When Dr. Daniel Moorer embarked on his newest career position in aerospace after earning his doctorate in aerospace engineering at the 羞羞视频 in 2000, he felt he was as ready as he could be. He had good reason to feel that way. When you consider not just that academic achievement, but his background as a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, his master鈥檚 degree in space systems, and his research at the Laboratory for Atmospherics and Space Physics, it鈥檚 easy to see why he would feel so confident.聽
But almost immediately, he realized that his initial impression was way off.
鈥淲hen I finished my doctorate and left for my next aerospace position, I really did kind of feel like I had the world by the tail a little bit,鈥� says Dr. Moorer, who has been on faculty at CU 羞羞视频鈥檚 Lockheed Martin Engineering Management Program (EMP) since 2012. 鈥淲ith my previous academic background, experience in the military and prior work in space physics, I felt as ready as I could be.鈥�
Beginning virtually his first week on the job, however, he discovered that in his position as a senior systems engineer he would be required to devote much time to non-engineering and non-technical responsibilities. He had to build his own team and take part in high-level meetings and boardroom activities that required business and corporate acumen.
鈥淲hen I first started taking part in meetings, I quickly realized that I didn鈥檛 even speak the language of business,鈥� Dr. Moorer says. 鈥淚 walked in there with a pretty impressive technical background, but I simply didn鈥檛 understand many of the concepts being discussed, or even just the vernacular.鈥�
As one would expect of an individual with the impressive accomplishments of Dr. Moorer鈥攊ncluding his service as a career officer in the Army, Operations Officer for a tank battalion during Operation Desert Storm, instructor of National Security Policy and Space Operations at the U.S. Army Command and Special Staff College and as a space physics application team leader at , among others鈥攈e adapted. He studied up and he made it work.
But it opened his eyes, and his experience personifies the purpose of the EMP at CU 羞羞视频.
First, What Is Engineering Management?
Dr. Moorer鈥檚 story offers a powerful answer to a question that鈥檚 becoming more and more common in business and industry today鈥攚hat is engineering management?
While initial concepts of providing education and training in business and management principles to professional engineers reach back to the early 20th century, the practice began to emerge in a more focused and formalized manner in the 1960s.
The idea was to provide a way for professionals working in engineering and other technical capacities to round out their skill sets in areas like business and management that are not typically covered in engineering programs at the undergraduate or graduate levels.
鈥淭he challenge has always been to provide engineers with the education, training and knowledge in areas not as specific to their technical specializations,鈥� Dr. Moorer says. 鈥淥ur university produces amazingly talented engineers. But we don鈥檛 have the time in those programs to give them the other skills that their supervisors and managers want them to have. We hear from employers all the time how we produce excellent technical professionals, but they also would really like them to understand things such as business ethics, leadership and project management. The CU 羞羞视频 EMP rounds out their education in those kinds of areas.鈥�
Some of the specific areas typically covered in a masters in engineering management (MEM) program, for instance, include:
By gaining in-depth education and training in these areas, engineering professionals are able to learn how to, as Dr. Moorer puts it, speak the language of business and act as the bridge between the technical side of the organization and management鈥攁 role more and more employers are looking to fill.
With the nature of today鈥檚 globally interconnected network of business and industry, and the fact that virtually every organization relies on technology and technological advances in order to move ahead, finding engineers and technical professionals with proven business acumen is becoming increasingly vital.
Most MBA programs offer similar areas of instruction in business and management, which brings about an obvious question that should be considered by any engineer or technical professional looking to develop skills in those areas: Which one is the better choice?
What Are the Differences Between the MBA and the Masters in Engineering Management Degrees?
At first glance, it may seem as though an MBA and an MEM are very similar and opting for a traditional MBA degree might make sense. However, there are important differences between the two. When you examine these differences closely, the leverage offered by the masters in engineering management degree becomes more compelling and it can translate into the more strategic choice.
For a technical professional, the MEM offers a number of distinctive advantages:
Another thing to keep in mind: the MEM can be completed within a shorter time frame of about 30 credit hours, in contrast to an MBA that requires an average of 55 credit hours. That means you can more quickly get to work applying the skills you learn to your career advancement.
CU 羞羞视频: Emphasizing the Development of Leadership Skills
In the CU 羞羞视频 EMP, developing leadership skills is integral throughout the Program. Specialized course offerings break the critical concepts of leadership down into three subsets: Leading Oneself, Leading Others and Leading Technical Organizations.
In CU 羞羞视频鈥檚 Engineering Management Program, the faculty members who guide students through these innovative offerings are as key as the courses and subject matter they teach their students.
