100 Years of Business and Technology Innovation at RPI
In 2025, the Lally School of Management proudly celebrates 100 years since a department of business administration was first established at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute—America’s first technological university. Since the beginning, business at RPI has been rooted in one core mission: the diffusion of ... knowledge, with its application to the business of living,” uniting management with science and technology and developing leaders who turn innovation into real-world impact.
Where Business Meets Science and Technology—Then and Now
Over the past two centuries, RPI’s programs have built a strong reputation for preparing students to lead in fast-paced, innovation-driven environments. At Lally, students learn in a cross-disciplinary setting alongside engineers, scientists, and data experts, garnering the insights and skills to:
- Evaluate scientific and technical breakthroughs as scalable business solutions
- Lead innovation across industries
- Develop sustainable products and services that address global challenges
With hands-on opportunities including internships, co-ops, capstone projects, and industry partnerships, students graduate ready to lead with purpose and confidence.
2025 Milestone: Integrating ITWS into the Lally School of Management
In a historic evolution, 2025 marks the elevation of the Information Technology and Web Science (ITWS) program as its own Academic Area within the Lally School of Management. As home to the nation’s first undergraduate IT and Web Science degree, ITWS strengthens RPI’s position at the intersection of business, science, and technology.
This forward-looking integration combines centuries of business tradition with cutting-edge technological applications. Students gain extraordinary preparation to lead in areas such as:
- Digital transformation
- Data-driven decision-making
- Technological entrepreneurship
- Innovation management
Business at RPI: Our Legacy, Your Future
For centuries, business and technology have been inseparable at RPI. The Lally School of Management continues to advance this legacy by shaping future-ready business leaders who understand how to leverage technology, data, and innovation for positive global change.
At Lally and RPI, this combination has resulted in numerous graduates who are leaders in their disciplines and industries.
FAQs About the Lally School of Management
Lally is located at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, within RPI’s main campus and at the heart of its innovation corridor.
Lally offers undergraduate, master’s, and Ph.D. programs in business analytics, finance, supply chain management, entrepreneurship, IT and general management.
Yes. Many Lally programs are STEM-designated, which means they integrate quantitative, analytical, and technology-focused curriculum, providing a competitive edge in today’s business environment.
Students who are curious, entrepreneurial, data-savvy, and interested in blending business with technology thrive in our programs.
Lally uniquely integrates business education with RPI’s technological and scientific strengths, preparing students to lead across multi-disciplinary areas and accelerated their careers.
RPI has offered business education since its very first program, with business administration being elevated to an academic department in 1925.
ITWS is the Information Technology & Web Science program, now an Academic Area within Lally. In the words of Greg Hughes, who co-developed it, ITWS “is a combination of the life changing events that are going on between technology and every other discipline in the world. And it amplifies the combination of those things.”
