Undergraduate MIST Major, B.A.

Management of Innovation, Sustainability and Technology – MIST

What is MIST? The undergraduate major in Management of Innovation, Sustainability and Technology (MIST) combines fundamental coursework in leadership, organizations, entrepreneurship, finance, policy, data analytics, science-technology-innovation studies, creativity and change management, technology management, and sustainable innovation. The resulting multi-dimensional "T-shaped" skillset integrates core management skills with a broad understanding of how to design sustainable and equitable solutions by way of teamwork and technology.

Why combine these different perspectives? Have you ever had a great idea and wondered what it would take to bring that idea to market? If it were easy, then people would be starting their own companies left and right. In fact, to some degree they do - according to a recent survey, around 16% of the US workforce are self-employed entrepreneurs.

To this end, this program will provide a multi-dimensional skillset that enables students to understand where and why entrepreneurial opportunities exist, what are the constraints that define them, how to identify candidate solutions that are in principle marketable, and also how to develop an action plan that is grounded in the Triple Bottom Line of ethical treatment of workers and environmental sustainability, in addition to the traditional bottom line of value generation – i.e., identifying solutions that are well-balanced across people, planet, profit (PPP) considerations.

How is the major designed? The program curriculum will comprehensively develop fundamentals skills of management with emphasis on the integrated roles of innovation, sustainability, and technology. Students will learn how modern day problems - from climate change across global environmental systems, to other challenges associated with designing and managing social, food, and energy systems – require various different ways of understanding these problems and their candidate solutions.

In particular, students will develop a systems thinking mindset for understanding where and why global crises emerge; a technology management mindset for understanding how to design scalable and equitable solutions; and a digital mindset for harnessing the modern data analytics paradigm that is critical to decision-support, effective communication and inspiring action.

This set of management and entrepreneurship fundamentals combine with applied skills in data analysis, operations, planning, communication and leadership to equip MIST graduates with a valuable array of skills for pursuing a wide range of careers in profit and not-for-profit organizations and public and private enterprises.

Is it for you? If you are interested in developing real-world management skills in the applied areas of innovation managment, technology management, and/or sustainability management - then this is the major for you. The highly flexible MIST curriculum draws on diverse disciplines within the fields of Engineering, Natural and Social Sciences, Computing and Data Analytics, and Management.

Career pathways: This interdisciplinary management major prepares students for careers in the following areas, among others: Entrepreneur / Business Owner; Business Operations Specialist; Marketing Manager; Social Media Manager; Market Research Analyst; Investment Analyst; Renewable Energy Consultant; Sustainability Manager; Environmental Scientist; Project Management Specialist; Management Analyst; Chief Executive; Project Manager; Architectural or Engineering Manager; Financial Analyst; Plant Manager; Sustainability Analyst; Environmental Health and Safety Manager/Analyst; Conservation Scientist; Project Management and Business Operations Specialist.

Who delivers the MIST major? All MIST courses are taught by the faculty of the Management of Complex Systems (MCS) department at the University of California, Merced.

The expertise of MCS/MIST faculty falls on the adaptive management of complex coupled human and natural systems. Broadly speaking, this includes arrangements of people, organizations, information, technology, and the natural world operating together for common purposes. 

Courses: The MIST Major requires just 15 courses, which provides the flexibility that facilitates declaring a complementary minor or even a double major. See more information from the UCM registrar of academic programs. Distribution of required courses – 15 Courses, 52 Units: