MMM Program Curriculum
Northwestern’s MMM program is a fully integrated dual degree between the Kellogg School of Management and the Segal Design Institute at the McCormick School of Engineering. Students earn both an MBA and a Master of Science in Design Innovation.
The curriculum is designed not only to build analytical rigor and design capability, but to develop the ability to integrate them in practice. At Kellogg, students develop strength in strategy, finance, operations, and market analysis. At Segal, they engage deeply in human centered research, synthesis, and prototyping. Across both, they apply these approaches together by framing problems, generating concepts, testing solutions, and refining them in real world contexts.
The goal is not exposure to multiple disciplines, but fluency across them, and the judgment to know how and when to apply each.
Visit McCormick’s site to take an in-depth look at the MMM Curriculum ›
MMM Curriculum Focus Areas
Skills you’ll learn
Courses that build them
Business Strategy & Execution
Innovation creates possibilities, but strategy determines where to focus. Effective leaders must be able to identify meaningful opportunities, assess market dynamics, allocate resources, and translate ideas into measurable outcomes.
This pillar develops the ability to navigate uncertainty, make informed decisions, and move initiatives from concept to execution. Students learn how organizations create value, how competitive advantage is built and sustained, and how to evaluate opportunities through both financial and strategic lenses.
At the nexus of innovation, business strategy provides the discipline to answer a critical question: not just can we build it, but should we build it?
- Kellogg - MBA Experience
- Kellogg - MMM Analytics - AI
- Kellogg - MMM Core Curated Operations Elective
- MSDI - Appropriability by Design
Human-Centered Design
The most successful innovations begin with a deep understanding of people. Human-centered design equips leaders to uncover unmet needs, frame problems thoughtfully, and create solutions that resonate with the individuals and communities they serve.
This pillar emphasizes empathy, research, experimentation, and iterative problem-solving. Students learn to engage stakeholders, challenge assumptions, and approach complexity with curiosity and creativity.
As technological capabilities accelerate, understanding human behavior becomes increasingly important. Human-centered design ensures innovation remains grounded in real needs rather than technological novelty.
- MSDI - Research Design Build (RDB) + Lab
- MSDI - Curiosity Understanding Empathy (CUE)
- MSDI - Business Innovation Lab (BIL)
• Project Partner Opportunity
• Startup Opportunity
AI & Technology Foundations
Technology is reshaping every industry, creating new possibilities for products, services, and organizational transformation. Leaders do not need to become engineers, but they do need a strong understanding of how emerging technologies work, what they enable, and where their limitations lie.
This pillar builds technological fluency with a focus on artificial intelligence, digital systems, data, and innovation ecosystems. Students develop the ability to collaborate effectively with technical teams, evaluate technological opportunities, and make informed decisions about implementation and adoption.
In a world where capability is increasingly abundant, leaders must understand both the potential and the consequences of technological change. This pillar provides the foundation for translating technological possibility into meaningful impact.
- MSDI - AI as a Force Multiplier for Product Leaders
- MSDI - Product Builder
Communications & Influence
The most transformative ideas succeed only when people understand, support, and act upon them. Innovation requires leaders who can communicate clearly, align diverse stakeholders, and build momentum across teams, functions, and organizations.
This pillar develops the ability to tell compelling stories, facilitate collaboration, navigate competing perspectives, and lead through influence rather than authority alone. Students learn how to articulate vision, foster trust, and create shared understanding in environments characterized by complexity and change.
At the intersection of business, design, and technology, communication becomes a strategic capability. It is how ideas gain traction, how teams align around a common purpose, and how innovation becomes action.
- MSDI - Mindful Product Management
- MSDI - Whole Brain Communication
- MSDI - Communications & Influence