Engineering Management

Overview

The Engineering Management program at California State University Northridge stresses the development of technological decision making as well as entrepreneurial abilities, while also enabling continued intellectual growth in an area that meets professional needs. Engineering Management program graduates have been assuming leadership roles in industry since the early 1970s.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

• Identify, analyze and solve engineering management problems quantitatively.

• Explain management techniques and strategies applied in engineering and high-tech firms.

• Explain and analyze contemporary issues and developments in operations management of engineering firms.

Careers

More than two-thirds of all engineering professionals invest a significant portion of their careers in managing and administering a wide range of technical engineering and research projects and budgets. As the engineering profession evolves, an increasing need has emerged for entry-level engineering professionals who have both a broad engineering background and the knowledge and ability to interface between the business and technical functions of organizations. Undergraduate engineering majors learn engineering fundamentals, together with the art and science of planning, organizing, allocating resources, and directing and controlling activities in technological environments.

Manufacturing Systems Engineering is a growing discipline area in the engineering profession. Four of the seven technology areas that have been identified for rapid development by the National Science Foundation—advanced manufacturing technologies, advanced materials and processing, biotechnology and healthcare delivery systems—are particularly well-suited for the talents of the manufacturing systems engineer. Employment opportunities abound in the metropolitan Los Angeles area, the leading manufacturing region in the United States.

On the job, manufacturing systems engineers develop new facilities, create computer models and images of products and processes, manage the production process, conduct productivity studies, test products and evaluate materials, troubleshoot on the factory floor and work hand in hand with design engineers. Because their background is broad and the types of work are so varied, these engineers find opportunities in fields besides manufacturing, applying their skills and knowledge in such diverse environments as hospitals, entertainment firms and consulting firms. Many manufacturing systems engineers are noted for starting their own companies or for pursuing engineering management career paths in large companies.

Although most manufacturing systems engineers are employed in private industry, others pursue careers with government agencies or educational institutions. The bachelor’s degree can be used as a stepping stone to graduate work in engineering, law, business or even medicine. Many Manufacturing Systems Engineering graduates return to CSUN to earn their M.S. degree in the Engineering Management, Manufacturing Systems Engineering or Materials Engineering programs.