MIT LGO students don't just analyze industry practices and trends; they experience them first hand, interacting on a regular basis with an elite cohort of partner companies that ranges from Amazon and Dell to Boeing and United Technologies Corp.
LGO partner companies play a vital role in the program in several ways, one of which is by providing students with a six-month, on-site internship. A cornerstone of the LGO program, the internship gives students the opportunity to work closely with partner company staff to address a critical manufacturing- or operations-related issue. Students gain substantive experience in the field while generating immediate strategic and operational benefits for companies through their master's theses, which are based on their internship projects.
Partner companies also host plant treks that expose students to the inner workings of various types of manufacturing and distribution plants – from robotic car assembly at General Motors to the production of life-saving vaccines at Novartis. During treks, company staff members – often at the executive level – meet with students to discuss plant operations and solicit their ideas for improvements.
Other activities bring partner companies to the MIT campus. For example, during Global Operations Leadership seminars, executives from partner companies and other leading organizations meet with students to discuss the most pressing manufacturing and operations challenges they face on the job as well as emerging global industry trends. Partner companies also visit MIT for student recruiting sessions, which have historically led to job placements for more than one-third of LGO graduates.
Read about Raytheon execs Natalie Chouinard '09 and Lincoln Sise '03:
Technology Today
