A capstone project, oriented to the solution of a manufacturing or service management problem or process improvement initiative, enables students to apply new skills and capabilities to the solution of a pressing real-world problem, with significant financial benefit to sponsors. 

The program can also be taken on a full-time basis, with several courses available on campus. Students may start any term (fall, spring, summer) and complete courses at their own pace.

Key capabilities of graduates

• Ability to make sound business decisions in a complex global economy: business planning with full understanding of outsourcing and offshoring; financial management and total/life-cycle cost; agile decision-making.

• Ability to manage the global supply chain: supply chain strategy development and execution; logistics management (quality and delivery assurance); systems needs for supply chain management; and supply chain optimization.

• Ability to manage global, multi-site production and operations: managing distributed teams; process technology transfer to domestic and international locations; service operations; enterprise and manufacturing strategies; lean operations; location strategy and facility design; state-of-the-art tools; regulatory issues and established norms.

• Comprehensive understanding of quality and continuous improvement principles, with application to the manufacturing and operations management.

• Strong leadership and management skills applied to global high technology manufacturing: systems thinking, planning, and management; applications (“hands-on”) orientation; project management expertise (planning, relationship management, control, risk management and decision-making); creative leadership to drive innovative solutions; enhanced ability to recognize barriers to success early, when corrective actions are least costly.