Gordon Institute for Engineering Management

Tufts engineers are forward-thinking and innovative. The Tufts Gordon Institute helps to develop and foster that creative spirit and entrepreneurial edge through programs in Engineering Management, Entrepreneurial Leadership, and Innovation & Management. These interdisciplinary programs prepare engineers and technical professionals to succeed as leaders in an increasingly competitive global environment.

The Institute offers a six-course minor in Engineering Management for students in the School of Engineering. This minor is easily paired with an engineering major and allows students to take a dive into business planning, finance, marketing, leadership, and more.

The Entrepreneurial Leadership Program educates undergraduate students in the business of ideas: inspiring them, polishing them and turning them into enterprises. With access to outstanding teachers, intensive coursework, lectures, internships and real-world business networks, students develop the advanced knowledge they need to become the entrepreneurial leaders of the future. 

For students who want to take a deep dive, the Institute offers a combined degree program for students who would like to pursue a Master of Science in Innovation & Management (MSIM). Students can apply to this intensive program during their junior or senior year. This one year program begins in the year after a student completes their Bachelor of Science Degree in the School of Engineering. Divided into three “Innovation Sprints,” this program is fast-paced and encourages students to engage with peers, customers, and clients both in and out of the classroom. These sprints combine coursework with out-of-classroom experiences designed to develop teamwork, communication, and practical skills.

• Sprint 1 (Fall Semester): With a real-world challenge as the starting point, students work in a team to develop a meaningful new product or service. By the end of this semester, students will create a solution that works on paper and may have a rough prototype.
• Sprint 2 (Spring Semester): Tapping into their passion and creativity, teams continue to develop their solutions with the aim of building a working prototype, creating a more robust paper solution, or proving the real-world viability of their product or service.
• Sprint 3 (Summer Semester): Stepping outside of the classroom, students pursue hands-on industry experiences intended to help them launch their careers while utilizing the skills they learned in the first two Innovation Sprints.

The Institute is also a source of funding for students who compete in the $100,000 Business Plan Competition and offers lectures that focus on leadership in the corporate world.  Recent speakers have included Tufts alumni like Joe Neubauer E63 (Chairman and CEO of Aramark Corporation), Jonathan Tisch A76 (CEO of Lowes Hotels), Laura Lang A77 (CEO of Digitas), and Ellen Kullman E78 (CEO of DuPont).