QUEST Electives

In addition to the required courses, QUEST students take at least one elective course during their time in the program. These courses complement the curriculum and allow students to meet and work on teams with students from other cohorts.

Study Abroad

For the first time since January 2020, QUEST students were able to study abroad this winter break to fulfill their QUEST elective. The 10-day course brought together 28 QUESTees from all cohorts to experience Vietnam and Singapore. The course focused on bringing a product to market. In addition to cultural visits to places like Ha Long Bay in Vietnam and Hanoi and Singapore historical sites, the students went on many business visits to logistics, shipping, and supply chain companies, a financial management company, the U.S. Embassy in Singapore, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Singapore University of Technology and Design. Student teams took what they learned from these visits to craft a plan to bring a product to the U.S. market and then presented their plan to the class.

Ian Rosenthal, mechanical engineering ‘23 (Cohort 36), took the course and also extended his trip both before and after the course in order to further travel with his QUEST friends. Rosenthal reflected, “Studying abroad was a great opportunity to see cultures and expand my horizons while enjoying the experience with other QUESTees. By participating in the course, I think I will be able to bring a unique perspective to my full time job as I have learned to communicate effectively with people from other backgrounds and understand the challenges that are faced in localities. Overall, I loved getting to know other cohorts and applying all of my QUEST skills in a new setting!”

In addition to study abroad, we offered the following QUEST electives this year:

BMGT438T Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Quality

Students explored the differences in quality perceptions between U.S. and non-U.S. consumers and completed a cross-cultural comparative study between the U.S. and another country on an issue such as education, transportation, or healthcare.

BMGT438N Introduction to Product Management

Students learned about the discipline of Product Management through analysis of tech products across industries, guest lectures from alumni who are product managers, and the opportunity to conceive a product to monetize an unmet need.

BMGT/ENES397 Mentoring Multidisciplinary Teams

Students practiced essential skills for mentoring and coaching teams in our QUEST introductory course, and in the process, strengthened their knowledge of design and quality techniques.

BMGT/ENES 491 Scoping Experiential Learning Projects

Students cultivated relationships with new and current corporate partners and prepared project scopes for QUEST courses. Students were able to visit companies such as Oceaneering, Tulkoff Food Products, and Volkswagen Group of America to tour the facilities and discuss project ideas in person.