The age of Artificial Intelligence is here, and just like they always have, Business Huskies are learning to leverage the latest revolutionary technology. Get our by-degree breakdown of AI in action across College of Business programs, then take a look at some of our students' most stellar accomplishments in a look back at the past academic year.
The AI Advantage
Our business degrees have always evolved alongside technology, but the rapid rise of artificial intelligence marks a turning point. We're ready. Major by major, here's how and why AI is infused in our programs.
- Finance: AI Robo Advisors + Trading = Helps manage risk, detects fraud, and predicts markets.
- Management: AI in Leadership + People Analytics + HR = Smarter decisions, stronger teams, and better workflows.
- Marketing: AI Insights + Chatbots + Content = Personalized campaigns, tracked analytics, and boosted creativity.
- Economics: AI Forecasting + Modeling = More accurate interpretations of complex markets, shaping better policy.
- Construction Management: AI Scheduling + Drone Monitoring = Safer, faster, smoother end-to-end project execution.
- Engineering Management: AI in Product Design + Operations = Optimizes performance, adds efficiency, and sparks innovation.
- Business Analytics: AI Predictive Modeling + Natural Language Processing + Personalization = Turning raw data into real business impact.
- Management Information Systems (MIS): AI in Systems + Cybersecurity = Enables the design and management of intelligent, adaptive tech.
- General Business: AI impacts every area! Explore, adapt, and choose your future path.
College of Business Hosts First Career Fair
Career Fair opportunities at Michigan Tech got even better this fall with the College of Business's first exclusive event for Business Huskies.
The first College of Business Career Fair took place October 23 in Michigan Tech's Memorial Union Building Ballroom. There was no fee for employers to participate. Interview space was also provided at no charge the next day, October 24, for companies ready to hire Huskies for internships, co-ops, and full-time positions.
The fair focused on undergraduate and graduate students majoring in degree programs including accounting, business analytics, construction management, economics, engineering management, finance, management, management information systems, marketing, and the Tech MBA®.
Held in collaboration with Michigan Tech Career Services, which is known for both fall and spring Career Fairs as well as Career Fest events that bring Huskies together with employers, the College of Business Career Fair followed a month after the University-wide fall Career Fair.
While Michigan Tech's College of Business Career Fair is free to participants, sponsorships and donations are welcome from those who want to help support the event. If you're interested in participating at any level in next year's event, please contact careerfair@mtu.edu.
Accounting Major Awarded National Scholarship
In July, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) selected Michigan Tech accounting major Hieu Theriault '27 as a PCAOB Scholar. As one of 685 students selected nationwide for the 2025-26 academic year, he received a $15,000 award.
The merit-based award is designed to support outstanding students who are likely to become auditors and to make a difference for students who might otherwise pursue a different career path. The program's nomination criteria include an overall GPA of 3.3 or higher, along with demonstration of high ethical standards and financial need.
Scholarship recipients are nominated by their institutions, which participate in the PCAOB Scholars Program based on accreditation and the number of students who earn accounting degrees each year.
Theriault, who was nominated by Laura Sieders, assistant teaching professor of accounting, is pursuing a minor in economics. Outside the classroom, he's secretary of the Accounting Club and was recently appointed MTU special task manager for broomball. Theriault also plays Club Ultimate Frisbee, traveling to competitions around the Midwest and eastern US.
Colleges of Business and Computing Catalyze Collaboration
In October 2024, the Michigan Tech Board of Trustees approved a $30 million capital funding request to the State of Michigan to support construction of the Center for Convergence and Innovation (CCI)—a $56 million project that will co-house the College of Business and the College of Computing.
In preparation for the CCI, Michigan Tech has launched three new centers of excellence specializing in business artificial intelligence, economic and business analytics, and curriculum and research in accounting and financial technology.
"My vision for the CCI is that when a visitor walks down the hall, they will see in its classrooms and labs a dynamic, cross-disciplinary interface between business and computing," said Dennis Livesay, Dave House Dean of the College of Computing.
CCI is envisioned as a collaborative facility in the academic core of campus that encourages shared cutting-edge research, workforce development, and strategic partnerships to position Michigan and the state economy as a leader in digital transformation.
Looking Back, Moving Forward: Michigan Tech AMA Chapter Celebrates a Year of Achievements
College of Business students from Michigan Tech's American Marketing Association chapter made their mark on and off campus in the 2024-25 academic year, earning accolades in regional competition, building community through networking events, and showcasing their talent at Spotlight Night.
Part of a national organization that offers students from all majors opportunities to apply marketing concepts, develop professional networks, and learn from industry leaders, MTU's AMA chapter contributes to a stronger Husky community.
Read more about the Achievements of the Michigan Tech AMA Chapter.
