So, you’ve been thinking about making the jump and pursuing a master’s degree in Engineering Management. Good for you then. You’ll have the power to make a difference.
With engineering management, you will have a chance to solve problems that can impact the society as a whole.
But we understand why you are having some reservations. Engineering is a complex field. It requires many years of work and sleepless nights to complete a degree.
If you need some encouragement and inspiration, here’s why studying a course in engineering might be career-defining for you:
- Opens more career advancement opportunities
Regardless of location, engineers are needed in every nation in the world. They build and apply solutions to daily problems.
Although you can enter the job field right after graduation, a master’s degree will make you more competitive for positions.
It can also help you get management roles and executive-level positions or even a teaching position in technical education and career courses.
Unlike undergraduate engineering programs, a Master’s in Engineering Management offers an advanced curriculum with in-depth focus on individual subjects.
This provides you with the needed advantage to climb the ladder within your chosen field of engineering.
Like it or not, engineering is a cutthroat environment. For you to reach places, you’ll need to take any advantage you can get.
With a master’s degree, you can gain knowledge on a range of topics in the areas of planning, coordinating and managing the technical and engineering activities of an organization.
As your educational qualifications and problem-solving skills increase, career opportunities will come to you.
Cutting-edge engineering firms are much more likely to give your resume a comprehensive look than those from individuals that do not hold a master’s degree.
- Improves salary potential
Engineering is a stable and well-paid job. According to Indeed, a US engineer earns an average of $58,609 per year.
However, you can double or even triple that when you decide to pursue a Master’s degree in engineering management.
As per Glassdoor’s estimates, an engineering manager earns an average of $149,286 annually.
- Helps you establish meaningful network connections
Whether you like it or not, the field of engineering is about who you know as much as what you know.
You never stop learning in your professional career. This is especially true in a field such as engineering, where insights into little-known areas can spark a million-dollar idea.
Unlike undergraduate programs, graduate school is generally smaller. This provides you with a golden opportunity to create meaningful relationships with your professors and fellow graduate students.
The network you build in your graduate studies can become a helpful resource throughout your career.
According to LinkedIn, roughly 85% of job vacancies are filled through direct referrals from one’s network.
When you can build a solid network of engineering professionals, you will have a group of individuals to bounce ideas off.
More importantly, it can also open a wide range of job opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable to an undergraduate student.
- Keeps you competitive
The field of engineering is constantly evolving. For you to succeed, you need to keep abreast of innovative concepts and technological advancements.
Although engineering is a stable profession, not everything is certain with the current market and economic conditions.
The last thing you would want is to get laid off and replaced by another employee because you lack the skills necessary to perform innovative projects.
With a master’s degree in Engineering Management, you can develop the skills necessary to stay competitive in the future job market and ensure job security.
- Facilitates seamless career change
More than ever before, people are making career changes to achieve work-life balance, flexible scheduling and a positive culture.
For engineers, shifting careers is an accident waiting to happen. However, that is not the case when you have a Master’s degree in Engineering Management.
With a master’s degree, you can shift the direction of your career for your benefit. For example, let’s say you have an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and worked a decade in an electrical company.
But during that time, you became interested in the management side of things. Engineers with an undergraduate degree already have numerous technical skills they will need to transition successfully into different fields of engineering.
More often than not, your previous experience in a different field of engineering can also boost your admissions profile, especially if you had opportunities to lead projects and teams.
How to get started in engineering management?
By now, you are ready to take the plunge but have no idea where to start. You barely have free time after work. Now, you add graduate school into it.
You might be wondering how you would manage that. Enter online learning. Thanks to the digital revolution, you can now earn an online Master’s in Engineering Management right from the comfort of your home.
Unlike the traditional classroom setting, an online degree does not require you to attend classes on a specific time or day.
When you sign up for an online engineering management course, you get to fit your education around your busy schedule and not the other way around.
You can take classes and watch lectures whenever is most convenient to you. Instead of leaving the office early or skipping family dinner to head to campus, you’re logging on at a time that does not interfere with your commitments.
In addition, it also allows for a more focused learning. When studying online, you can revisit past material or stop the lecture and digest the information.
This way, you can ensure that you are really mastering the material before moving onto the next section.
This added flexibility empowers you to get the most out of your engineering management degree program while meeting curriculum requirements effectively.
Important steps in earning a master’s degree in Engineering Management online
Now that you have a clear idea what an online master’s degree program in engineering looks like, the next stage is to determine the steps you need to take to earn it.
- Find the right online university
Choosing the right engineering university is an essential factor in preparing for your career in engineering management.
