Engineering Management M.S.

We do not educate enough of our [engineering] students with the broad perspective and long-term aspirations to be decision makers, strategic thinkers, opinion shapers, and planners of our corporations - to be leaders of industry. . . This situation leaves much of the future leadership of industry. . . in hands of people trained mainly in business, management, finance, law and similar fields. Due to their lack of technical backgrounds, very few of these professionals are equipped to make long-term forecasts about technological trends. They also lack the knowledge to make decisions on technology investment strategies and other complex technologically related issues. In fact, many people think that the lack of technical expertise at the executive and strategic levels of our corporations is a primary reason for our ineptitude in the international marketplace vis-à-vis our competitors, whose leaders tend to have strong engineering backgrounds.

- Marshall M. Lih, National Science Foundation

Engineering Management at CSUN

Engineering Management as a discipline is relatively new. The first program was established in 1915, but by the mid-1970s, only 22 universities, including Cal State Northridge, were offering programs. As the value of these programs became apparent, their number began to increase rapidly.

The discipline is well-represented by its own professional society, the American Society for Engineering Management, and, within past 15 years, most traditional professional societies have established management divisions.

More than two-thirds of all engineers and other technical professionals will transition into management positions during the course of their professional careers, positions for which their technical background has not prepared them.

The Engineering Management program at Cal State Northridge offers engineers and other technical professionals the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills pertinent to the entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial management of existing and emerging technologies.

The flexible interdisciplinary curriculum stresses the development of technological decision-making capabilities, while enabling continued intellectual growth in selected discipline areas. In so doing, it meets the growing needs for competent technologists with relevant management expertise.

The evening classes are enriched by the diverse industry experience and disciplinary backgrounds of the students. Computer scientists, scientists, industrial designers, engineers in all discipline areas, and others involved in science and technology, bring with them to the classroom their experiences in biomedical, aerospace, entertainment, utilities, manufacturing, construction and other industries. The popularity of the program with international students yields first-hand expertise in global issues pertaining to technology management.

The Engineering Management program is offered by dedicated faculty who hold outstanding teaching and faculty awards, and have many years of actual engineering and management experience in industry.

Cal State Northridge Engineering Management program graduates have been assuming leadership roles in industry for almost decades.

M.S. in Engineering Management Program Objectives

The goals of the Master of Science in Engineering Management program are to provide opportunities for:

1. Identify, analyze, and solve engineering management problems quantitatively.
2. Explain management techniques and strategies applied in engineering and high-tech firms.
3. Explain and analyze contemporary issues and developments in operations management of engineering firms.

Standard Core (15 units):

• MSE 600 Decision Tools for Engineering Managers (3)
• prerequisite: Admission to the program
• MSE 602 Entrepreneurship & Innovation for Engineering Professionals (3)
• prerequisite: MSE 604
• MSE 604 Engineering Economy & Financial Analysis  (3)
• prerequisite: Consent of instructor
• MSE 606 Production & Operations Management For Engineers (3)
• prerequisite: MSE 600 
• MSE 608B Leadership of Engineering Professionals and High-Tech Firms (3)
• prerequisite: Admission to the program

The above-listed core courses make up 15 credit units. In addition to this, the student is required to take 15 credit units of electives, plus a culminating experience course (MSE 697MGT) of 3 credit units

Approved Electives (15 units)

Elective courses are selected in consultation with a faculty advisor. These courses are selected to meet individual student needs for depth and breadth. No more than 6 of the total elective units may be at the 400-level. The approved electives include GBUS 593, MSE 402, MSE407, MSE 415, MSE 504, MSE 505, MSE 507, MSE 540, MSE 607B, MSE 608A, MSE 610, MSE 608B, MSE 610, MSE 617, MSE 618, and MSE 692. No elective units outside of the department will be accepted.

Elective courses for Engineering Management program majors are subject to the following restrictions:

1. No more than 6 of the 12 units may be at the 400-level*
2. At least 9 of the 12 units must be in engineering

*This change to the curriculum will take effect starting Fall 2015

Culminating Experience (3 units)

MSE 697 Directed Comprehensive Studies (3)

Directed Comprehensive Studies should not be undertaken until the last semester of program enrollment. This culminating experience is individually designed between each student and his/her faculty advisor.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Students must have completed at least 27 units before being eligible to take the Directed Comprehension Studies course.

