<p>Well first there are many posts on Eng. Mng. here are some previous ones:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/graduate-school/853869-masters-engineering-managemnt-good-idea.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/graduate-school/853869-masters-engineering-managemnt-good-idea.html</a>
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/engineering-majors/679281-masters-engineering-management-mba.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/engineering-majors/679281-masters-engineering-management-mba.html</a></p>
<p>My question is, does it make sense to pursue an MS in Eng. Mng. as compared to a technical degree (ME, EE, ChemE etc.). I know two ChemE's who went for MEM during their first year of work!!</p>
<p>*Won't a Technical Masters be more beneficial (and worthy of a better reward from your employer?)</p>
<p>*Doesn't having an MEM make going for an MBA redundant? I mean if you plan to get an MBA why would you do an MEM instead since the MBA will definitely give you more options?</p>
<p>I see the MEM as somewhere between a technical MS and an MBA and I cannot discern any benefit from it, yet what amazes me is that too many people go for it!! Am I missing something?</p>
<p>Your first 2 questions - it depends. If you want to go into management, a MEM should help because it’ll teach you project management principles, some accounting, big picture type stuff. A technical masters is an extension of your undergrad material. Do you need either one depends on what you want to gain. A technical masters doesn’t make you more competent or technical necessarily than having your BS, it just gives you more credibility. For me, getting the MEM first made sense as I’d rather manage things than calculate things, but I can do both.</p>
<p>Third question - the MEM does make the MBA redundant, but I hear there’s people who do it anyway. The core MEM courses are the same, but the MBA focuses a lot more on finance. I see the MEM as really what an engineer needs to know from an MBA. You can also get a dual one, see MMM from Kellogg. </p>
<p>Your final comment - the MEM is not technical at all. The most technical thing I did was a quality control course which was pretty much basic statistics. It’s truly a business degree for engineers, not an engineering degree for business people. It will not make you even slightly competent as an engineer if you aren’t one already.</p>
<p>Here is a short but straight question:
where I work you get a decent bonus and salary increase for being PMP certified. How does this certification compare with the MEM?</p>
<p>Here’s a long, but straight answer:
The best I can say is the PMP and the MEM are similar, but different. </p>
<p>The PMP requires about 4000 hours of project management experience before you can even sit the test. The PMP is primarily project management focused and uses all the same general concepts, but has it’s own definitions of things you need to know. Basically it’s like takign what you already know, translating it into Chinese phrases, then regurgitating it back out for a test, brain dumping all the Chinese phrases, then going back to what you knew in the first place. Unlike a MEM, the PMP is not an education, it’s a certification. Like most certifications there’s a slight degree of fork over the cash, study a little, and presto changeo, you’re a PMP. There’s a lot of value in it and it is far better than a lot of certifications, but it’s not a substitute for a degree.</p>
<p>The MEM degree teaches you PM principles and application, but then adds on concepts like quality control, systems engineering, operations research, supply chain management, logistics, finance etc. In short, the MEM teaches you what you need to be an effective PM plus gives you the tools and insight to see the bigger picture. I personally think the MEM makes you far more rounded as a manager than just having a narrow scope of the PMP. You will actually learn concepts from the MEM and be able to apply them, not just look at a Gantt chart and spit out some instant expert keywords to wow your boss.</p>
<p>If you have the time and money, I think you’d find the MEM more valuable both personally and professionally. Otherwise, the PMP is cheaper and lets you put some fancy initials after your name and gets a pay raise. If I just had to pick one, I’d go with the MEM hands down. If I had to pick two, I’d get a MEM and your PE. Three things, MEM, PE, then technical Masters. Get your PMP last unless there’s really some significant financial incentive to do it sooner.</p>
<p>Alright, you’ve been of a lot of help so far, so I might as well ask your opinion about my situation (although I really hate these types of questions on the forum but here goes)</p>
<p>The main issue is how a degree from a top 10 college changes things, and which options make career switching easier.</p>
<p>First I will get my BS this semester and start work officially this summer. I will join a top 10 engineering grad school next year, and I am pursuing MechE (and I didn’t really think about what to do at grad school, it was a natural choice then). </p>
<p>In the short run I would like to move up the ladder (maybe into product design or project management) as QUICKLY as possible. So I believed a technical MS would compensate the lack of experience (well less than one in four of those who have a bachelor go for a masters). And you said it, a masters gives more credibility, this implies more likelihood of assuming management positions.</p>
<p>Of course I will get my PE but this is one of the things I am doing because they are easy and I cannot discern any benefit out of it - may be you can advise here! (I already passed the FE and am a licensed E.I.T. all that will be left is passing the PE exam. I really love engineering and so far my GPA is 3.95 so i think this is going to be a walk in the park!)</p>
<p>In the long run I would like to have either an upper management position or a career shift to finance and accounting. MOST IMPORTANTLY i want to be working in an industry leader corporation that would be one of the world’s largest! For that I plan to get an MBA from a reputable school in 6-8 years.</p>
<p>This was originally the plan, until i was surprised at where i am doing my coop that people are pursuing MEMs! And PMPs are awarded by good bonuses! so begs the question: is my planning wrong… I still think the MEM is nonsense - but we are talking return on investment here and not academic benefit - so just ditch the MSME for MEM… EVEN THOUGH i am going to a top school?</p>
<p>Hey, the longer the answer the better… give me your honest opinion: how workable is my plan, i don’t really care about having an alphabet soup after my name, but some certifications are rewarded (e.g. MBA) and some are not (fill in the blank)!</p>
<p>I’ll reply via PM.</p>
<p>hey, i just came across this course of Masters in Engg. Mgt and came across your posts in the forum. I am a 3rd Yrd Engg. under graduate and looking for a career in management. I initially wanted to do a MBA but all good b-schools require a minimum of 2-3yrs experience. And this course completely looks logical as I will also be using my 4 years of engineering education. I am badly in need of some review about this course from someone who has done it. Looking forward to your advises. Please revert back asap as I have to take a decision soon. Thanks in advance… 
:)</p>
<p>Importantly, guys please tell about the post MEM career opportunities</p>
<p>Honestly, MEM is a very good option. It gives a person a variety of responsibilities. Usually, any graduating MEM student is placed within the first one month of graduation. In these progressive times, it is essential for an engineer to have a technical and managerial background. It saves the recruiting company a great deal of funds as two people would not be required on the same project.</p>