International Full-time Masters’: theory and practice together in a global vision
21 July 2021Roberta Serra, a participant in the Full-time Master’s in Digital Technology Management, tells us why along the pathway of a Full-time Master’s the real difference is the possibility of putting to test the skills you’ve learned with existing businesses and through real-life case-studies. As it happened during the Company Visit at Schneider.
My name is Roberta Serra and I’m a student on the Full-time Master’s in Digital Technology Management (Cyber Security track) at Bologna Business School. My journey within BBS makes me think of a long road trip, during which I encountered different topics, all somehow interconnected and all having their own relevance. Over the course of this long journey, there was no shortage of moments when I felt challenged to give my utmost in individual and group work, despite the tight schedule of academic commitments. At the same time, there was no shortage of rewards, the recognition for a job well done, and celebrations with classmates after a tough exam.
One of the features I appreciated the most at Bologna Business School was the inclusion of practical contents in every course, aimed at contextualizing, especially concerning businesses but also through lab work, the theory we had studied. A key element, in this sense, was the contribution of guest speakers both from academia and different corporate contexts. For those who decide to undertake a full-time course in management-technology, being able to participate in lessons where real case studies from leading companies are presented helps to clarify what may be the career objectives and the type of sector in which to start working.
One of the highlights was the opportunity to attend a seminar held by Schneider Electric, an important company in the field of industrial automation and digitization. For us students it was a moment in which the various skills acquired, including in the specialized tracks of Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security and the Internet of Things, were practically applied in a business context. Through the seminar, it was possible not only to gain awareness of Schneider’s reality, but also to review through several case studies the way in which theoretical skills can be applied. For example, we were presented with an augmented reality application used to capture important parameters from machinery and to perform targeted actions if a machine stops working properly. This practical example can be directly related to the Internet of Things courses taken in the master’s program. In addition, we were shown how different security measures are implemented within an industrial plant: from the type of firewall used to the choice of communication protocols. For me, as a cyber enthusiast and interested in the context of industrial automation and OT Security, it was very exciting to see how a cyber security project is developed within a company.
Besides the seminar, definitely very impactful, we were granted the opportunity to visit the Innovation Hub of Schneider Electric in Casalecchio di Reno (near Bologna) during a very interesting Company Visit. Thanks to the visit, we had the chance to see in live action some of the technologies mentioned in the classroom. From the control room where, via a dedicated dashboard, you can check the status of the machines, to the application of augmented reality to control the parameters of the machines themselves. In the course of a morning we were given the opportunity to immerse ourselves even more in Schneider’s corporate reality and to see what we could potentially find in different industrial plants. Dr. Chiara Caputi, Application Design Engineer at Schneider, was very helpful and answered all our queries about the different tools present in the Hub, giving us the opportunity to clarify all our doubts, thus completing this experience that showed how the perfect integration between academia and business is the key to a valuable training.