But how do you find the right engineering university? Although there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to choosing the right university, a top engineering academic institution will emphasize good teaching and often perform essential engineering research.
Some factors you need to consider include accreditation. Is the academic institution meeting the minimum education standards set by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)?
An ABET accreditation is vital for any engineering management program. When an online master’s degree in engineering management is ABET-accredited, you can ensure that the curriculum was reviewed by engineering professionals and offers quality education.
- Evaluate school curriculum
Speaking of curriculum, you also need to evaluate your chosen school’s engineering management curriculum. Does the focus and philosophy of their engineering management program align with your interests?
Like it or not, engineering management programs differ depending on the academic institution you choose. However, for good measure, you should ensure that your chosen engineering management curriculum has at least 10 courses.
At top universities such as Kettering University Online, a Master of Science of Engineering Management curriculum is made up of 10 courses.
It includes seven core courses and a three-course graduate certificate. Overall, the course offers 40 credits. The seven core courses are:
International business
In this course, you will learn the increasing role of international business in the global marketplace.
Significance is placed on discussing sophisticated problems related to the best practices of international business.
It will use case studies and real-life examples to better explain complex topics.
Financial management
Financial management is a two-part course that will discuss the role of an engineering manager in a financial firm.
It will discuss theoretical valuation of stocks and bonds and how they are traded in capital markets.
The course will also go in-depth on the importance of financial leverage, capital management and ethical and legal leadership in an engineering firm.
Managing people and organizations
In this course, you will learn how you can prepare for management positions for manufacturing and cutting-edge technological companies.
You will encounter essential concepts and issues related to leadership and management.
Depending on your chosen institution, you will most likely discuss HR issues, ethics, persuasion, lean thinking, communication, change management and high-tech leadership in this course.
Enterprise information system models
This course will discuss the important role of information systems in strategic decisions and organizational relationships.
You will learn how businesses are applying processes globally using product lifecycle management, customer relationship management, supply chain management and enterprise resource planning.
It will provide a concise summary of the infrastructure of information systems and address key management topics.
This course will also help you familiarize yourself with the legal and ethical implications of information systems to prevent penalties as a result of noncompliance.
Marketing management
Outlined in this course is marketing’s role in connecting engineering businesses with similar and different organizations.
This course will cover fundamental business management topics and the best practices in strategy development, supply chain management and market relationship management.
Your instructor will be using cases and real-world examples throughout the course to better illustrate complex concepts and problems.
Ethics and practice of engineering
In this course, you will tackle the ethical and professional considerations of an engineering management graduate in modern society.
Unlike other courses mentioned here, you will most likely participate in live weekly discussion in this course.
You will be discussing topics such as professional registration, environmental considerations, engineering or management responsibilities, case studies on conflict of interest and the code of ethics for engineers.
Strategy – Capstone
Discussions in the capstone business class include the establishment, application and assessment of company rules and strategy from the perspective of a strategy planner or a senior manager.
It will also discuss topics related to functional level organizational strategies, legal perspectives, ethics, global operations and information technology.
Depending on your instructor, this course will most likely adopt an integrative approach to uncover opportunities in executive decision-making in the global marketplace.
Meanwhile, the three-course graduate certificate will focus on either Healthcare Management, Operations Management, Supply Chain Management Level 1 and 2 or Global Leadership.
- Consider educational structure
Other than the school’s curriculum, you may also have to take a long and hard look at your chosen university’s educational structure.
Many engineering management programs online offer you a suggested weekly calendar for classes.
The more structure an engineering university puts in place, the better it is for you. You need to know where you are supposed to be and when you must be there for online live discussions.
You may also have to consider the frequency of feedback you are going to receive from your instructor.
When studying for your master’s degree in engineering management online, you must ask for essential feedback.
This way, you can evaluate your progress and identify potential areas for improvement. It can also promote self-reflection, improve knowledge retention and allow for constructive discussion between instructors and other online learners.
- Prepare admission requirements
By now, you have selected an academic institution where you will study for your master’s degree in Engineering Management.
The next step is to prepare for the admission process. As with a traditional university, there are several prerequisites that you must meet before being admitted to your chosen academic institution.
Requirements for a master’s degree in Engineering Management online will differ depending on the institution you choose to attend. However, at the most basic level, you may need to prepare the following:
- Official transcripts of records from all academic institutions attended
- Resume
- Undergraduate degree of ABET-accredited engineering programs
- Letter of recommendation
Earn your Master’s degree in Engineering Management
Every year, thousands of motivated and ambitious engineers enter the workforce. You can stand out from the herd by working towards a master’s degree in Engineering Management today at Kettering University Online.