School: Missouri University of Science and Technology

Program: Engineering Management

Description: The engineering management graduate program focuses on the convergence of engineering, management and technology in high technology environments and teaches an understanding of concepts and theories underlying contemporary techniques in the management and operation of technology-based organizations.

Where is it: Rolla, Missouri

Format: Online and On-Campus

Degree you get: Master of Science in Engineering Management

Prerequisites: Bachelor’s degree in engineering, math or physical science

Size of the Program: 180 students

Credit hours: 30

Thesis: Optional

How long will the program take? 3 years

Start Time: Spring (January), Summer (June) and Fall (August) semesters

Tuition: $1,230.35 per credit hour

Minimum Admission Requirements:

- Transcripts: Yes, with cumulative GPA 3.0 or higher

- TOEFL: International requirement only, minimum score 580/237/92 or higher

- Essay (Statement of Purpose): Yes

- Resume: Optional, prefer 12 months of work experience

- Letters of Reference: Yes, three (3)

- GRE: Yes, if entering directly into the master’s program. If entering through graduate certificate, GRE may be waived. Min score of V 155, Q 148, A 4.0 or higher.

Not Required: Capstone project

Who should take this course? Working engineers who want to move into management roles and/or expand management skills from an engineering perspective.

Things to Consider about the Program:

- Program is aimed toward professional engineers with work experience

Claim to fame:

- Program has operated successfully for over 20 years

- Many course options for specialization according to student’s career goals

The world is becoming increasingly reliant on both using and creating technology to achieve success. This means that companies and organizations must become more technical, leading to a growing demand for leaders who understand both technology and business.

Engineering management is the art and science of planning, organizing, allocating resources or personnel and directing business activities according to engineering principles. Professionals holding a master’s degree in engineering management can meet the demand for tech-savvy leaders with the right combination of education and experience in both technology and business.

The Master’s of Engineering Management (MSEM) degree offered at Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) focuses on the convergence of engineering, management and technology in these high-tech environments to produce engineering professionals built for success.

The versatility of an engineering management degree offers significant value in terms of employability and career advancement. An MSEM is not specific to any industry, but is equally applicable across all fields and disciplines of engineering and technological business.

“Our MSEM program gives students an understanding of the concepts and theories that underlie contemporary techniques in the management and operation of technology-based organizations, as well as teaching them how to apply these principles in real-life situations,” said Steven Corns, associate chair of graduate studies at Missouri S&T.

Steven Corns, associate chair of graduate studies at Missouri S&T.

Students will learn the concepts and principles fundamental to engineering management, including:

- Awareness of customer needs and understanding of market conditions

- Optimization of resources including personnel, equipment, data and finances to make decisions and achieve objectives

- Develop leadership potential and an understanding of ethical business practices

- Specialized knowledge at the intersection of classical engineering and modern business disciplines

Online Education for Future Engineering Managers

The online MSEM program at Missouri S&T is geared toward engineers who are currently working in the industry and who want to advance their careers into management roles or expand their existing knowledge and skills in management from an engineering perspective. The program is aimed at engineers who have at least 12 months of professional engineering work experience.

To accommodate those professional engineers who wish to continue working while completing their degree, the MSEM program at Missouri S&T is offered fully online, as well as in a traditional on-campus format.

Missouri S&T’s distance education degree programs are no different from the on-campus program, said Corns, offering the same content and information, but with the added flexibility of studying and listening to lectures at the student’s convenience.

Distance students can participate in live classes over the internet and all classes are recorded, archived and made available to students whenever they wish to study.

“Our distance students are integrated into the classroom along with the on-campus students and have the same expectations,” said Corns. “Students studying online also have direct access to their instructors, can ask and answer questions during classes, and can interact with their fellow classmates.”

For those professionals who may have been out of the academic environment for some time, Missouri S&T’s program offers Graduate Certificate Programs that can be a good re-introduction to university studies, while also contributing to a full master’s degree.

