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Josh Bergman ’15 presents during a “Shark Tank” style session in the Business to Business Marketing course. Carthage is accepting applications for its newest master’s degree program, one that covers the burgeoning area of business design and innovation. Those who enroll can earn a Master of Science in as few as 10 months.

The College’s accrediting agency recently gave its formal approval to the 39-credit program. A combination of Carthage professors and a “who’s who” of visiting scholars—will teach several of the courses and workshops.

Carthage modeled its proposed business design and innovation (BDI) sequence on award-winning programs at universities such as Gothenburg (Sweden), Aix-Marseille (France), North Carolina State, and Case Western Reserve (Cleveland). Even Stanford and Johns Hopkins offer elements of it.

Design, in this context, doesn’t mean graphic design. It signifies a creative approach to problem solving — one that executives are increasingly embracing. The trend prompted a cover story in the Harvard Business Review.

BDI prepares graduates to lead cross-functional teams, design innovative solutions, and develop effective strategy, programs, and services for the private, nonprofit, and government sectors.

Prof. Jennifer Madden “These skills are highly marketable and will facilitate a competitive advantage for any grad student,” said Jennifer Madden, an assistant professor of management and marketing who oversaw the program’s launch. “We will train students to find creative ways to manage the complexities in life and work and build their capacity to solve problems that don’t yet exist. Business is so complex, we don’t have the luxury to think just Point A to Point B.”

Tuition also covers books and a capstone study tour. Fellowships are available to students who commit to apply what they learn in local businesses and organizations, or on design and innovation projects.

Earlier in her career, Prof. Madden learned the hard way about “wicked” problems. Working in economic redevelopment in Detroit, she became so engrossed in day-to-day tasks associated with running one of the largest urban redevelopment projects in the nation that something bigger — namely, the collapse of the housing market — blindsided her.

“You can do a really good job, create incredible public-private partnerships, leverage local, state and federal funding, have authentic community engagement and support, but, if you don’t understand the larger interconnections, you can be caught by surprise,” she said.

Determined to fill in those knowledge gaps, she completed a Ph.D. in management with a focus on designing sustainable systems. As a consultant, Prof. Madden brought in nearly $9 million in grants for nonprofit organizations in a single year using business design and innovation principles.

Feedback revealed a demand for a graduate business degree at Carthage. This is a unique offering in a region that’s already “flooded with less focused MBA programs,” as an initial report from business faculty explained.

Bachelor’s degree holders from any major are welcome to apply. Since most professions require some level of business acumen, Prof. Madden believes this program will have broad appeal.

She expects to limit the initial cohort to 30 students.

Read more about the Business Design and Innovation program