Honoring the Best in Business
The College of Business Student Awards program brings students, faculty, staff, alumni, and industry advisors together to honor outstanding Huskies in each degree program, along with the overall student of the year. Get the full list of winners, including Beta Gamma Sigma business honor society inductees, and find out what award presenters had to say about Huskies' accomplishments at the College of Business Newsblog.
Project Management Competition Expands
Can you imagine the old Nelson- Schroeder Building at the Corner of Oak and Seventh Street in Calumet with a fully accessible mix of retail shops and residential housing? What about downtown offices, apartments, and storefronts within the Houghton City Center on Shelden Avenue?
Michigan Tech students in Roger Woods' Advanced Project Management course can. They shared their visions for some of the Keweenaw's venerable historic buildings in professional presentations as part of The College Project Competition (TCPC) in April. Campus and community were invited to attend, and the competition was scored by project management professionals (PMPs) and five executive judges.
Woods, a teaching professor, also has a vision. He plans to enrich the project management education ecosystem in the Keweenaw Peninsula and across the region with an expanded TCPC that will span the Upper Peninsula, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota.
"The College Project Competition will be based on our experience. Working with longtime mentor Gabrielle Haskins, PMP, we're building the content, the rubric, the gating process (distinct stages or phases), final presentations, awards, and the process for mentees, mentors, and judges," said Woods. "We believe that applying the latest and most up-to-date Project Management Institute (PMI) Standards to the competition formation, establishment, and operation is critical in transferring knowledge and tools essential for existing and future project managers. Gabrielle and I are committed to conducting The College Project Competition in collaboration with PMI, but we do not want to bind the competition to a single local chapter."
The event will be similar to another competition in which Huskies have competed very successfully for over a decade: THEProject, a competition sponsored by the Western Michigan Chapter of PMI featuring cash prizes and semester-long mentoring from seasoned and certified industry pros. In the University's 12-year history of competing in the THEProject, Michigan Tech was the only school to have at least one team place each year.
After 12 years, Woods thinks it's time for Huskies and the region to level up, thinking bigger-picture and broadening the opportunity and competition pool while also staying true to PMI standards. He's contacted 42 universities in the region to gauge interest, along with seeking corporate sponsors to support PMI student memberships, a competition venue, and cash prizes.
College of Business Alumni and Friends: If you're interested in being a mentor, judge, or sponsor, or know of a college team that wants to get involved, contact Woods at rhwoods@mtu.edu.
Northern Hardwoods Field Trip Sharpens Students' Six Sigma Skills
If you ask Roger Woods, case studies in operations management are better in person. For a fifth year, Woods and students toured lumber company Northern Hardwoods' Atlantic Mine location to bring what they were learning into real-world focus.
Woods, a teaching professor in operations management, makes the opportunity available to his Fundamentals of Six Sigma course. He said the tour was particularly helpful for the fall 2024 class.
Come along on the trip to Northern Hardwoods.
Husky Innovate Helps Students Bring Their Ideas to Life
The 2024 Husky Innovate Pitch Competition showcased 14 student ideas spanning technology, sustainability, and social impact.
"The competition highlighted the transformative power of innovation," said Jonathan Leinonen, Husky Innovate's director and assistant dean and teaching professor of management in the College of Business. "We're incredibly proud of all the participants."
The annual idea pitch competition encourages creativity, entrepreneurship, and community-driven problem-solving. Participants pitch their ideas to judges to earn cash prizes, recognition, and the opportunity to advance their concepts.
Take a closer look at the competition and meet the 2024-25 idea pitch winners.
Tech's Collegiate DECA Chapter Shows the World What Huskies Can Do
The Michigan Tech College of Business Collegiate DECA chapter brought a record 13 students to the state Career Development Conference in Bay City, Michigan, last February. Nine were recognized as finalists, and five were top-three competitors who qualified to move on to global competition at the International Career Development Conference in California last April.
DECA is an educational organization that prepares young, emerging leaders and entrepreneurs to excel in the fields of finance, marketing, business management and administration, and entrepreneurship.
Competitions focus on both prepared presentations and impromptu case studies. Events also serve as a networking opportunity to help students prepare for successful careers.
See how the DECA Chapter excelled at state competition and find out who went on to compete at the international competition.
A Marketing Powerhouse
Michigan Tech students from Associate Professor Soonkwan Hong’s Marketing Strategy capstone course stand with the Brockway Mini Homes team on the porch of the company’s first small home model. Huskies are known for working with real clients to develop their professional skills, and Hong’s students helped develop Brockway’s marketing plan, offering fresh perspectives as the company branched out into the small homes market. Learn more about the project (including client feedback) and how Huskies provide marketing solutions close to home.
Michigan Technological University is an R1 public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan's flagship technological university offers more than 185 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
