Engineering Management Track

The employment demand for engineering management is accelerating as many companies fill leadership positions to counteract the retirements of long-time experienced workers.

Engineering managers are needed in a number of different industries, from manufacturing, energy, transportation, healthcare and information systems to scientific research, military and government operations. In a management role, an engineering manager is expected to lead research and development teams to discover new processes, ensure sound methodology, check the technical accuracy of the team’s work, and manage a project’s budget and timeline effectively.

Graduates with master's degrees in engineering management are reportedly receiving some of the highest salary increases in the country. A graduate student with advanced engineering management skills can enter the marketplace with the tangible credentials and intangible leadership qualities to help push their career forward.

This program is designed for engineers who want to become leaders without losing their foundation in engineering, focuses on leadership and management skills and their direct relationship to engineering process improvement, project management, effective communication and innovative solutions.

Required Course Descriptions, Electives

• SSIE 505 - Applied Probability & Statist.

  Basic concepts in probability and statistics required in the modeling of random processes and uncertainty. Bayes' formula, Bayesian statistics, independent events; random variables and their descriptive statistics; distribution functions; Bernoulli, Binomial, Hypergeometric, Poisson, normal, exponential, gamma, Weibull and multinomial distributions; Chebyshev's theorem; central limit theorem; joint distributions; sampling distributions; point estimation; confidence intervals; student-t, x squared and F distributions; hypothesis testing; contingency tables, goodness of fit, non-parametric statistics, regression and correlation. Prerequisite: one year of calculus. Term offered varies. 3 credits. Levels: Graduate, Undergraduate

• SSIE 510 - Enterprise Systems Engineering

  Global competition is serving as a catalyst for continuous process improvement and the methodical enhancement of system-wide efficiencies. This is true in disciplines ranging from the medical arena and service related systems to manufacturing. The underlying science that contributes to the systematic analysis of complex enterprise-wide systems is the focus of this course. Concepts that can be used in a synergistic manner to enhance an enterprise's efficiency and profitability will be addressed. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. Term offered varies. 3 credits. Levels: Graduate, Undergraduate

• SSIE 515 - Operations Mgmt Supply Chains

  This course deals with management of Supply chains, in particular, with the operational aspects. A broad overview of supply chains of a company is introduced, together with performance measures and needed critical success factors. The course concentrates on supplies, inventories, manufacturing, and logistics of distribution. Managerial aspects as well as mathematical modeling for better planning and control will be covered. Enabling the supply chains by enterprise resource planning modules and e-commerce will also be discussed. Prerequisite: SSIE 505 or equivalent. Crosslisted with ISE 415. Term offered varies. 3 credits. Levels: Graduate, Undergraduate

• SSIE 520 - Modeling And Simulation

  Stochastic processes, review of probability and statistics, covariance, input data selection, random number generators, non-parametric tests for randomness, generation of random variates, output data analysis, terminating and non-terminating simulations, model validation, comparison of alternatives, variance reduction techniques, sensitivity analysis, experimental design and predictive models. Prerequisite: SSIE 505 or equivalent. Term offered varies. 3 credits. Levels: Graduate, Undergraduate

• SSIE 522 - Advanced Decision Modeling

  Course provides a broad foundation in decision models and techniques used in industry and research for technical and managerial problems. Topics include decision theory, risk and uncertainty, value of information, preference measurements, prioritization of alternatives, multiple objectives and hierarchical decisions. Prerequisite: SSIE 505 or equivalent. Crosslisted with ISE 422. Term offered varies. 3 credits. Levels: Graduate, Undergraduate

• SSIE 553 - Operations Research

  Operations research (OR) is devoted to the determination of the best course of action of a decision problem, given resource restrictions. Course provides the engineer with a firm grounding in the use of OR (mathematical) techniques devoted to the modeling and analysis of decision problems. Techniques include the following: decision modeling; linear, integer and dynamic programming; emerging optimization techniques (e.g., genetic algorithms, simulated annealing, etc.); game theory; and queueing theory. Problem areas include the following: transportation models; project/production scheduling; inventory models; assignment problems. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. Term offered varies. 3 credits. Levels: Graduate, Undergraduate

• SSIE 565 - Engineering Project Management

  Effective Engineering Project Management is critical to business and organizational success. This course will teach students both the technical and the sociocultural dimensions of Engineering Project Management. Students will be thoroughly trained in the following topics: Project Selection, Organization Structure and Culture, Project Definition, Project Time and Cost Estimation, Project Networks, Project Risk Management, Resource Scheduling, Project Crashing, Leadership, Team Management, Outsourcing, Progress Monitoring and Project Evaluation, and Project Closure. Microsoft Project software will be used to demonstrate activities, duration, task relationships, Gantt Charts, network diagrams and the Critical Path Method with case studies of contemporary engineering projects. Students will learn how to better control financial, physical, and human resources, improve stakeholder relations, shorten development times, lower costs, and increase profit. Offered Fall, Spring, or Summer as needed. 3 credits. Levels: Graduate, Undergraduate

Thesis option:

• 1 elective (at the 600-level) plus 6 credits of thesis work followed by oral presentation and defense.

Non-thesis (Project) option:

• 2 electives (at least one of which is at the 600-level) plus a SSIE 598 MS Termination Project roject of at least 3 credits.

Coursework-only option:

• 2 electives and SSIE 664 Advanced Engineering Management. 

Application Deadline

Admission to the program occurs on a rolling basis.