THE
CURRICULUM AND ADULTS AT KAUNAS UNIVERSITY
OF TECHNOLOGY
Dr.Daiva Dumciuviene (Kaunas University of Technology,
Lithuania)
After structural changes in higher education system
in 1991, universities have tried to respond and
adapt their curricula to the new environment
taking into account new market needs and growing
demand for professional development and retraining.
Different units at KTU (KAUNAS University of Technology)
provide training in many areas: business management,
public administration, information and communication
technologies, environmental protection and management,
chemical engineering, etc. There are at least several
active adult education providers in every University
faculty. The great majority of them focus on Lithuanian
educational and training market, but some provide
courses in English as well, for example, the Distance
Education Center and the Environmental Engineering
Institute.
The growing demand for additional knowledge in
management and economics has influenced University
administration and academic staff to develop study
programmes adjusted for professional skills development.
The specialized professional study programme,
PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT (by industry branch) is offered
at the Faculty of Economics and Management for
further professional development of specialists
having bachelor’s diploma in technological
areas of sciences. The structure of the programme
is one academic year (two semesters). It is adjusted
to the needs of working persons and it is possibility
to take full time or part time studies. The programme
is pursued since 1999/2000 academic year and average
65 students study each year in both forms of studies.
The basics of production management study program
is good knowledge in engineering sciences and ability
to apply them in different industry branches. The
technological knowledge obtained during bachelor
study program is combined with the basic management
science disciplines (planning, marketing, human
resources management, organizing of the work, managerial
finance, accounting). Students can choose specialization
subjects in enterprises accounting, industrial
marketing, production management and export management
fields. It allows to achieve good results in the
areas, which need technological and management
knowledge. The final diploma project is oriented
in management problems’ analysis and solution
in industry branches where the bachelor specialization
was obtained. This allow to achieve the highest
technological and management knowledge synergetic
effect.
Students’ knowledge in technological and
management fields allows successfully start and
develop own business, work in the managers or
specialists position of production and functional
divisions.
Another specialized professional study program,
INDUSTRIAL ECONOMICS is offered at the Faculty
of Economics and Management for further professional
development of specialists having bachelor’s
diploma in technological area of studies and working
in different branches of industry. The duration
of the programme is one academic year (two semesters).
It is adjusted to the needs of working persons
and it is possibility to take full time or part
time studies. The programme is pursued since 2001/2002
academic year and average 22 students study each
year in both forms of studies.
The basics of the industrial economics study program
is good knowledge in engineering sciences and ability
to apply them in different industry branches. The
technological knowledge obtained during bachelor
study program is combined with the basic management
science disciplines (enterprise economics, international
business economics, marketing, managerial finance,
accounting). The specialization subjects in production
and services economics, international trade economics
fields allows to achieve good results in the areas,
which need technological and management knowledge.
The graduates are able to effectively use modern,
international oriented standards and economical
methods in competitive markets. The final diploma
project is oriented in economic problems’ analysis
and solution in industry branches where the bachelor
specialization was obtained. This allows to achieve
the highest technological and economics knowledge
synergetic effect.
Students’ knowledge in technological and
economics fields allows successfully solve problems,
which requires maximal arrangement knowledge in
these fields. The specialists are able to work
planning, marketing research, new technology development
divisions.
