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What is Engineering Management?

Engineering management is a master's degree program developed to give engineers and scientists the skills to expand their areas of responsibility, and it includes management of an engineering/science environment and the opportunity to update their skills in their chosen specialization.

Master of Science Degree Program

The Master of Science in Engineering Management has been developed to meet the professional needs of the engineer who, although working in a technical field, finds it necessary to update his or her skills in engineering, as well as acquire knowledge in the management of engineering. Typically, the technical person finds that as he or she advances in the chosen field, the challenges of management increase as part of the overall responsibilities of the position. Many find that their careers would best be served by a program addressing both areas of their job responsibilities. This interdisciplinary program is designed for those individuals.

Admission Requirements

An applicant for the master's program in engineering management should have a bachelor's degree from an ABET-accredited engineering program. Applicants with bachelor's degrees in physical sciences, computer science and mathematics will also be considered. In evaluating an international application, consideration is given to the academic standards of the school attended and the content of the courses. Letters of recommendation and a statement of educational objectives reflecting the applicant's professional experience and career goals are also encouraged. Applicants should also take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). General admission requirements and the process for applying are discussed in the Graduate Information and Regulations section of this catalog.

Degree Requirements

The master of science degree requires a minimum of 30 credit hours. Courses taken to satisfy admission prerequisites cannot be counted toward the degree requirements. Students without adequate undergraduate courses in accounting, statistics, computer applications and economics will be required to make up these deficiencies. Applicants whose bachelor's degrees are not in engineering will also be required to remedy any additional deficiencies by satisfactorily completing a number of undergraduate courses selected to meet the prerequisites for graduate study in their engineering area of specialization.

Curriculum

The program requires five courses from the management area and five courses from the engineering area. At least four courses should be taken from the engineering management (ENM) list and can be applied toward either the management or engineering requirement.

Management

Five courses with a clear focus on management are required. These courses may be from the foundation, core or elective courses offered by the College of Business or from courses with a management emphasis from other academic units in the university. Each student meets with the engineering management program director and faculty with expertise in the field of management to select the five-course management sequence. A student must meet any prerequisites needed for a graduate course in management that may be required by the academic unit that offers the course.

Engineering

An engineering specialization is taken by every student based on his or her need for graduate education in technology. A specialization track can be drawn from any of the programs within the College of Engineering or closely allied disciplines such as mathematics or operations research. Each student meets with the engineering management program chair and faculty familiar with the area of technical emphasis to form a sequence of five courses. A student must meet any prerequisites listed for a graduate engineering course. A student may complete an internship with an industrial, government or service organization, or elect to prepare and defend a thesis to account for up to six semester hours of the 30 credits required for graduation. In order to meet graduation requirements, a nonthesis student must present a portfolio of competencies and a summary of the career relevance of his or her academic study.