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THE ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE students who sign up for Texas Tech's new STEM MBA class are in for a shock the first time they take an exam. They're used to answering quantitative questions, so they're not fazed by the math portion of an accounting problem, for instance. But they're stumped by the essay question that asks them to explain what the re- sults mean and how those results might affect a company. "Their thinking has to change when they're faced with interpreting numbers instead of just calculating them," says William R. Pasewark, associate dean of graduate programs and research at Texas Tech's Rawls College of Business in Lubbock. That's the whole point of the STEM-related programs that are being launched by a growing number of busi- ness schools: to help professionals with strong technical skills understand not just the nuts and bolts of technology, but also its impact and its potential to solve global problems. "Our graduates have to think beyond technical solutions and understand how the technology is being used," says Matthew Lynall, director of experiential learning and management consult- ing programs at Purdue University's Krannert School of Management in West Lafayette, Indiana. "We can create smart cities that use incredible technology, but if no one wants to live in them, they're not viable solutions. The tech is important, but it's not sufficient." TECHNICAL PURSUITS BY SHARON SHINN How business schools are placing themselves at the center of STEM education. 22 BizEd MARCH | APRIL 2015