“We often recommend starting in one of our Engineering Management Graduate Certificate Programs,” Corns explained. “Graduate certificates at Missouri S&T are a great way to ease back into college. Plus, not only will you earn a graduate certificate in a focused knowledge area, but you will also earn college credits toward the full master’s degree.”

Building Better Engineering Leaders

The MSEM degree at Missouri S&T aims to prepare students to be strong managers capable of leading projects, overseeing and optimizing operations and providing leadership to teams and individuals.

Students are given a base of knowledge through four core courses:

EMGT 5111 Management for Engineers and Scientists
EMGT 5412 Operations Management Science
EMGT 6211 Advanced Financial Management
EMGT 5320 Project Management

They then build on this base with four courses taken in their chosen area of specialization, such as financial engineering, industrial engineering, management of technology, manufacturing systems, project management or quality engineering. Two additional electives chosen out of available courses round out the degree requirements, for a total of 30 credit hours.

“Project management and systems engineering are among the most popular within the department, along with Lean and Six Sigma coursework,” said Corns. “These are elective areas within the department, though systems engineering is also available as a separate master’s program.”

Recent research projects have covered a broad range of topics, Corns added, from the modeling and analysis of the effects of emissions in Maritime logistics centers, to healthcare facility planning.

“Our program has operated successfully for over 20 years and we plan on continuing our success by evolving with the new trends in industry and new advances in research.”

Curriculum Electives

ENG MGT 5070 Teaching Engineering (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5110 Managerial Decision Making (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5111 Management for Engineers and Scientists (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5210 Economic Decision Analysis (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5212 Intelligent Investing (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5312 Advanced Risk Assessment and Reduction (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5313 Packaging Management (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5314 Computer Integrated Manufacturing Systems (LAB 1.0 and LEC 2.0)

ENG MGT 5315 Interdisciplinary Problems in Manufacturing Automation (LAB 2.0 and LEC 1.0)

ENG MGT 5316 Safety Engineering Management (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5320 Project Management (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5330 Advanced Human Factors (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5410 Industrial System Simulation (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5411 Engineering Design Optimization (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5412 Operations Management Science (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5413 Introduction to Intelligent Systems (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5414 Introduction to Operations Research (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5510 Industrial Marketing Systems Analysis (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5511 Technical Entrepreneurship (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5512 Legal Environment (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5513 Energy and Sustainability Management Engineering (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5514 Patent Law (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5515 Integrated Product and Process Design (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5516 Integrated Product Development (LAB 2.0 and LEC 1.0)

ENG MGT 5610 Advanced Facilities Planning & Design (LAB 1.0 and LEC 2.0)

ENG MGT 5613 Value Analysis (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5614 Supply Chain Management Systems (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5615 Production Planning and Scheduling (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5710 Six Sigma (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5711 Total Quality Management (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5712 Introduction to Quality Engineering (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5713 Management and Methods in Reliability (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 5714 Statistical Process Control (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 6101 Advanced Research Methodology in Engineering Management (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 6110 Case Studies in General Management (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 6112 Leadership for Engineers (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 6113 Advanced Personnel Management (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 6211 Advanced Financial Management (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 6212 Investment (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 6213 Financial Engineering (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 6214 Financial Engineering II (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 6215 Financial Risk Management (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 6310 Human Systems Integration (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 6311 Advanced Manufacturing Systems Integration (LAB 1.0 and LEC 2.0)

ENG MGT 6322 Case Studies in Project Management (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 6323 Global Project Management (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 6410 Markov Decision Processes (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 6411 Advanced Topics in Simulation Modeling (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 6412 Mathematical Programming (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 6413 Advanced Engineering Management Science (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 6510 Technological Innovation Management (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 6511 Advanced Marketing Management (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 6610 Advanced Production Management (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 6611 Lean Systems (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 6710 Design for Six Sigma (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 6711 Quality Engineering (LEC 3.0)

ENG MGT 6713 Tolerance Design (LEC 3.0)

Missouri University of Science and Technology has sponsored this post. All opinions are mine. – Meghan Brown