 | |
| Type | Private design school |
|---|---|
| Established | 1983 |
| Postgraduates | 120 |
| Location | , , USA |
| Website | mmm.northwestern.edu |
The MMM Program is a dual-degree program at Northwestern University between the McCormick School of Engineering and the Kellogg School of Management. The program began in the 1980s under the leadership of Donald Jacobs who was dean of the Kellogg School of Management at the time. The manufacturing industry in the United States was under intense competition during this time principally due to Japan's use of kanban and Just In Time. Dean Jacobs founded the Masters of Manufacturing Management Program with the intent to equip business leaders with operation and manufacturing management skills relevant in the ultra-competitive era of the 1980s.
During the 2000s the MMM Program pivoted from its focus solely on operations to include curriculum around design thinking. This was done partly because operations had become a part of the core curriculum at the Kellogg School but also because of the rise of design thinking within the business world. Don Norman served as director of the MMM Program during this time and oversaw the change from a program focused solely on operations to one more inclusive of design thinking and user centered design.
In 2013, the MMM Program announced a further shift toward design innovation and product management with a revamp of its curriculum. Prior to this change, MMM students were required to take the same amount of credits as regular two-year MBA graduates of the Kellogg School. With these changes, MMM students now attend a summer quarter of classes before the regular two-year program begins at Kellogg. Prior to this announcement, graduates of the MMM Program received both a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Engineering Management. The class of 2016 and subsequent classes will now receive a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Design Innovation.[1]
Though the MMM Program has been upgraded several times to reflect the current needs and relevance of the marketplace, the name has remained the same. Keeping true to its design curriculum, the team overhauling the program in 2013 underwent extensive user research from current students, alumni, faculty, and employers to understand the needs of the name of the program. It was decided to leave the name as it was without it having any true meaning as an acronym similar to companies like 3M, SAP, USAA, or IDEO which are well known companies but rarely are the acronyms for these companies known.
References
- ^ Northwestern University’s Kellogg and McCormick Schools Announce Enhanced MMM Program. Sept. 19, 2013. http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/news_articles/press/2013/0919enhancedmmm.aspx