Engineering Management

Graduate Degree Program(s)

Master's Degree in Engineering Management

The Engineering Management Program at the College of Engineering and Applied Science offers a master of engineering degree in engineering management and several professional certificates. The ME degree is designed for professionals who seek to develop in-depth managerial and entrepreneurial skills specific to engineering and the applied sciences. The curriculum provides in-depth engineering and management knowledge. Courses may be taken on campus or through our distance learning program.

The master of engineering degree in engineering management consists of 30 credit hours, six core courses, and four elective courses. The electives offer competency in the following areas:

  • Engineering Entrepreneurship
  • Leadership and Ethics
  • Management of Research and Development
  • Managing Applied Research
  • Performance Excellence in Technology Management
  • Project Management
  • Quality Systems
  • Six Sigma (Green Belt, Black Belt, Master Black Belt)
  • Software Management
  • Technology Ventures

Graduate certificates are also available in many of the above core competency areas. Credits accrued toward a certificate can be applied toward a master’s degree.

Visit emp.colorado.edu for more information.

Certificate Program

Engineering Entrepreneurship Certificate

(12 credit hours)

This certificate is offered in partnership with the nationally renowned Deming Center for Entrepreneurship in Colorado. It provides the student with the essential knowledge, understanding, and skills to successfully practice entrepreneurship in a start-up venture or within a larger corporation (intrapreneurship). The focus is on how much to launch, lead, and manage a viable business starting with concept validation to commercialization and business formation. The program culminates with the development of a business plan for a project that the student chooses and then pitches to business community leaders and venture capitalists.

  • EMEN 5050 Leadership or EMEN 5020 Finance and Accounting for Engineering Managers
  • EMEN 5710 Applied Business Decisions
  • EMEN 5090 High Technology Marketing
  • EMEN 5825 Entrepreneurial Business Plan

Engineering Management Certificate 

(12 credit hours)

The certificate provides a broad-based view of the key principles and concepts that are important for technical managers, including finance and accounting, leadership and management, quality management, and project management. The certificate requires four courses selected from the five core courses in the Engineering Management graduate curriculum.

  • EMEN 5010 Introduction to Engineering Management 
  • EMEN 5020 Finance and Accounting for Engineering Managers
  • EMEN 5030 Project Management Systems
  • EMEN 5040 Quality, Strategy, and Value Creation
  • EMEN 5050 Leadership

Leadership and Ethical Decision-making Certificate

 (9 credit hours)

Engineers and scientists can think systemically, visualize complex technical and human interactions, and resolve conflicting viewpoints. This certificate develops technical professionals so that they may apply these talents more broadly and play a leadership role in their organizations. Students develop the knowledge and skills necessary to lead and learn the ethical decision-making processes they need to make real-world decisions. There are two core courses:

  • EMEN 5050 Leadership
  • EMEN 5080 Ethical Decision-making

The third course is chosen by the student from the following list. Each of these courses provides grounding and context for the different situations in which technical professionals work.

  • EMEN 5010 Introduction to Engineering Management
  • EMEN 5040 Quality, Strategy, and Value Creation
  • EMEN 5825 Entrepreneurial Business Plan Preparation

Managing Applied Research in Technology Certificate 

(12 credit hours)

This certificate provides engineering managers with the tools to effectively and efficiently manage applied research in areas such as sustaining
engineering, customer and supplier evaluation, quality improvement and problem solving, new process and facility start-up, the design of complex and interdependent systems, and cost reduction analysis. Methods taught include advanced experimental design, sample sizes, use of powerful parametric and nonparametric analyses, and data mining.

  • EMEN 5042 Methods for Quality Improvement
  • EMEN 5610 Advanced Statistical Methods for Engineering Research
  • EMEN 5620 Data Mining and Screening Experiments for Engineering Research
  • EMEN 5900 Research Methods

Managing Research and Development Certificate 

(9 credit hours)

The formal name for innovation within a corporate setting is R&D. Innovation has become essential to every company’s survival and well-being. Innovation takes many forms including product, process, and business model innovation. Individuals who understand and can manage innovation and creativity have great career opportunities. This certificate provides proven concepts and tools for managing the innovation process of strategy formation, portfolio development, and project execution in both hardware and software environments.

  • EMEN 5030 Project Management Systems
  • EMEN 5300 Management of Research and Development (R&D)
  • EMEN 5400 Product Development or EMEN 5430 Software Product Management

Performance Excellence in Technology Management Certificate 

(12 credit hours)

This certificate provides a cutting-edge model for Business Performance Excellence (BPE). BPE is a facilitating system, enabling companies to successfully execute their improvement program efforts, such as Six Sigma, to increase profitability. In addition to cost reduction, the application of quality principles and allocated cost accounting enables identification of revenue generating “sweet spots” for profit optimization.

  • EMEN 5040 Quality, Strategy, and Value Creation
  • EMEN 5041 Advanced Topics in Value Creation
  • EMEN 5042 Methods for Quality Improvement
  • EMEN 5050 Leadership 

Project Management Certificate

(9 credit hours)

This certificate is designed around the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) and builds a foundation for the preparation of PMP certification. This certificate can be completed in one calendar year.

  • EMEN 5030 Project Management Systems
  • EMEN 5032 Advanced Topics in Project Management
  • EMEN 6830 Project Management Capstone or EMEN 5050 Leadership

Quality Systems for Product and Process Engineering Certificate

(12 credit hours)

This certificate provides engineering managers with the technical expertise needed to manage initiatives in quality improvement, problem-solving, and reliability improvement. Upon completion, students are certified as Green Belts for Six Sigma programs.

  • EMEN 5040 Quality, Strategy, and Value Creation
  • EMEN 5042 Methods for Quality Improvement
  • EMEN 5043 Advanced Topics in Quality Systems/Engineering
  • EMEN 5900 Research Methods

Six Sigma Practitioner Certificate

This certificate is designed to educate students in the advanced statistical tools that are used in business to solve problems and improve product and service quality. The curriculum focuses on the use of basic and advanced statistical techniques and how to use them to identify and achieve improvement opportunities in the real world. Numerous case studies from business and industry will emphasize the connection that applied statistics has to making optimal business decisions.

  • APPM 5570/EMEN 5005 Introduction to Applied Statistics
  • APPM 5580/EMEN 5900 Research Methods
  • EMEN 5610 Advanced Statistical Methods
  • EMEN 5620 Data Mining and Screening Experiments for Engineering Research

Technology Ventures and Product Management Certificate 

(12 credit hours)

Technology venture management and product development is key to the sustained success of any high-technology business in today’s intensely competitive and global marketplace. This certificate is designed for the engineer in any size company (Fortune 500 to start-up) who wants to embrace the challenge of managing the strategy and implementation of new technology product development. Using case studies and realistic business emulation exercises, the student will gain an understanding and practice the skills required to evaluate technology, consider its viability as a product, and manage the development effort required to deliver a product that provides an exceptional customer experience.

  • EMEN 5050 Leadership or EMEN 5020 Finance and Accounting for Engineering Managers
  • EMEN 5090 High Technology Marketing
  • EMEN 5400 Product Development or EMEN 5430 Software Project Management
  • EMEN 5710 Applied Business Decisions