Quote:Beck says the PSM degree was created to solve a stereotypical problem: the brilliant techie who cannot work well with others, understand company operations, nor discuss his or her work in everyday English.

The PSM started in 1997, when the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation conducted a national survey of employers' needs. The survey revealed that what American companies wanted but sorely lacked was science and technology workers with communication and business skills. The foundation soon offered grants to colleges and universities to create PSM programs. Today there are 238 programs at 111 colleges.