College majors are designed to give you a solid introduction to one topic. While graduation requirements have students take a sampler in other fields, a traditional major sees you diving deep into just one. Some careers, however, sit at the intersection of multiple fields, and so colleges offer various programs to help students study these overlaps, from double majoring to specific and specialized programs. In this article, we’re going to talk about one of these specialized programs: the Denning Technology & Management Program at Georgia Tech. We’re going to cover what this program is, what it offers, how it works, how you can become a part of it, and whether or not this program is a good choice to support your long-term goals. Let’s jump right in!
The Steven A Denning Technology & Management Program
As with most special college programs, this is named after someone who gave Georgia Tech a whole bunch of money so they could found this particular program. This particular program is hosted by Tech’s Scheller College of Business, and is a two-year non-major interdisciplinary program. Let’s break down each of those components and what it means:
- The program lasts two full years, with students applying, and then joining a cohort within the program.
- The program is not a major. Students earn a minor over the course of the program while pursuing their original course of study. The minor students earn depends on their home college, though students take similar courses as part of the program.
- The program is interdisciplinary, focusing on the intersection between business and technology. Most students come from business or engineering, but other students at Tech may partake as well (more on that later).
This is in contrast to many special interdisciplinary programs of this sort, which instead serve as your major. The benefit of that is that many companies look solely at your major when making hiring decisions. The benefit of this approach is that this particular course of study can be appended to far more fields, allowing greater flexibility for students in what they’re learning and how they’re applying it.
The program also partners with a number of corporations for internship opportunities for students. These are not a given part of the program, but these companies do offer recruiting pipelines for students in this program specifically. These tend to be companies in the tech sector, those in Silicon Valley who sit at the intersection of technological advancement and business.
Denning Course Offerings
There are three tracks within the program; these are based on your school of origin, and the minor you will therefore be part of. There is a shared core curriculum; all students take courses in business and technology, but where you focus depends on where you’re coming from. Students in the business school take more technology courses, though in the College of Engineering take more business courses, and students in the liberal arts take a mix of both.
Students in all tracks take part in an integrated capstone project. In these, interdisciplinary teams take on a problem posed by one of the program’s corporate partners, trying to address a significant managerial or technical issue with real-world implications.
How to Apply to the Denning Program
Unlike many of these special programs, this isn’t something you apply to when you apply to Georgia Tech. As it is more akin to a minor than a major, you may only apply to join the Denning program as a current Tech student. Students in any undergraduate college within Georgia Tech may apply to join this program, though those who are already majoring in business or engineering are the most common applicants.
The application process is competitive; this isn’t like declaring a major or minor, but involves a full application process. The application cycle is open each year for the full month of October, applications to the program must be submitted in this window. There is an information session for interested students in September.
Once applications are submitted, interviews for applicants are held between December and February, with admissions decisions made and released by the end of February. Orientation for the program then takes place in March. As this is a two year program, only freshmen and sophomores may apply, as Georgia Tech wants to be sure all students graduate in four years.
The application itself is only available during the application period, but they have a preview available on their website. Much of this is standard demographic information, making sure of who you are and where you are in your studies. The important part of the application are the essay questions; we’ll go over each of these, and some thoughts on how best you should approach and answer them.
What are your most important goals following graduation from Georgia Tech and how do you believe the Denning T&M Program will help you with those goals? (Maximum 2,000 characters)
They don’t expect you to have your whole life planned out, but you should have some kind of plan, and a clear reasoning for how this program specifically will help you attain it. As this is an interdisciplinary program in business and technology, so too should your proximate and long term goals feature the intersection of those fields.
Your focus on the program should be on what it can help you learn, and how specifically it will prepare you for the path you have chosen. Point to specific classes you will be able to take, and how the lessons the program will impart directly correlate to your future plans.
In what type of position/company/organization do you see yourself working after graduating from Georgia Tech? (Maximum 2,000 characters)
This one relates to the former; in the first, however, you want to focus specifically on how the program will help you, while in this you can elaborate on your plans for the future in more detail. You don’t have to have a specific company in mind (though if you do, one the program partners with is a good choice). Instead, you should focus on the sorts of roles you have in mind for yourself, and what you want to accomplish through your work.
