Rather than creating professionals for jobs, the MSTIM programme teaches students to create 10 more jobs.

--By KRISHANA PRASAIN

In the modern world’s cutthroat economic climate, learning to foster and develop innovation and technology can lead to rapid acceleration and business success. And managing the technology and innovation has become paramount to achieving designated outputs. The Masters of Science (M.Sc) in Technology and Innovation Management (MSTIM) is one such university programme taught at the Institute of Engineering (IOE), Pulchowk that offers a number of hands-on opportunities to the technology and innovation driven minds. The programme allows founders of new companies, people seeking higher senior leadership roles at companies and talented professionals to significantly boost and upgrade their skills and expertise to run businesses better or to achieve that next career move.

“The programme especially focuses on developing the necessary competencies needed to lead and manage in technology-based situations and is best for those who want to be bosses,” says Professor Dr Tri Ratna Bajracharya, Dean of IOE. He adds that MSTIM provides students with additional models and techniques to be used as frameworks and tools in dealing with business issues and challenges.

Internationally accredited, MSTIM is a multidisciplinary course. The degree is run by Tribhuvan University (TU) affiliated IOE and is the only institute in Nepal that offers the course. “The main objective of the course is to create job creators rather than job seekers. The programme focuses on enhancing the capability of graduates to start and lead their own business,” says Rajesh Kaji Kayastha, Assistant Professor and Programme Coordinator, Mechanical Engineering. He notes that the programme is perfect for engineering students thinking of starting their own businesses.  

The MSTIM degree focuses on innovation and teaches students how to start their own businesses. According to Kayastha, the course includes subjects such as knowledge and ideas regarding different aspects of management, patent, incubation, among others. The programme also has a separate subject called Technology and Innovation Management which includes both technical and managerial parts. He says that the same course will teach students both management and engineering. 

The programme has its own incubation centre as well where the students can gain practical ideas for startups. “We opened our own incubation centre so that our students are prepared to face the real world,” mentions Kayastha. According to him, students will learn about open and closed innovation and intellectual property rights (IPR).

According to IOE Dean Bajracharya, the degree is a new university course in Asian countries. “Innovation is a very important factor in society as it brings very drastic changes,” he shares. “The objective of this programme is different from other master programmes. Rather than creating jobs for one person the programme makes students aspire to create 10 more jobs.”

About MSTIM
“Looking at the need assessment of the country in the field of technology and innovation we thought of introducing the course,” shares Bajracharya.  The programme was first initiated in 2010 by IOE under the Center for Applied Research and Development (CARD) in collaboration with Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) under the NORAD Programme for Master’s Studies (NOMA) funding. However, with the end of the contract in 2014, IOE is running the programme independently. IOE has also signed a MoU with the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) where students are provided with case studies to implement their studies in practical ways.

The two-year master’s programme consists of a package of courses covering important areas for managing and mapping technology and innovation management and entrepreneurship. Divided into four semesters, an MSTIM graduate will come out as a technology leader with a strategic perspective on organisational issues and challenges. 

The course includes Applied Probability and Statistics, Marketing Management, Financial Management, Research Design and Methodology, Operations Research/Management Science in the first semester. Similarly, in the second semester the student needs to read courses such as Technology and Innovation Management, Strategic Management, Elective I: Project Management, Elective II. Likewise, the third semester includes courses such as Elective III- Human Resource Management and Managerial Communication, Elective IV, Group Project and submitting a thesis.

The Elective II course teaches Reliability and Risk Analysis and Maintenance Engineering and Management while Elective IV students can take one interdepartmental elective. Meanwhile, the area for group projects includes farming/agriculture, energy, social entrepreneurship, use of various technologies in rural immersion and technical education for rural masses.   

Scope
Being a multidisciplinary course, MSTIM has a wide range of scope. The students upon the completion of the course will acquire both theoretical and practical ideas to start their own business which is the sole purpose of the programme. Besides this, the chances of achieving higher leadership levels for the graduates in the companies they work will be higher. “The graduate students from here have opened their own consultancy and business firms and some are working in sectors such as energy and manufacturing,” mentions Bajracharya. Similarly, professionals completing the programme are also in computer software development and while some have become renewable energy entreprenuers.   

Admission Criteria
Graduates from any branch of engineering, except for architecture, securing 50 percent can apply for the course. IOE takes admission for 20 seats in one intake. When asked about increasing the number of seats, Bajracharya says that the department is focusing on the quality of education.    

According to Kayastha, the upcoming intake entrance exam will be held in February/March in 2017 and classes will commence from April/May the same year.

Fee Structure
The per semester fee structure of M.Sc. programme is separated into three parts. The five students on the merit list only need to pay minimum TU charges amounting to Rs  12,180 while one student under the staff quota also gets the same opportunity. The six full fee paying students will have to pay Rs 37,680 whereas students from the sponsored seat have to pay Rs 135000. Such seats are sponsored by NGOs, INGOs and public or private organisations.      

Scholarship
The campus is providing scholarships on the basis of a merit list for regular and for female students as well.

Class Hours
IOE situated at Pulchowk runs the classes for from 10 am to 3 pm.