This is Leading by Example. This is Auburn Engineering.
For those looking to expand their knowledge and grow their careers in fields relating to safety and ergonomics, manufacturing, product innovation or systems engineering, Auburn Engineering will soon offer an online degree integrating engineering and business principles.
The Thomas Walter Center for Technology Management, housed within the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, plans to debut the Master of Engineering Management. The degree requires 30 hours, or 10 classes, and offers four tracks— manufacturing, occupational safety and ergonomics, product innovation and systems engineering. All classes are available online so students can access lectures anytime, anywhere.
Students who enroll in the program can expect to graduate with a degree that meets their specific professional interest. John Evans, chair and program director, said the idea for the degree has evolved over the years.
“Discussions about creating the engineering management graduate degree began four or five years ago, when our department began offering a graduate certificate in ergonomics,” Evans said. “A lot of people who earned that certificate expressed a desire to complete a graduate degree, but we did not offer that option then.”
At the same time, industrial and systems engineering was expanding its manufacturing program and established an Automotive Manufacturing Systems Lab that offers interactive learning environments to teach lean manufacturing principles to undergraduate students. In addition, the department created an automotive engineering minor and Lean Six Sigma engineering green belt certificate program.
“We had already built a solid foundation through our manufacturing, automotive and ergonomics certificates, so we felt confident the interest was there for the engineering management graduate degree,” Evans said.
While growing its manufacturing programs to fill a student demand, Evans and other faculty members sought to develop a manufacturing research center, now led by Greg Harris, associate professor in industrial and systems engineering, who has 10 years experience as an automotive plant manager.
“The unique part for Auburn is that we can design a program for students interested in combining the fields of engineering and business,” Evans said. “This will allow students to design a curriculum that best suits their needs and future career path.”
Evans’ hope for the future is to expand the degree to include more disciplines, and he has already collaborated with faculty in mechanical, aerospace and computer science and software engineering to develop courses that would appeal to students in those related fields.
“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 that degree to make their industry better.”
The Master of Engineering Management will be available in fall 2018, pending approval from the Alabama Commission on Higher Education.