Master of Science in Professional Studies: Future Foresight and Planning Rochester Institute of Technology - Dubai Campus, UAE

The Program aims at exploring and institutionalizing the concepts of future foresight and planning in organizations. A rich program content that includes a variety of tools and knowledge of the future will enable graduates of public sector and business leaders and other professionals to improve their strategic thinking and planning and improve the way they make future-related decisions and deal with ensuing change. Students will also be able to develop professional expertise in terms of managing and leading future foresight and strategic planning projects.

The program would focus on:

• Conceptual issues.
• Methods and problem solving.
• Domain specific applications.
• Possible responses to the future.

The methods would include:

• Quantitative approaches to long term and short term foresight.
• Qualitative methods in long term foresight.
• Synthesis, integration, and application of the methods (Scenario Planning and development).

Program Goals

• Develop crucial future foresight skills such as systems thinking, scenario planning and strategic planning.
• Couple future foresight skills with a literature review to produce a viable piece of research.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Formulate an organizational strategic future foresight framework.
2. Evaluate the role of scenario planning in an organization and explain its relation to strategic planning, forecasting, extrapolation and other processes.
3. Analyze and apply in-depth comprehension of relevant leadership and change requirements needed for formulating and delivering successful foresight decisions.
4. Examine and compare future foresight methods including scenario planning, environmental scanning and envisioning for evaluating various decision support systems.
5. Design and develop innovative strategic foresight plans for institutional change that will lead to the development of sustainable futures.
6. Analyze and interpret research that relates to future foresight and planning.