CMU Tepper

History

The Carnegie Mellon University was founded in 1900 by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical School, and became the Carnegie Institute of Technology (Carnegie Tech) in 1912. In 1946, economist George Bach was hired by Carnegie Tech to restart the school’s economics department. In 1967, Carnegie Tech merged with Mellon Institute to become Carnegie Mellon University. William Larmier Mellon’s $6 million fund led to the establishment of the school and Bach became the first dean. Tepper School pioneered the use of management science based on quantitative models and an analytical approach when all other business schools were using traditional models and theories like the case method approach.

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Tepper School of business is:

• to create and disseminate new knowledge through research and education that advances the practice of business, and enhances our understanding of the role of business in society;
• to serve our students by teaching them critical thinking; problem solving and leadership skills; and the value of a commitment to excellence, ethical behavior and respect for one another;
• to pursue the advantages provided by a diverse and relatively small university community that is open to the exchange of ideas and where discovery, creativity and personal and professional development can flourish; and
• to contribute to the broader educational and research missions of Carnegie Mellon by pushing back the frontiers of knowledge in economics, and by achieving excellence in undergraduate business and economics education.

Core Strengths of the School

The Tepper MBA focuses on building the leadership and analytical skills of the students with the intention to evolve them into better decision-makers for the future. Hence, there is immense importance given to leadership and strategic analytics at Tepper, as the School aims to equip the students with relevant knowledge and skills to solve complex business challenges. The Accelerate Leadership Center provides personalized leadership coaching after assessing the leadership style of each student and comes up with an action plan for them, so that they can hone their leadership and communication skills to advance in their careers. The action plan includes a series of immersion workshops, team and student projects, presentation courses and team-oriented courses that strengthen the leadership skills of the students. Students are given access to analytical tools for economic understanding, optimization, predictive and prescriptive modeling that enhances their strategic analytical capabilities, thus, equipping them to respond to complex and uncertain business scenarios. The two-year MBA course is different from various other business schools, as it expects the students to gain expertise in core management fundamentals like economics, finance, operations and quantitative analysis in the first year before they choose their electives. Due to such a course structure, Tepper students carry an integrated view of business and are highly sought after for their strategic abilities in analytical frameworks and decision-making skills in complex business scenarios.

Uniqueness in MBA Pedagogy

The Tepper MBA Capstone Courses provide in-depth understanding of specific industries by enabling the students to opt for real-world consulting projects and immerse themselves into global study courses. The Management Game is an excellent opportunity for the students to exhibit their skills by working as a part of the executive committee of multinational companies for a three-year period and add value to their business. Strategic Management of the enterprise is a course where students work alongside A.T. Kearney clients to address issues across varied management disciplines such as strategy, operations, technology and marketing spanning diverse industries. The four-week Germany Study Abroad experience helps the students explore the European economic integration, competing European markets and operations management in Europe. The four-week Asia Study Abroad course is a chance for the students to delve into areas such as Sino-Us taxation comparison, multinational companies of China and supply chain management in China.

The student community at Tepper comprises of students who hail from 35 different countries and belong to diverse set of industries thus, bringing a cross-cultural and diverse perspective on business issues. The Global Treks to China, Dubai, Japan, India, Israel, Latin America, etc. in the months of January and March provide the necessary exposure to the international management practice and trends. The transitional economies study abroad program helps the students explore the areas of finance, operations, marketing and entrepreneurship in Europe.

CONCENTRATIONS OFFERED

LOCATION ADVANTAGES

The School has a huge 140-acre campus in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh, which was earlier termed as “the Steel City”, has adapted itself from its century long steel and electronics industries to high technology and robotics industry. The Nabisco factory in a complex called Bakery Square is today the research and technology office of Google. The region is home to numerous companies such as Allegheny Technologies, Kennametal, Alcoa and several other Fortune 500 companies. The Heinz Hall located in the Cultural District is home to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. The Pittsburgh Opera performances can be seen at the Benedum Center. The Allegheny River, Monongahela River and the Ohio River all converge in the Point State Park.

CAREER SUPPORT

The month-long orientation program called BaseCamp focuses on career planning of the students and prepares them for the summer internship interview process. The BaseCamp provides excellent networking opportunities for the students to connect with their esteemed faculty, professors and alumni. The workshops and different modules help students explore the various functional areas of business and understand how these multiple disciplines are integrated together in companies, thus, providing insights to the students who want to shift their careers into another discipline of business. The Career Opportunities Center COC fuels the students’ job search efforts by guiding them to create a game plan and listing down the target companies. The Center offers immense support in the form of services that enhance the interview, networking and negotiating skills of the students. The Center organizes career treks and career fairs which are a platform for the students to connect with potential employers.