What’s New at Cornell’s Masters in Engineering Management

Admissions Straight Talk

In this episode Dr. Patrick Reed and Prof. Robert Newman discuss the Engineering Management Program at Cornell and what the Adcom wants to see in applicants. [SHOW SUMMARY] Are you an engineer who wants to stay in a technical environment but move into managerial roles? Cornell’s Engineering Management Masters may be the answer to your prayers. And it comes in two flavors: On campus and online. We’re going to learn about both from the directors of the program so tune in. An interview with both the Director of Cornell’s Masters in Engineering Management Program and the Executive Director/Senior Lecturer of Engineering Management at Cornell University. [SHOW NOTES] Welcome to the 516th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. Before we dive into today's interview, I want to mention a free resource at Accepted that can benefit you if you are applying to graduate engineering programs. Applying to graduate engineering programs, what you need to know is a free downloadable guide that can guide you through a process you've never been through before. It's not the same as applying to college. Download your complimentary copy. Our guests today are Dr. Patrick Reed and Professor Robert Neuman. Dr. Reed is the director of Cornell's Masters in Engineering Management program or the MEM. He's joined today by Professor Robert Newman, Executive Director and Senior Lecturer in Engineering Management at Cornell University. Hello, Dr. Reed and Professor Newman. Welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [1:37] Dr. Patrick Reed: Good afternoon. I'm delighted to speak with you both. Let's start with how I normally like to start a podcast. Dr. Reed, what is the Engineering Management program at Cornell University? Can you provide an overview of, first of all, the on-campus program? [1:43] Dr. Patrick Reed: Yeah, so the first thing is, just to clarify, what type of degree it is. It's our master's of engineering, so it's a professional degree. Within this, it's in the College of Engineering, and Engineering Management itself is a program where we are bringing folks that typically have engineering or STEM training, and then they want to continue in a technology-driven environment while simultaneously training them into the skill sets that links them into business and putting them into a trajectory where their future career is more focused in transitioning the technologies to market and thinking about management roles. It's that interface where it's a nice balance where you get individuals that can be involved all the way down to the technical specifications and design stage of technology, and translating it into its ultimate societal use and marketing, and the more management-driven, and I would say entrepreneurial driven opportunities. Now, in terms of the on-campus program, can you just go over what people will be studying? ]3:07] Dr. Patrick Reed: Sure. What folks will be doing when they come to the program – it's a typical version of the on-campus – is a two-semester program. When they come, they will be taking a mixture of our core courses and then some of our electives. They'll be taking courses in project management and data analytics, economics and finance, decision making, and leadership seminars. We'll also want them to get a broader training, so they'll be taking electives in organizational behavioral. It's one of those things where it's not just enough to have the technology or the idea or the design. You have to put that within the institution and market context that you want. Then one of the defining traits of our program is that it's open to nine specialization credits and a lot of that is taken across colleges can be within engineering, it could be within the business school, or even more broadly. With that, our popular tracks, consulting analytics leadership, we have real estate and construction management, sustainability and renewable energy, entrepreneurship.