Bachelor of Technology in Production and Operations Management

In the Business and Management cluster, you will explore the framework, purpose, and management of an organization. You will evaluate how the organization creates value, what the client sees as valuable, and the process and methods the organization uses to do what it does. The focus prepares you to manage people, projects, products, and budgets. You will be ready to set goals and plan to achieve those goals. 

• BUSN 3150: Creating Value in the Business Model (6 credit hours): Learn to evaluate an organization’s strategic mission and vision. Map the value creation process in the context of a dynamic client and market. Identify where the existing state is not aligned with the desired state and make recommendations for improvements. Contextualize organizational direction from market, competitive, and financial perspectives. 
• BUSN 3155: Managing to Achieve Goals (6 credit hours): Learn how to implement performance improvements and change within an organization, including how to manage teams and individuals to achieve specific outcomes and metrics. Plan specific performance improvements and evaluate how those changes will impact and be impacted by culture and organizational structure. Students practice crucial conversations to improve interpersonal communication.

The problem-solving and decision-making courses help you build your capacities to manage an organization, make decisions that affect the organization, and serve as a role model to those you supervise and manage. You will use both problem-solving and decision-making models in real-world applied projects, weighing information and data to draw the best conclusions. You will use root-cause analysis to help define problems, specifically related to the management of people, projects, products, and processes. You will expand your ability to communicate, facilitate, and negotiate to advance ideas and solutions. You will learn to use coaching as a performance management tool to manage and supervise those in your teams and units.

• BUSN 3170: Decision Making and Problem Solving (6 Credit Hours): Evaluate a variety of information and data sources relevant to a problem, question, or decision. You will gather information through research and data visualization techniques, deploy AI tools, and perform structured internet searches to gather relevant information. You will then evaluate and weigh the collected information, use root cause analysis, develop structured decision trees and logic chains, and choose a response that you can support with evidence. You will present your results and reasoning in formal presentations to gain approval and support.
• BUSN 3175: Management Communication sand Practices (6 Credit Hours): Build your capacity to be an effective manager and supervisor, practicing the techniques that bring the best results in units and organizations. You will learn to facilitate meetings, conduct negotiations, hold crucial conversations, use project management facilitation techniques, and coach those you supervise. You will learn how to establish personal and professional SMART goals and then facilitate discussions to ensure goals are achieved. You will use assessments to determine your management strengths and challenges, then develop personal professional plans to become the manager you aspire to be.

The Data Analysis and Visualization courses will help you build your ability to deploy data visualization and analytics to inform and answer questions, address problems, and support decision-making. You will learn to clean and prepare data, utilize visualization techniques, and apply statistical tools to data – all to provide insight into a real-world problem, decision, or question. You will evaluate the statistical validity of your results and use those results to inform your solution or decision. You will learn how to extend your analysis to make estimates and predictions using forecasting techniques. Overall, you will be the decision maker who can definitively respond to questions and problems with quantitative data support.

• ESCI 4120: Data and Statistics (6 Credit Hours): Learn to deploy statistics to inform questions and solve problems. You will use probability and distribution theory to determine likely outcomes, construct spreadsheet-based models with identified risk and variable elements, calculate probabilities around risk variables to determine most likely outcomes, determine confidence intervals around unknowns, use Solver to determine likely outcomes in your models, and calculate descriptive statistics and ranges around basic data sets.
• ESCI 4125:Data Visualization and Analytics (6 Credit Hours): Using the RPI Analytical framework, you will learn how to use data techniques to inform questions, solve problems, and make decisions specifically within the areas of production, operations, and management. You will deploy decision-making and problem-solving frameworks, adding data visualization, summarization, and statistical testing techniques. You will clean and prepare data, use graphical and summary table analysis, including AI, and test data hypotheses, using results to inform decisions and solutions, thereby enhancing the likelihood of making the best possible decision.

In the Process and Quality Engineering courses, you will learn to map and identify operational processes, evaluate the effectiveness of those processes relative to established requirements, and apply improvement and quality models to improve performance. You will learn how to use Lean, Six Sigma, Root Cause Analysis, Corrective and Preventative Action, and waste evaluation tools to assess performance and quantify improvements. You will develop and modify total quality management applications to facilitate change. *Note: These courses require completion of the Data Analysis and Visualization courses before enrollment.

• ESCI 4100: Process and Quality Engineering I (6 Credit Hours): Analyze and evaluate the manufacturing process of physical products to ensure efficient and repeatable operations that produce high-quality outputs. You will create process maps to standardize and refine work instructions. Using process data, you will identify and characterize the key variables that drive operational performance, examine how those variables relate to business metrics, and assess the tradeoffs required to achieve both operational and business goals.
• ESCI 4105: Process and Quality Engineering II (6 Credit Hours): Tackle the complexities of defining and managing quality in a manufacturing environment. You will assess and enhance total quality management (TQM) plans and apply process improvement techniques to evaluate both process and product quality. You will refine quality standards, analyze qualitative and quantitative data to investigate quality issues, and employ statistical measures to characterize and address variability. Through statistical process control strategies and root cause analysis, you will identify sources of quality problems stemming from both management practices and process-related factors.

