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School: Cockrell School of Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin Program: Executive Mechanical Engineering Master’s program Description: Where it is: Austin, TX Format: Online Degree you get: Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering Prerequisites: Undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering and one year of work experience preferred. Size of the program: First enrollment starts in Spring 2016 Number of credit hours: 30 (10 courses) Thesis: No Thesis or Master’s Report How long it will take: Approximately When to apply: Spring deadline is Dec. 1st. Fall deadline is July 1st. Start Time: Spring, Fall Tuition and Fees: $40,000 Minimum admission requirements:
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Executive Mechanical Engineering Master’s Creates Opportunities
Mechanical engineers looking to advance their careers might be interested in taking a master’s degree that specializes in preparing students for an executive position.
One example is the executive mechanical engineering master’s program from the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin).
“Continuing education is an investment in your future that begins paying dividends even before graduation,” said Murray Altman-Kaough, graduate program manager. “Students learn immediately applicable expertise and skills. A UT-Austin degree definitely enhances your professional opportunities for advancement and will truly ‘set you apart from the herd.’”
This program was traditionally offered on campus. However, working professionals might be too busy or live too far away to regularly attend on campus. To accommodate these professionals, the school recently announced the online version of the program.
"[Our] stakeholders provided a strong case for a comprehensive online master’s program uniquely tailored to working professionals in the industry,” said professor D.K. Ezekoye, program director of the online Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering at UT.
What to Expect from an Executive Mechanical Engineering Online Masters?
Altman-Kaough explained that students taking the online program will receive the same degree and quality of learning as the on-campus program. Since the online programs will be taught by the same faculty, the content will be comparable.“The one hundred percent online Master’s program offers an identical degree to the full-time program,” clarified Altman-Kaough. “Courses are taught by highly ranked graduate faculty and the online format is specifically designed for working professionals. Courses have been designed using the best available practices in remote delivery”
What sets the online version apart is that the instructors and program coordinators have worked to ensure that the remote delivery of the program aligns with current best practices. Ezekoye explained that “the program was developed and defined using recommendations and feedback from our various stakeholders within the industry.”
However, students should note that this online program is new, with enrollment starting in Spring 2016. As a result, the program might experience some unforeseen kinks when transferring the content from on-campus to online.
The program is structured to be completed within a two-year schedule. However, as many of the students will be busy working professionals, arrangements can be made if a student needs more time to complete the curriculum.
Professor D.K. Ezekoye, program director of UT-Austin’s online Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering. (Image courtesy of The University of Texas at Austin.)
“We understand that you, as a working professional, require flexibility in completing their education,” said Ezekoye. “With that in mind, we designed this degree program to offer flexibility in scheduling as well as careful guidance from a core group of mechanical engineering faculty that will work with you on a degree completion plan at a pace most suited for you.”
Altman-Kaough noted that the program also offers flexibility on a weekly study basis. She said, “You’ll be able to connect with instructors, teaching assistants and peers in a flexible online format, and study at night or on weekends as your work schedule allows.”
In other words, students will be able to access their coursework online through UT’-Austin’s learning management system. Students will not need to worry about onsite lab work, proctoring or coming onto campus for any reason. If a student requires additional assistance, they can meet up with faculty and teaching assistants, in person or digitally, during office hours or through an individual appointment.
What Does the Executive Mechanical Engineering Master’s Program Online Curriculum look like?
"The overarching focus of the UT-Austin’s Executive Mechanical Engineering Master’s program is on delivering immediately applicable mechanical engineering knowledge and expertise to working professionals,” added Altman-Kaough. “Faculty members capitalize on their corporate experience and contacts to provide lectures rich in industrial content and an emphasis on intellectual property."
It is worth noting that the course list for the program is a set of 10 predetermined courses. Additionally, none of these courses appear to focus on management skills, which engineers looking to advance their career might crave. It might be in the program’s best interests to consider turning some of the technical courses into electives in order to include courses that focus on management.
Nonetheless, Ezekoye explains that there will be great content tailored to engineers looking for a more executive role. “While the curriculum is theoretically based, all of our courses are relevant to industrial scenarios to give our students a technical leg up in their careers.”
Ezekoye also explained that the format of the online content is broken down into small units incorporating modern media concepts designed to help students absorb the course content. To help ensure the students understood the lesson, tests and quizzes are incorporated into the modules.
What Sets UT’s Executive Mechanical Engineering Master’s Program Apart?
“The Cockrell School of Engineering is consistently ranked among the top 10 programs nationally and the UT-Austin brand is respected world-wide,” explained Altman-Kaough. “Tenured Cockrell School of Engineering faculty are recognized experts in their fields of specialization and leverage business and consulting experience to deliver rich and relevant content to students.”
As a result, these students will have access to learning about new research and real world projects that their faculty and peers are working on. This allows the online learning experience to also be seen as a potential networking opportunity. And as Ezekoye notes that UT’s alumni network is 450,000 graduates strong, the potential for networking beyond the classroom is significant.
To learn more about the program, watch this video or log into the Master’s Discovery Tool.
The University of Texas at Austin has sponsored this post. They have no editorial input to this post - all opinions are mine. Shawn Wasserman
- Core Courses
- First Year
- Spring Semester:
- Statistical Methods for Process Control and Manufacturing
- Fluid Mechanics in Industrial Processes
- Summer Semester:
- Heat Transfer in Industrial Systems
- Fall Semester:
- Applied Thermodynamics
- Modeling, Simulation and Control of Physical Systems
- Spring Semester:
- Second Year
- Spring Semester:
- Applied Dynamics and Feedback Control
- Introduction to Manufacturing Systems
- Summer Semester:
- Engineering Design and Innovation
- Fall Semester:
- Materials Processing
- The Enterprise of Technology
- Spring Semester:
- First Year