18 No, Bar-Ilan’s new undergraduate program for product management doesn’t include a course in calligraphy—at least, it doesn’t include one yet. But when it came to designing a curriculum that would prepare students in the humanities and social sciences to contribute to Israel’s vibrant high-tech sector, the program’s founders definitely took to heart Steve Jobs’ famous anecdote about the value of inter-disciplinarity. A collaboration of Bar-Ilan and the Israel Growth Forum (IGF), a consortium of the top Israel-based “unicorns,” or multinational tech companies listed onNASDAQ, the programoffers outstanding students from the humanities and social sciences an opportunity to augment their undergraduate degrees with a carefully selected course load in product management, currently the fastest-growing sector in high-tech companies. Comprising studies in data science, information systems, programming, business management, online marketing, and more, the program—initiated by Faculty of Law Prof. (emeritus) Yaffa Zilbershatz, President Prof. Arie Zaban, and CEO and Senior Vice President Zohar Yinon—will combine academic and guest lectures, workshops, a final project, and internships at a range of high-tech companies. Moreover, the program will be accompanied by a committee of senior industry executives, whowill ensure that alongside its rigorous academic standards, the program maintains its relevance to industry. According to Israel Growth ForumCEO KeremNevo, the goal is not only “creating additional and diverse entrance doors to Israeli high-tech,” but also ensuring that “thoughtful and superb personnel” from non-technological backgrounds help advance the growth engine of Israel’s economy. Open to rising sophomores, the one-year program—led by head of the Unit for Special Programs Prof. Nissim Leon with the support of Rector Prof. Amnon Albeck and Vice Rector Prof. Arie Reich—is completely free of charge and provides its graduateswith a dual certificate fromBar-Ilan and the IGF. The Highway to High-Tech The Undergraduate Program in Product Management
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