22 students have graduated from the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Rwanda with master’s degrees in information technology (IT), the first class in Africa to do so.
In Africa, CMU offers two graduate degree programmes: its founding programme, the M.S. in Information Technology, and the M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, which launches in August.
The programme currently has 43 students and 8 faculty members. Research areas include energy systems and IT for healthcare and business.
CMU said the graduation underscored the university’s and the government of Rwanda’s commitment to educating engineers and entrepreneurs who are striving to make an economic impact in East Africa.
“Being present in East Africa is the only way to understand the region’s technology needs,” says Bruce Krogh, the inaugural director of CMU in East Africa. “Creating a long-term education programme is critical, because it gives students time to analyse problems and develop solutions in the context in which they occur.”
To ensure Carnegie Mellon University’s research and curriculum in Rwanda remain relevant to Africa, the faculty and students engage with local companies and multinational corporations on a continual basis. Companies that have recruited Carnegie Mellon University students for internships in East Africa include General Electric, IBM, Marriott, Microsoft, VISA and Voxiva.
“It is important that students stay in East Africa instead of studying in the States or elsewhere. If Africa’s best students leave to study abroad for two years, that becomes problematic. At CMU, students remain plugged into the region’s rapidly evolving technical and business networks,” said Krogh.