Total Units Required for the M.S. Degree: 33  

Requirements for admission to the program:

A. Requirements for Admission to the Program

1. Applicant must satisfy all requirements for graduate admission to the University. This information can be found on the Admissions and Records Graduate Applications page.
2. For admission, a bachelor of science degree in an undergraduate engineering/science program with a 2.5 or higher overall grade point average (GPA) is required.
3. The department may request additional supporting materials to assess an applicant’s preparation and likelihood for academic success. The admissions committee will review each application holistically and reserves the right to reject/accept applications to the M.S. Engineering Management program and the decision taken by the admissions committee will be considered final.
4. Additional requirements for international students can be found in the section for International Admissions.

B. Requirements for Advancement to Classified Status

1. Satisfaction of University requirements for classified status.
2. Approval of a program of study plan by an assigned faculty advisor.
3. Approval by the department graduate coordinator/program academic lead.

Classified Status:

To be granted Classified status, students must have a 3.0 GPA for all work taken as a Conditionally Classified student and in any courses required by the Department for admission to its Program. Once the requirements for Classified status have been met, it is the responsibility of the student to notify the Department and then of the Department to notify Graduate Evaluation Services, Research and Graduate Studies by filing the “Request for Classification” Form. To meet the minimum requirements for Classified Status, the student must fulfill the following (individual Departments may have more stringent standards):

1. A 3.0 GPA or higher in all work taken after completion of a Bachelor’s degree;
2. Hold a Graduate degree from a regionally accredited institution;

For more information, please consult the CSUN Graduate Student Handbook which can be found at: /research-graduate-studies/current-students-old

Special Requirements:

1. This is program is intended primarily for students holding a B.S. in engineering or other technical fields. Prospective students who work in technical environments and hold non-technical degrees should contact the department graduate coordinator in order to discuss additional prerequisite courses
2. No more than 6 units of advisor-approved 400-level courses may be included in the graduate program of study.
3. Students entering the program are expected to have completed an introductory course in engineering management (MSE 504) or equivalent. Admitted students who have not completed such a course as part of their undergraduate program may complete the course as part of their graduate work.

Team Venture Project Proposal Topics

As part of the Advanced Engineering Management course, students work in teams to develop technology-based venture proposals having international components.

Among the many project proposals developed by Engineering Management program students since early 1990s are:

• Inspiring Technologies, introducing the Compufone, integrating voice, fax, data, whiteboard, and video teleconferencing technologies into a homogenous desktop environment
• EduSat, an instructional television network
• Yellow Bytes, a global internet advertising system
• Voicetec Voice-It, a voice command infrared wireless remote control device
• RB HUD, blade-style sunglasses with a built-in Heads Up Display
• Altair Competition Composites, designing and producing advanced composite materials products for the performance automotive and motorcycle industry
• NavTrak, a personal tracking system
• SnapTech, the design, manufacture and marketing of snap-locking composite materials piping systems
• Rapid Prototyping Service Bureau, an international service for the creation of solid models from CAD software
• RotoBoard, a 360-degree rotating skateboard
• TelePort 2000, for wireless communication between a PDA and a PC
• Fasttrack, an e-commerce career development undergraduate internship service
• Baby Watch 2000, wireless remote audio/video system to assist with child care
• MEMS-based portable patient monitoring system for local and remote real-time sensing of heart rate, body temperature, and absence/presence of liquid/solid human waste
• STOPEMCOLD, a vehicle security system using cellular technology to remotely disable vehicles in motion
• Smart Space, Inc., a complete service for wire/wireless sensing technology to control environment, energy consumption, security and safety in industrial work space settings
• Specialty international call center based in India

Additional Information

• This program is considered a STEM discipline
• Students typically take about 1.5 to 2 years to complete the program
• All physical application materials must be sent to the Admissions & Records Office
• There is NO physical application that must be filled out. All applications are completed on the Cal State Apply website
• International Students, please visit this webpage for important information about admissions: http://www.csun.edu/admissions-records/international
• For information on fees and scholarship opportunities, please visit http://www.csun.edu/financialaid/home.php
• Deadlines for application submission can be found at: http://www.csun.edu/admissions-records/admissions-calendar