Master's Engineering Management Worth it?

Hi,

I’ve seen a few threads that seemed (generally) dismissive of such degrees for those without a lot of experience, but my situation is a bit different.

My undergrad is in math and I’d like to be able to break into an entry level systems or industrial engineering role, but I’ve heard from friends (in government/government contractor jobs, which is where I’d like to work) that the lack of an engineering qualification would give my resume the old garbage toss.

I’ve looked at UW Platteville’s program and actually like the courses for the EM emphasis, but I thought I’d see if:

a) it would help in the least to land an entry level systems/industrial eng job, or if it makes 0 sense given my lack of an engineering bs
b) UW Platteville, specifically, has a good reputation

I am not sure if a master’s in engineering management would be worth it. To me it seems like that degree is meant for people who work a few years with their BS in engineering, then get promoted to a higher role, and then get the master’s degree to get better at their job. Not sure if it necessarily is best for your situation. Just curious why haven’t you looked into actual systems engineering or industrial engineering master’s programs? Programs still consider non-engineering undergrad degrees as legitimate candidates.

My undergraduate record is pretty shoddy and I’ve spent the last few years working while taking graduate math courses in order to offset that. Even so, I highly doubt I’d be competitive for many IE programs. I also like the fact that the UW program is so flexible and I was hoping that an M.S. in Engineering Management might make it possible to land an entry level Business Analyst or Systems Engineer role.

I was also considering the Control Engineering emphasis of the degree. In your opinion, is something like this also a waste of time for a non-engineer?

https://www.uwplatt.edu/distance-education/ms-engineering-degree-requirements

Thanks for your response!