I noticed that many top engineering schools also had very good business schools. I was wondering, why doesn’t Caltech have a full-fledged school of business? It would seem valuable for students since the LA area is thriving with startups in recent years.
I understand that Caltech is smaller and more focused on the sciences. Would it be valuable for Caltech to found a business school for its students? Is it even something that COULD happen? Similiar to MIT, I figure the mix of engineering and business would be unique and pretty special.
For people already in the workforce, there is the Caltech Center for Technology and Management Education (CTME) https://ctme.caltech.edu/, which offers certificate programs that can be completed quickly. I don’t know much about how popular it is these days, but my husband got a certificate there when he moved into technology management.
I would think that UCLA and USC, being much larger, would do a much better job at providing business education to the LA area. I don’t know specifically about UCLA, but most UCs have a UC Extension office that offers similar certificate programs.
For undergrads, Caltech does have the Business, Economics, and Management (BEM) program, which is designed as a 2nd undergrad major to be paired with a STEM major. Probably the only business-like degree that requires differential equations and game theory.
Caltech is unlikely to be interested in expanding in directions that are unrelated to the areas where they are already strong. Current expansion areas seem to be neuroscience and CS, for example. Perhaps they will co-operate with the new Kaiser med school opening in Pasadena.
My guess is if CalTech wanted to go that route they would have thought of it. The school describes itself (per the website) as “a world-renowned science and engineering Institute that marshals some of the world’s brightest minds and most innovative tools to address fundamental scientific questions and pressing societal challenges” which to me doesn’t make it sound like they are longing to offer business degrees.
Additionally, it is important to recognize that CalTech is quite small in terms of its student body (under 2,300 students). It can easily fill up many times over with students who want to focus on STEM fields.
Hey, one could similarly ask why doesn’t Princeton have a business school? Why doesn’t Brown? Why doesn’t HBS - by far the wealthiest business school in the world - provide an undergraduate business program when they could easily afford to do so, probably with just the funds they spend on a month of lawn care alone?
What can I say? School administrators decide to do whatever they decide to do.
