An SMSU name change reflects changes in industrial needs

Southwest Missouri State University's department of technology is now its department of industrial management.

According to an SMSU news release, the change was made because "the needs of industries such as construction and manufacturing are constantly changing from a pure technological focus to a management-based technology approach," and the university wants to prepare students to handle "this new business environment."

The new name is "a change in curriculum and educational philosophy," said Scott Amos, head of the department. "The 256 students currently enrolled in the major, as well as all future students, will engage in learning enterprise management, increasing their upward mobility for careers in construction and manufacturing."

The department of industrial management has streamlined from eight undergraduate majors to two, the release said. The first major, a bachelor of industrial management, is designed to fill the needs of the construction and manufacturing industries. The second, a bachelor of applied science, is intended for graduates from technically oriented two-year programs.