Engineering Management Information
Engineering management is a specialized form of management concerned with the application in engineering, as a result of the unique personalities and technical nature of engineering. Engineering Management programs typically include instruction in accounting, economics, finance, human resources management, industrial psychology, management information systems, mathematical modeling and optimization, quality control, operations research, safety and health issues, and environmental management.[1][2] Whereas the term project management refers to human resourcing, engineering management refers to the functional management of technical professionals. Example areas of engineering are product development, manufacturing, construction, design engineering, industrial engineering, technology, production, or any other field that employs personnel who perform an engineering function.
Successful engineering managers typically require training and experience in business and engineering. Technically inept managers tend to be deprived of support by their technical team, and non-commercial managers tend to lack commercial acumen to deliver in a market economy. Largely, engineering managers manage engineers who are driven by non-entrepreneurial thinking, thus require the necessary people skills to coach, mentor and motivate technical professionals.
Engineering professionals joining manufacturing companies sometimes become engineering managers after a period of time. They are required to learn how to manage once they are on the job, though this is usually an ineffective way to develop managerial abilities.
Business Management graduates entering manufacturing companies prefer leadership positions in IT, marketing, strategy etc., rather than hands-on positions working on the shop floor. Some educational institutions in both developing and established economies are now offering post graduate courses in engineering management, helping students understand the unique requirements of applying leadership abilities and management knowledge in the technology and engineerng organizations.
Contents |
Engineering management consultants
As engineering firms are usually small partnerships, they cannot afford in-house management, therefore giving rise to the need for engineering management consultancy. It involves providing management consulting advice that is specific to engineering. Indifferent from the traditional focus of the Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey, science and engineering requires a particularly technical approach. There are many branches of engineering management consultancy (commerce), including law, accounting, human resources, marketing, politics, economics, finance, public affairs, and communication. Commonly, engineering management consultants are also used when firms require special technical knowledge, though many prefer to use engineering educational consultants for such a task, to upgrade organizational knowledge and in able to keep the intellectual property confidential. Though many firms opt to use traditional management consulting firms, many lack the know-how to tailor the traditional theories to accommodate technical workers.
Education
There are many options for entering into engineering management, albeit that the requirement is an engineering degree (or other computer science, mathematics or science degree) and a business degree. These include:
- Bachelors of Engineering and Bachelors of Law, 6.5 year degree
- Bachelors of Engineering and Bachelors of Commerce, 6 year degree
- Bachelors of Engineering with Bachelors of Law and Bachelors of Commerce, 8 year degree
- Bachelors of Engineering followed by a Masters of Business Administration, 7 year degree
- Bachelors of Engineering followed by a Master of Engineering Management, technical-based alternative to MBA
It is generally recognized a Ph.D in Engineering may also be necessary to be competitive. In addition, professional association recognition may be achieved through certification programs that validate managerial skill.
The University of Waterloo offers a 4-year undergraduate degree (5 years including co-op education) in the field of Management Engineering. This is the first program of its kind in Canada.
History
The first university department titled "Engineering Management" was founded at the Missouri University of Science and Technology (formerly the University of Missouri-Rolla) in 1967. Missouri S&T also awarded the first Ph.D. in Engineering Management in 1984. The National Institute of Industrial Engineering based in Mumbai has been awarding degrees in the field of Post Graduate Diploma in Industrial Engineering since 1973 and the Fellowship (Doctoral) degrees are being awarded since 1980.
Professional organizations
There are a number of societies and organizations dedicated to the field of engineering management. One of the largest societies is a division of IEEE, the Engineering Management Society, which regularly publishes a trade magazine. Another prominent professional organization in the field is the American Society of Engineering Management, which was founded in 1979 by a group of 20 engineering managers from industry.[3] The Master of Engineering Management Programs Consortium is a newly formed consortium of prominent universities intended to raise the value and visibility of the MEM degree. [4] The Engineering Management Certification International, is a part of American Society of Mechanical Engineers, provides a very comprehensive guide on Engineering Management, known as EMC-BOK Guide. EMCI also provides two levels of Engineering Management Certification; EMCF & EMCP.[5] Also, engineering management university programs have the possibility of being accredited by ABET or ATMAE.
Largest EM Programs
According to the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) PRISM Magazine (March 2008) the largest Master's of Engineering Management (MEM) programs (in terms of degrees awarded for 2005 -2006) are shown in the following chart.
References
- ^ U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences: Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) - Retrieved on October 26, 2009
- ^ ATMAE Membership Venn Diagram
- ^ American Society of Engineering Management
- ^ Master of Engineering Management Programs Consortium
- ^ Engineering Management Certification International
Further reading
- Eric T-S. Pan|Pan, Eric T-S. Perpetual Business Machines: Principles of Success for Technical Professionals ISBN 0-9754480-0-5
Related pages
- Engineering law
- Remote laboratory
- Master of Engineering Management
- List of engineering topics
- List of management topics
- Industrial Engineering
- Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering
External links
- Engineering Management Review - A Publication of the IEEE
- IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management Journal
Categories: Management | Engineering disciplines
|