Professionals, expect to be accepted and graduate.
Professional engineers considering a Masters of Engineering degree need comfort that they are making a wise choice, and for engineers “confidence” = “numbers”! That’s why ENGINEERING.com conducted a survey of Engineering Management programs. The survey puts numbers to why a Masters of Engineering Management (MEM) is so attractive to the engineering community.
First and foremost, professional engineers can expect to be accepted and they can expect to graduate. Of the students that apply, acceptance rates tend to hover around the 70-85%. Since the typical applicant is an established professional, these high acceptance rates aren’t that surprising. The high completion rates, typically 85-100%, is also no surprise for the same reason.
One great fear with working professionals is getting back into the groove of being a student. Our survey says if you do go back to school part-time, you will be fine. In fact, professionals can expect to gain a promotion while taking the MEM course. This may also contribute to the popularity and motivation to graduate.
Class size is small and most are online.
The size of the surveyed MEM programs may also contribute to the high completion rates and satisfaction. Most MEM programs have fewer than 100 students. These numbers turn into even smaller cohorts due to the large number of students taking advantage of the freedom of online courses.
Expect the Professor to know you by name.
These small classes, and a reasonable faculty size means that you can develop strong relationships with your fellow students and professors. This is a great opportunity for professionals to network and to use your peers and professors as a resource. Don’t isolate yourself thinking that in an online course you can be nameless.
Finally, every professional needs to know the price point. For a MEM, the tuition compared to salary will be pretty reasonable. Expect the total tuition (which could be spread out over 1 to 4 years) to run anywhere from a quarter to a half of a year’s salary.