In the Engineering Projects and Systems courses, you will enhance your operational expertise with complementary skills in project and supply chain management — focused on allocating resources and time effectively to deliver value to the organization and its customers. You will develop project plans to accurately scope new organizational initiatives and practice managing execution to achieve project success. Through applied projects in systems and supply chains, you will analyze organizational needs from both upstream suppliers and downstream customers, then use your findings to refine supply chain management strategies to meet operational goals. *Note: These courses require completion of the Data Analysis and Visualization courses before enrollment.

• ESCI 4180: Project Planning and Execution (6 Credit Hours): Facilitate, plan, and coordinate the implementation of projects using a blend of traditional and Agile approaches to ensure the project is completed on time, on budget, and on specification. You will develop project charters, vision statements, requirements, stakeholder engagement plans, and refined schedules, budgets, and resource allocation strategies. You will practice methods for tracking project progress, reporting to customers, and keeping projects aligned to completion.
• BUSN 4185: Evaluating Systems and Supply Chains (6 Credit Hours): Apply value stream mapping, forecasting, and data analysis to align internal operations with both upstream suppliers and downstream customers. You will learn to extend your analysis to include external partners, identifying bottlenecks, sources of waste, and risks to on-time delivery. You will make targeted improvements to inventory management policies, adjust schedules to mitigate late deliveries, and enhance supplier management plans. By creating extended value stream maps, you will improve forecasting accuracy for customer delivery dates and strengthen supply chain performance across the entire network.

• ESCI 4200: Capstone Proiect (4 Credit Hours): In this final course of the program, you will work individually with a Faculty Mentor to define and execute a project that brings together the previous courses in a manner that demonstrates your learning mastery and your ability to manage in the professional realm. You will define the project, plan its completion, and execute to meet milestones at four points through the semester, including the final submission. You will present your results to a panel of Faculty Members as the culminating activity in your program.

We listened carefully to professionals like you and to hundreds of employers to build a program that directly aligns with what the job market demands and what you need to advance your career. The market does not call for only a simple credential; it calls for specific capabilities that prepare you for what comes next. This RPI program is focused on preparing you to manage people, projects, and operations. Every course is designed to give you both the knowledge and hands-on experience to take on a management role in your organization and industry.

This program is designed for busy working adults. Each course includes around five scheduled live sessions, held in the evenings on a cadence of roughly every two to three weeks. You will be provided with all the dates at the start of each semester so you can plan ahead. 

These sessions are interactive, with instructors working through examples, discussing projects, running simulations, and addressing questions. If an emergency arises and you cannot attend, sessions are recorded and made available along with a transcript the next business day. 

The remainder of your coursework can be completed at times that are convenient for you.

We believe in learning by doing, a tradition dating back more than two centuries at RPI, where it was invented in its contemporary form in higher education. Wherever possible, we evaluate your learning through projects and applied activities rather than traditional exams. We also believe in iteration: you will receive feedback before formal grades are issued, providing you with the opportunity to make improvements. When you complete the program, we want you to have far more than just knowledge; we want you to be able to use what you have learned in meaningful, actionable ways to advance yourself and your organizations.

Our aim is for every activity to be an active, authentic reflection of your learning. In most cases, instead of discussion posts, you will complete a “knowledge check” at regular cadences, such as every other week. These will be short project or exercise assignments to ensure your progress toward the learning goals of the course is on track. If you do not perform well in a knowledge check, you and your Faculty Mentor can meet individually to identify gaps and work together to close them.

Each course includes at least two real-world projects: one at the midpoint and one at the end. You will begin receiving project briefs from the start of the semester, and the courses are designed to guide you toward their completion. The projects closely mirror what someone in the field does on the job, allowing you to demonstrate what you have learned in realistic contexts.

Throughout the semester, you will work with your Faculty Mentor on the projects, so by the time you submit your final work, you will have had multiple opportunities for feedback and revision.

If you have at least three years of work experience and a completed associate’s degree with a minimum 3.0 GPA, you are eligible to apply.

As part of the admissions process, you will submit a resume. Our team will review it for work you did after high school, paid or unpaid, as experience upon which you can draw in our state-of-the-art project-based program. We will not use your work experience as a reason to keep you out; we will use it as a foundation for additional development and learning, and for a holistic evaluation of your application. All work must be verifiable through an employer. Our enrollment team is happy to meet with you to evaluate your background before you apply.

In general, a completed, or soon-to-be-completed, Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AS) degree that meets New York State general education requirements is sufficient for admissions consideration. Some states have different requirements, and our team is happy to meet with you to evaluate your educational background.

If you hold an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree, you may also apply, though in some cases you may need to complete an additional 1-3 courses. Our team can review your transcripts and give you precise insights into your eligibility and next steps.

Depending on your educational background, an additional 1-3 courses (e.g., general education) may be required to meet New York State degree requirements. Our team can evaluate your transcripts and provide you with full clarity on next steps.

The program has built-in flexibility in the order you take courses. For example, you may choose to start with courses in Business and Management, Management Communications, or Data Analysis and Visualization, depending on your prior educational background. We recommend starting with the courses that offer the most immediate value for advancement, provided you have met the prerequisites.

The program is designed to fit and complement your lifestyle. Go as fast or as slow as you need, given your work and personal commitments. Our advisors will consult with you at the start to help set the right pace, and you can speed up or slow down at any time while enrolled.

We built the program to accommodate the needs of as many working adults as possible. If you need federal financial aid, want to use VA benefits, or have employer tuition benefits, the six-credit-hour structure helps optimize your eligibility: one course qualifies you as half-time, and two courses qualify you as full-time, under university policy.