New master’s program will bolster Alabama industry, economic development

Auburn University is launching a new online Master of Engineering Management degree that will support the state’s multi-billion dollar manufacturing and technology industries.

The new program, recently approved by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, will launch in spring 2018.

"This master’s degree program is among the first of its kind in the region,” said Christopher B. Roberts, dean of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. "It is a direct response to the needs of Alabama industry and will bolster our economic development efforts by providing graduate students with a solid foundation of engineering and project management principles.”

"The new Master of Engineering Management program meets a very specific demand from industry here in Alabama,” said John Evans, chair of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and director of the Thomas Walter Center for Technology Management. "Advanced engineering positions require specialized skills and knowledge, and this degree program will ensure our state’s engineers are prepared for them. This new degree highlights Auburn Engineering’s commitment to support the Alabama economy and to contribute to workforce development.”

The program, administered by the Thomas Walter Center for Technology Management in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, will be open to qualified individuals with a bachelor’s degree in engineering or those with a minimum of five years relevant work experience. The degree requires 30 credit hours, or 10 classes, with a five course common core, including organizational leadership, engineering economics, lean operations, human factors and an engineering management project. The degree offers four specialized options: manufacturing, occupational safety and ergonomics, systems engineering and product innovation.

All classes are available online so students can access lectures at their convenience.

"The goal of the engineering management program is for students to earn a degree that is tailor-made for their industry,” Evans said. "We want them to apply their interest toward courses suited for them and use the degree to advance their careers and move industry forward.”

For more information, visit the Thomas Walter Center website.