Moving the Service Science Concept to Curricular Reality

As the focus of the U.S. economy changes from manufacturing to services, as the participants in higher education diversify, and as global market pressures induce educational institutions to create new programs and practices, there is increasing need for comprehensive knowledge about how graduate education responds to these new circumstances. Two matters need attention: What is the fundamental knowledge base underpinning a service science field? What are the appropriate curricular responses at the post baccalaureate level across fields of study? The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), the leading national organization devoted to advancing graduate education, is uniquely positioned to lead such a discussion. This presentation will highlight some intellectual questions being addressed by service science curricula and provide a preliminary outline of relevant programs at CGS member institutions. It will also form the background paper for a 2007 meeting organized by CGS to discuss next steps in curricular development in services sciences globally.