Strategic Management in the Life and Engineering Sciences - Program Overview

The Strategic Management in the Life and Engineering Sciences (SMILES) MBA program produces the founders, leaders, and advisors of organizations seeking to bring new technologies to market in ways that improve the quality of life for the world's peoples.  It is our aim to solidify UW-Madison's global leadership role in fusing leading-edge science, strategy, and policy making. 

The SMILES program is unique in that incoming students are expected to have a graduate degree in the life or engineering sciences (exceptions are rare), in addition to top GMAT scores and relevant work experience.  We are looking for students who have a vision to change the world for the better by moving into world markets, while still leveraging their advanced technical expertise and knowledge.

Our curriculum provides general management breadth - finance, accounting, economics, marketing, operations, negotiations, and organizational behavior - with additional coursework in areas of intellectual property law, entrepreneurial growth strategies and business planning, and advanced financial analytics necessary to evaluate uncertain technologies in new-to-market products.

Within the first semester, students are engaged in projects that evaluate new technologies developed at UW Madison and elsewhere.  This experience is leveraged in a second semester engagement where students are assigned to evaluate technologies relevant to their particular engineering or scientific background.  The second year provides a rolling sequence of project-based courses.

Students who complete the SMILES program will leave with a well-established network of contacts in all the stakeholder groups essential to the success of high-growth science-based ventures -- these include governmental policy makers, the world's top scientists, venture capitalists, legal, and consulting firms, and the leaders of science-based firms themselves.  Because enrollment is limited to a small number of students per year, all have the opportunity to meet regularly with CEOs and other key industry players.

Graduates of the program may find employment in a variety of technology-based settings. Typical job titles may include (but are not limited to): Business Development Director, Consultant, Technology Licensing Director, R&D Manager, Product Market Manager, Public Policy Advisor, and Technology Entrepreneur.