The MEM Degree

The complex and competitive world of technology-driven industry presents new challenges for management all over the world. Maintaining a competitive edge now depends foremost on integrating technology into overall corporate strategy. Graduates in management, however, are finding it difficult to understand the new technologies in manufacturing, quality management, marketing and distribution, and are not equipped with the analytical tools and methods needed to cope with issues related with these technologies. Engineers who have been promoted into management, on the other hand, do not know much about the management of new technology and the people who use it. The days of managers who get along with only technical expertise or purely administrative skills seem to be over and there is a need for a new type of professional.

The MEM degree meets the demand for such professionals by combining professional engineering practice with core business and management subjects typically found in an M.B.A. program. It provides a core curriculum in management science, finance and economics, specifically designed for new or experienced engineering professionals who want careers in industrial management. The required and elective courses represent a blend of engineering skills and business knowledge needed to develop innovative solutions to complex business problems utilizing the broader vision of system thinking.

Benefits to Graduates

The MEM program blends the methodological strength of engineering and the conceptual breadth of management in a powerful framework for managing engineering and technology. Graduates will have gained improved skills to take a global perspective in formulating, analyzing and solving management problems with particular concern for strategic technologies and their use in all areas of business activity. They will also acquire a greater awareness of interpersonal relations, group dynamics and team motivation for innovation and effective communication. MEM graduates typically increase their job responsibilities and influence in their organizations and enjoy rapid career advancement into managerial levels.

Comparing MEM to Other Degrees

Unlike a master of science degree in a science or engineering specialty, the MEM degree equips new or experienced engineering professionals with the practical business perspective needed by technical managers. It also emphasizes skills specifically required in technology-based organizations rather than the general management perspective given in a traditional M.B.A. program.