Reflections from the Inaugural Class of Krannert's IBE Program

Sunday, December 12, 2021

This semester, Purdue welcomed its largest freshman class to date with over 10,000 students enrolled. The Krannert School of Management launched its inaugural Integrated Business and Engineering (IBE) program with only 100 spots. This elite degree is the intersection between engineering and business and is teaching students to innovate, collaborate, and problem-solve to create a better future for others. The IBE first-year plan of study includes foundational STEM classes, combined with introductory business classes. The smaller IBE cohort allows for exclusive opportunities to hear from industry professionals, meet with successful Krannert alumni, and network with distinguished companies.

An IBE student council was also formed this semester to help solidify the program's foundation and build a community-oriented culture. The versatile nature of the degree allows for students to take skill sets from both business and engineering and apply them to their own interests. IBE students are interested in everything from drones to go-kart racing to pharmaceuticals, and can utilize exclusive resources and opportunities to develop their passions. The students in IBE are innovative, ambitious, and eager to develop their business acumen as well as their engineering expertise. This semester has been filled with both challenges and accomplishments, and the cohort looks forward to taking on the next semester.

“By the end of the semester, I have found myself very interested in both the engineering and business aspects of the major and am eager to pursue both. EPICS was my favorite and most rewarding class as I got hands-on experience and got to apply what I learned in the classroom.” - Ella McGuire

“As I close off my first semester as an IBE student, I reflect and realize the number of opportunities that this program can give to my career. It definitely has been very challenging… but the experiences of working daily with both engineers and business people are showing me why this program is going to be so valuable for my professional career.” - Enzo Martelletto

“I love the sense of community the IBE cohort provides. I have been able to turn such a big school into a small one with people around me that I can rely on. Everyone is always willing to help one another and it is wonderful to know we all have such a large support system helping us chase our dreams.” - Alyssa Younker

“This degree creates well rounded individuals fluent in both the languages of business and technology to fill a much-needed bridge between the two important sectors of business and engineering.” - Sam Desai