MIT Professional Education and GE

A Relationship that Works

The Advanced Study Program (ASP) of MIT Professional Education allows professionals and recent graduates to take graduate level courses at MIT to enhance their knowledge and expertise, or to help prepare them for entry into graduate or doctoral programs at MIT and other universities. Each semester, ASP Fellows (as they are called) from around the globe and a variety of industries including engineering, science, manufacturing, and business, enroll in graduate level courses in one or more of the five schools at MIT. Many Fellows continue to work full-time while taking one to four courses each semester at the Institute.

Tish Miller, director of the Advanced Study Program, said the program works with several local area companies to bring their high-performing employees to campus, and is mutually beneficial for both parties. “ASP Fellows can select from more than 2,000 courses at MIT. Many come to campus with a study plan already in mind that will help them grow and advance at their current employer. And many want to build a foundation in a certain subject or subjects before they apply to graduate school at MIT or elsewhere,” Miller said.

ASP collaborates with GE

The Advanced Study Program has a long-standing relationship with GE Aviation in Lynn, Mass. GE Aviation has sent over 20 employees to ASP over the last 13 years, and has developed a relationship not only with ASP, but with several MIT professors to work on research projects developed in conjunction with MIT’s Industrial Liaison Office.

“The Advanced Study Program has seen students from GE come to campus and thrive,” Miller said. “They take the knowledge they learn here at MIT back to GE and apply it to their work almost immediately. Some GE employees are accepted into graduate school at MIT. The working relationship we have with GE helps string all the professional development beads together.”

Ken Gould, engineering manager and supervisor of the Advanced Course in Engineering Program at GE Aviation, agrees with Miller’s assessment. “The great thing about ASP is that students can pass the knowledge they have obtained [on campus] to others at GE. Advanced courses and ASP allows them to take the fundamental concepts in their university training and bridge that gap so they can apply these concepts in an industry setting. ASP accelerates their development so they can be creative, innovative contributors at an earlier point in their careers.”

Gould completed his master’s degree in aeronautical engineering at MIT in 2006 and understands the challenges of working and going to school at the same time. While enrolled at MIT, Gould took aero engineering courses that allowed him to take a deep dive in certain topics while continuing to work. “I took a course on compressible fluid dynamics that was directly applicable to a project I was involved with at GE Aviation. It was the perfect coupling. I was able to better understand the concepts because I was able to apply them at work in a real-time basis,” said Gould, who would later earn a patent for the work on exhaust system design.

Engineering Research

As a graduate student, Gould worked with MIT senior research engineer Choon Tan on a research project involving turbo shaft engines for helicopters. The two developed an advanced aerodynamic simulation to help improve the performance and durability of the compressor early on in the design phase.

“GE relies on innovation and advanced technology to develop better products for our customers. One way achieve this is by conducting research,” Gould said. “By sending employees to ASP, MIT helps contribute to GE’s goals. It is a win-win situation because students can develop their skills at MIT not only in the classroom but on the research projects GE sponsors at MIT.”

While participating in the Advanced Study Program, David Erickson continued his work on helicopter engines at GE. “ASP is a great way to test out MIT classes before you apply to graduate school,” he said. “It’s a great way to see for yourself if MIT is a good fit. You can meet with potential advisors and discuss possible research projects before you apply to MIT for graduate school—it helps you get ahead.”

Erickson, who was recently accepted into the master’s degree program in aeronautical engineering at MIT, has begun to work with Dr. Choon Tan on a manufacturing research project. “I’m working with Dr. Tan on a centrifugal compressor operability project—which means looking at different things that prevent a centrifugal compressor from being able to operate in certain parts of the flight envelope or in certain operating conditions, and how you can expand the range of operation. We have some ideas we just started working on and the goal is to understand how we can reduce vibration to improve compressor performance and durability.”

A mutually beneficial relationship

MIT’s Industrial Liaison Program (ILP) works with GE and other local companies to facilitate for them a variety of research projects on campus, said Sheri Brodeur, senior Industrial Liaison Officer at MIT.

ILP works closely with several offices and departments at MIT to maximize each company’s relationship with the Institute. Brodeur works with MIT Professional Education, campus recruiting, and labs and research centers to help GE effectively interact with MIT. “By sending students to ASP, GE has access to the data and knowledge that a regular graduate student might not have because they can connect the research back to the company. It’s a very good model,” Brodeur said.

Bhaskar Pant, executive director, MIT Professional Education, said, “We work with a number of different industries and companies to bring students to campus. ASP Fellows can take real MIT courses and continue to work if they choose to do so. Students gain a world-class education in variety of fields of interest. They truly take a drink from the fire hose while here at MIT and then to have the opportunity to work on research projects brought in by ILP member companies such as GE, allows all the pieces to come together well!”