Engineering projects involve complex systems and contributions from specialists in a variety of disciplines. It takes expert project management and strategic leadership to keep all stakeholders on schedule and working toward successful outcomes while staying within budget constraints.

MS in Engineering Management: Program Quick Facts

Completion Time: 2-3 years
Delivery: 100% online
Next Start Date: Week of August 14, 2023
Total Credits: 36 credits
Cost Per Credit: $1,150
Total Tuition Cost: $41,400

Engineering managers make the greatest impact when they understand both technological nuances and team dynamics. The STEM-based online Master of Science in Engineering Management program from the George Washington University prepares professionals for the full range of leadership responsibilities in technical organizations. Our courses are taught by faculty with hands-on experience and enriched with unique insights and opportunities from the department’s close ties in Washington, D.C.

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Program Summary

Earning an engineering management degree online can benefit professionals whether their experience is in technical or business-oriented roles, expanding on their skills and opening new career opportunities. Graduates apply the leadership principles and engineering skills they learn from GW to guide high-tech businesses toward sustainable growth and promote best practices.

Some of the key topics covered in the curriculum include:

  • Planning, organizing and supervising projects
  • Strategies for improving organizational performance
  • Systematic approaches to decision making
  • Financial planning and budgeting
  • Contracting processes for engineering projects

“The online M.S. in Engineering Management program enabled me to expand my education by hearing from seasoned experts in Washington, D.C., while continuing to work full-time at my office in California. The program was an outstanding exploration into today’s fast-moving realm of cybersecurity and positioned me for my current position building secure IT systems for my company’s customers.

I would highly recommend this program to everyone looking to understand cybersecurity at a strategic and managerial level.”

— Chris Williams, M.S. Engineering Management, Cybersecurity Architect

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Curriculum Overview

The online Master of Science in Engineering Management program is designed to equip students with the skills they need to work in and lead technical organizations and projects. Each course is three credits, comprising 36 total required credit hours. The online format offers the advantage of synchronous or asynchronous delivery, allowing students the flexibility to study when and where it works best for their situations.

Courses

The practice of management as applied within technical organizations. Includes history of the tradition and current effective practices, research findings, and case studies, with objectives of enhanced understanding of external and internal factors influencing organizational performance and leadership requirements.

The behavior of individuals and groups in the context of technical organizations, focusing on relationships and interactions within the organization’s operating activities. Individual and group development and motivation. Organizational structures and cultures.

Legal principles and procedures of interest to engineers. The American legal system, contracts and specifications, liability of professional engineers, product liability, agency relationships, patent and proprietary rights, special problems in research and development contracts. (Fall, odd years).

Problem formulation. Concepts and techniques used in analyzing complex decision problems. Modeling decision problems using decision trees, probability models, multi-objective models and utility theory.

Seminar on readings and classic and contemporary case studies in the strategic management of innovation and technology.

Capstone project providing the opportunity to apply concepts and tools previously studied to the solution of a real-world problem. Students work in small groups, on a problem proposed by students and approved by the instructor. Open only to master’s candidates in the department, preferably during the last semester of their program.

Survey of material relevant to financial decision making for engineering activity. Includes traditional engineering economy topics; fundamentals of accounting; and financial planning, budgeting, and estimating applicable to the management of technical organizations.

Systems approach to the architecting and engineering of large-scale systems; elements of systems engineering; methods and standards; computer tools that support systems and software engineering; trends and directions; the integrative nature of systems engineering.

The systems or holistic approach as a methodology for making decisions and allocating resources. Analysis by means of objectives, alternatives, models, criteria, and feedback.

Problems in managing projects; project management as planning, organizing, directing, and monitoring; project and corporate organizations; duties and responsibilities; the project plan; schedule, cost, earned-value and situation analysis; leadership; team building; conflict management; meetings, presentations, and proposals.

Developing project cost and resource estimates during the planning stages. Monitoring, forecasting, and controlling cost throughout the project life cycle. Project quality planning, assurance, and control. Relationships among project scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communications, procurement, and risk. Preparation for the Project Management Professional examination. Prerequisite: EMSE 6820.

Students acquire proven negotiation skills by using real world case studies, learning a broad spectrum of theories underlying negotiating approaches, and put their learning into practice. Learners discover a framework for understanding and addressing the challenging emotional dynamics that arise in everyday negotiations and conflicts. They uncover the emotions that generate more power and control, both in negotiations and in relationship challenges faced every day. Students gain the tools for early recognition of unhealthy conflict, accurately diagnosing its causes and developing effective communication-based intervention strategies. They engage in simulations and real-world situations to practice different negotiation styles and are equipped for success in personal and professional relationships and difficult conversations. This course is tailored for engineering and technology professionals.

Program Learning Objectives

The objectives of the master’s program in engineering management are to ensure that graduates:

  • Work and lead effectively in the business environment by applying engineering management principles in the overall management of organizations oriented to manufacturing, construction, engineering, technology, or production.
  • Coordinate critical organizational functions—organizational management and behavior, operations, project management, marketing, cost and quality control, finance, staff, technical requirements, engineering contract management—and supervise technical development while maintaining high performance.
  • Prepare to take the exam for certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP)®, offered by the Project Management Institute to further establish professional credentials.