There's a signaling component, but I'm also thinking about content. A company like IBM controlling the curriculum will tend to lead to the program being geared

There's a signaling component, but I'm also thinking about content. A company like IBM controlling the curriculum will tend to lead to the program being geared for IBMs needs. The needs or desires of other companies won't be weighted as heavily, if at all. If all someone knows is IBMs internal technologies, they can be expected to have a difficult time outside the IBM-o-sphere. IBM stands to benefit significantly from this kind of curriculum shaping. It gets them a pool of talent they can skim the cream from cheaply. Neither the schools nor the students will be positioned well to resist this, either. It's a terrible position for the students, because many of them will have done this school for lack of other options.