The program is looking for students with clear ambitions, ones who will be meaningfully helped in their journeys by what the program offers. Your answer to this question should showcase how what the program offers will help you, even if you don’t state it explicitly (that is, your goals should end up somewhere in the intersection of technology and business).
Describe your work experience. (Maximum 2,000 characters)
This is straightforward enough of a question. You should describe what jobs you have had, what responsibilities you had in them, and anything important you learned. Both internships and real professional work and more sedate jobs like waiting tables are acceptable to talk about; indeed, retail and other low-level work can be a great training exercise for something like this program.
If you worked for a family business, even if it was unpaid, you can put that in here as well. You should recount all of the jobs you’ve had; the more there are, the less room there is to discuss each. If you have no work experience, simply say so. Don’t give excuses or explanations, this isn’t the place for that.
Please describe your leadership experience on Georgia Tech’s campus, from your high school, or from other volunteer organizations. (Maximum 2,000 characters)
The prioritization in this question is clear from how it is asked; you should ideally speak about what you have done thus far on Tech’s campus, and only turn to other examples after. You want to detail what you did in a leadership position, and what impact you had through it.
Not that you can talk about both regular leadership positions (such as president of a club or student council) and irregular leadership positions, where you stepped up and assumed responsibility despite not actually being in charge. The program is looking for students who will be future leaders in industry, and so they are looking to admit students who have already demonstrated admirable leadership qualities.
Tell us about one of your experiences working on a team. Describe your efforts and how you believe those efforts made the team successful. (Maximum 2,000 characters)
Just as the program is looking for leaders, so too are they looking for students who are able to collaborate and coordinate with their peers. After all, businesses are joint ventures, and so they want students who will contribute meaningfully, and who will be able to work collaboratively if they’re part of a team. The best evidence that you are capable of this is how you’ve done so before.
This team can be in any setting, but we do recommend prioritizing recent examples. You want to showcase what you were able to do with the team, and how you contributed to the overall goals and results. This experience does not need to relate directly to business, and we recommend using a different experience than the one you used when you discussed leadership if possible.
Please describe your foreign language skills and proficiency. (Maximum 1,000 characters)
This one isn’t so much an essay as a chance to describe your proficiencies. Do not over or under-state your abilities with any of the languages you know. There is no requirement that you be fluent in other languages, but it is of course an advantage. Note that taking AP courses in a language, even if you scored a 5, does not mean you are fluent in that language.
Is the Denning Program a Good Choice for You?
This is something you have time to consider, as unlike other special joint programs, you can only apply to join the Denning Program once you are already enrolled at Georgia Tech, so you don’t need to figure out all of the tradeoffs before you apply. The most important consideration is whether or not you are interested in both technology and business, and in investigating the intersection between them.
For students interested in a career in big tech, or in joining a growing startup, this program offers a lot of opportunities.Georgia Tech has quite strong programs in both business and technology, and the Denning Program allows you to draw from both these pools. The fact the program is in addition to your major, and adapted to it, is also beneficial, far more flexible than many of these programs.
That said, this program is less extensive and in-depth than some similar ones offered at other colleges. It is a minor, something done in addition to your major of choice, rather than a full major and program of study in itself. While this is more flexible, it cannot cover as much as a more dedicated program.
This program is also competitive, and you are not guaranteed admission. While this is true of all such programs, the fact you must already be a student at Georgia Tech when you apply means you have more limited options if you aren’t accepted. Georgia Tech is a great school, but we recommend not applying if the only thing you care about is this specific program.
Final Thoughts
As Silicon Valley and big tech continue to boom, it’s no surprise that many students are quite interested in the intersection between them. The Denning Program isn’t the only way you can investigate this, but it is a remarkable one, and one which we think many students might like to take advantage of. We hope that this article has given you actionable insight into this particular program, and let you decide if it’s a good option for you to pursue.
If you are looking for advice on which college programs will best meet your needs, or help on applying once you have found the right fit, then Ivy Scholars can make your life easier. Our mentors are experts at every aspect of the admissions process, and can help you find exactly the right program to meet your needs. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more, we’re always happy to hear from you.
