The question above implies that the school meets these criteria:
- It is an on-campus program – not online.
- The graduate program includes obtaining practical experience in the engineering or management field in the curriculum.
- The first-hand experience translates to the real-world work environment.
A 100% online program might not be optimal as work experience requires the student’s presence. Remote learning would likely negate this opportunity unless the student attended campus for part of the program. This scenario defeats the purpose of taking your degree online; plus, the person may have a full-time job. Again, if the graduate student is employed – there is no need for the school to offer experience.
Number two above refers to integrating some first-hand experience in the coursework that provides technical or management experience. Programs matching this description may be challenging to find.
What type of experience does the engineering management program offer? How do you obtain management experience without being in a supervisory capacity? In the workplace, you typically need to display technical knowledge, and then through interaction in meetings, making presentations, and working on team projects, your people skills become recognized. One’s communication skills, personality, professionalism, one’s extent of knowledge are some of the pathways to a leadership position. Management is a formidable proposition without proven abilities and experience in the role. Any exposure to a real-world setting will be advantageous when seeking full-time employment.
The Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, offers a Master of Engineering Management degree at their School of Systems and Enterprises. The degree is available on-campus or online. Hands-on learning and real-world applications are the focus of this program that teaches the technical side and managerial skills. The coursework consists of six core courses and four electives – the latter must be advisor-approved. Graduates will be qualified to pursue a career in Project Management, Operations Research, Engineering Economics, and Risk Analysis.
The Stevens curriculum attests to solve real-world problems combined with theoretical material. In collaboration with industry and government, the program’s study plan meets the practitioners’ needs. However, the school is silent concerning first-hand experience integrated into the classes.
In comparison, the Whiting School of Engineering at John Hopkins in Baltimore has a Master of Science in Engineering Management (MSEM). During the first year’s intersession, all MSEM students enroll in The Practice of Consulting, abroad or locally available. Some overseas locations are Denmark, Israel, Portugal, and Spain (subject to change). The intent of the team projects is not to steer students into consulting work but learn business management skills.
Gaining experience in a foreign country offers the opportunity to see a different viewpoint and work with team members from different backgrounds and cultures. In addition, the Hopkins program might not be affordable for all, with a tuition total of $58,720 for the 2020-2021 academic year.
In Melbourne, Florida, the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) or FloridaTech offers an M.S. in Engineering Management, whose program has internships and assistantships to earn management training and experience. Some of the opportunities are at nearby corporations, for example, NASA, Lockheed Martin, General Electric, and Northrop Grumman. These internships can lead to a career in one of these prestigious companies and others, as Florida Tech sits amid the nation’s fourth-largest high-tech workforce.
Students can get first-hand research experience at the F. W. Olin Engineering Complex – a state-of-the-art engineering equipment and software facility. In addition, the Applied Research Laboratory at the Harris Center of Excellence focuses on electrical engineering technology and research. The curriculum, coupled with experience opportunities, allows 90% of students to find a job within three months of graduation.
The next best thing to the first-hand experience during a graduate degree is selecting a learning institution with a Master of Engineering Management Programs Consortium (MEMPC) membership. Duke University is a founding member of MEMPC, whose online degree ranked number two for Engineering Management by U.S. News. Other partner universities are:
- Cornell University
- Dartmouth College
- Johns Hopkins University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Northwestern University
- University of Southern California
- Purdue University
- Tufts University
MEMPC aims to promote academic excellence in E.M. programs and promote the value of engineering management graduates to organizations and corporations.
If your chosen graduate program doesn’t have first-hand experience, an alternative is to seek an internship outside of school. Vardhan Consulting Engineers (VCE) have internships in core engineering and management for students, for example. However, a drawback to the VCE internships is that some are assigned tasks online, meaning you work from home. These may provide valuable experience, but they don’t meet the hands-on requirement.
Another source worth investigating is Chegg Internships that has a listing of engineering internships by state. A quick search of engineering management jobs populates the screen with management intern openings in various specialties across the country.
Additional Resources:
What kind of things does an Engineering Manager do daily?
Is a Ph.D. in Engineering Management helpful with advancing my career?
Can I complete a Masters of Engineering Management in just one year to save time and money?
Do I Need to Have a Specific Undergrad Degree in Order to Get a Master of Engineering Management?
What Skills Will I Obtain From a Master of Engineering Management Degree?
Are There Different Types of Master’s Programs in Engineering Management?
How much value does an MBA have for someone in the field of Engineering Management?