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Program: Engineering Management Description: "Engineering management is for those who want to become a technical leader. They usually end up as a team/division leader or CTO. The program teaches the leadership and technical courses students will need to succeed as engineering leaders.” Dr. Joseph Suter, Program Chair. Where is it: Elkridge, MD Format: Online, On-campus, Mix Prerequisites: Engineering, Science, or Math Degree Degree you get: Master's in Engineering Management Size of the Program: ~12 Students Number of credit hours: 30 Thesis: No And that will take how long? ~2 years When to apply: Any Term Fees: $35,000 - $40,000 Minimum Admission Requirements:
Not Required
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Why Choose a Master’s in Engineering Management over Technical Management?
In the fall of 2014, Johns Hopkins will launch their Masters of Engineering Management program. However, since the school is already well-established in Technical Management, some engineers may be confused as to which program to pursue.
To answer that, Dr. Joseph Suter, Program Chair of both programs, noted that the Engineering Management program focuses more on engineering topics, “Through surveys, students have told us that they would like to take additional engineering courses, like mechanical and civil, while also taking leadership courses. This was the basis of the engineering management degree.”
Dr. Joseph Suter is the program chair for the Johns Hopkins’ Masters in engineering management program.
He added, “Engineering management is really for those who want to become a technical leader. They usually end up as a team/division leader or CTO. The engineering management program focuses on the engineering aspects, whereas the technical management degree is more for those aspiring to become CFO or CEO at a technical organization.”The Engineering Management Program at Johns Hopkins
Dr. Suter may have understated the program’s focus on engineering. In fact, students can choose from over 75 technical course within 14 areas of specialization. Some notable specializations include Applied Physics, Computer Science, Structural Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering.
“I was very surprised by which specializations were most popular for our engineering management students,” admitted Dr. Suter. “I thought that cybersecurity would be number one. However, it was beat out by mechanical engineering.”
For those who are just getting back into the swing of academics, Dr. Suter suggests they choose a leadership course to start out, “For example business law has started to gain a significant role in the engineering field. This might be a good place to start as an introductory course.”He added, “Another option would be the course on Communications in Technical Organizations. It focuses on the importance of verbal and written communications as a leader. Both of these courses are not math intensive, so it will give the student confidence when getting back into academics.”
For those students struggling to choose between Technical Management and Engineering Management, the executive leadership course might help seal the deal. “This is a very senior level course,’ explained Dr. Suter. “It will help students get on track to CEO and CTO. It also will give students the chance to meet high profile guest lecturers. This really makes engineering management the best of both worlds between technical management and engineering.”
Not just a number at Johns Hopkins’ Engineering Management Program
Much of the quality hallmarks of the Technical Management program will also be present for the Master’s in Engineering Management degree.
Students will have access to mentors if it appears that their work is starting to slip. Additionally, the class sizes will remain in the 8-20 student range. These small class sizes will help to maintain the personal touch for which Johns Hopkins is known. “Students will get to know their professors. Even the ones learning online will still have scheduled meetings with professors and fellow students. These interactions will all be captured using the same Adobe Connect and Blackboard technology trusted by Johns Hopkins,” said Dr. Suter.Although the program has gained the wisdom from its technical management sibling, it has also inherited some of its issues. In particular, some students who have English as a second language have experienced issues with accessibility. Dr. Suter notes that they are dedicated to fix these issues.
Move freely between Online, On-Campus, and More
Students will be able to access their education online, on-campus, and through Johns Hopkins’ Virtual Live Program. Virtual Live allows students to interact with classes synchronously while online. This is done through HD video links. It is meant to bring that personal Johns Hopkins touch to the online students.
Dr. Suter notes that he had to get used to the Virtual Live program. The delay in audio responses and not being able to get visual cues from students meant that he had to change up his strategies. He admitted though that, “Overall I think online learning is beneficial to our students.”
It is worth noting that Johns Hopkins still offers traditional asynchronous online learning, “Students can still access the content and study at their own convenience. Virtual Live is an option and it isn’t yet available for all courses. Students can choose to never use it or show up on-campus for a week and finish off online. We are flexible, you can transfer freely.”
Why wouldn’t you get a Masters in Engineering Management from Johns Hopkins:
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You want a more tested Engineering Management Program
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English is a difficult language for you
Johns Hopkins has sponsored promotion of their Master’s in Engineering Management on ENGINEERING.com. They have no editorial input to this post - all opinions are mine. Shawn Wasserman