Dr. Moorer teaches the Leading Others course, and his credentials in the area of leadership are as impressive as they come. A career Army officer with service in South Korea, Germany, the United States and the Middle East, he led a tank battalion during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. He has led several teams working on space physics applications, and in 2007 he founded Wacari Group, an organization that helps visionary individuals and organizations turn their ideas and new products into commercial success.
鈥淚 firmly believe that all of the good and the bad in an organization flows from the leader,鈥� Dr. Moorer says. 鈥淎ttitude, outlook, care for the employee, all of it determines how well the organization operates. You have to believe in taking care of the team and building the team. In my role, I help people to learn what it is they are supposed to do not just with the mission, but with the people. The world as a whole is in need of solid, ethical leaders, in all areas of human endeavors. We need great leaders.鈥�
Dr. Moorer is joined in this leadership focus by additional faculty colleagues including Kathryn Tobey, who teaches the Leading Technical Organizations course. Tobey spent 34 years at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, most recently serving as Vice President and General Manager of Special Programs.聽
A CU 羞羞视频 alum and product of the Masters in Engineering Management Program herself, Tobey is a past chair of the University鈥檚 Advisory Board for BOLD Center (Broadening Opportunities for Leadership Diversity), served on Lockheed Martin鈥檚 Executive Inclusion Council and is a trustee for the Women鈥檚 Foundation of Colorado.
Instructor Ron Duren, who was the subject of a recent blog post, brings equally impressive leadership credentials to teaching the Leading Oneself course. With a background that includes stints as a semi-pro baseball player, rodeo bull rider, airplane test pilot and Ironman triathlete, self-motivation is an area he understands well.
Ron, another alumnus with a master鈥檚 degree from CU 羞羞视频鈥檚 EMP, focuses on how to lead effectively in high-stress situations. He is also the founder of a leadership coaching and consulting practice where executives learn how to perform at their best under the most stressful circumstances.
This emphasis on empowering students in the Program to develop leadership skills is designed to deliver a number of meaningful, actionable outcomes. They are outcomes that every student working through the Program can employ at their current positions, the very next day after learning them. Some of these include:
鈥淥ne question that I鈥檓 asked every year, often more than once, by students coming into this Program is whether leaders are born or made,鈥� Dr. Moorer says. 鈥淎nd I tell them unequivocally that leaders are made.鈥�
The Lockheed Martin Engineering Management Program at CU 羞羞视频
Many working technical professionals out there likely find themselves in a similar position as Moorer was earlier in his career when he realized the value of additional education and training in engineering management and leadership. These are exactly the kinds of individuals for whom the Lockheed Martin Engineering Management Program at CU 羞羞视频 is designed.
鈥淚 was the poster child for this Program and what it鈥檚 designed to do,鈥� Moorer says. 鈥淲hen I realized this Program taught all of the things I needed to know in that aerospace position, I immediately became a fan of its purpose and have been a fan of the Program ever since.鈥�
CU 羞羞视频鈥檚 EMP is distinguished across the country as among the best of its kind, characterized by flexibility, academic excellence and an exceptional faculty of seasoned technical professionals and leaders. Offered through CU 羞羞视频鈥檚 highly respected College of Engineering and Applied Science, which was founded in 1893, the Program has been meeting the needs of working technical professionals looking to open new doors of career opportunity for more than 30 years.
With a graduate degree, dual degree options, an undergraduate minor, and graduate and undergraduate certificates available, students engage with CU 羞羞视频鈥檚 Engineering Management Program as a way to launch or advance their careers鈥攚ithin their current organizations or embarking on a career shift.
鈥淓mployers tell us that they want people with a technical background, but that they also need leaders. They want those technical experts also to be able to serve in leadership roles in their organizations,鈥� Moorer says. 鈥淭o truly know how to lead and manage it takes education. That鈥檚 what we鈥檙e providing. We create translators. Our graduates have a unique ability to translate engineering solutions into business reality.鈥�
鈥淲e help our graduates excel past their contemporaries so they鈥檙e recognized as emerging leaders in a way that鈥檚 still not all that common,鈥� Dr. Moorer says.
What Do Engineering Managers Do?
A key distinguishing feature of the Engineering Management Program at CU 羞羞视频 is the quality of faculty who provide personalized guidance, instruction and mentorship to students. They bring to the Program an array of professional expertise and experience that illustrates many of the career options that engineering management students may aspire to one day achieve themselves.
鈥淲e really do have the most amazing faculty and staff,鈥� Moorer says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e focused on serving the working technical professional. All of our faculty have technical backgrounds. They can speak to their technical area of expertise while also teaching some of these essential areas of business and principles of management and leadership. Many of our faculty have been executives, as well as CEOs.鈥�
In the Engineering Management Program, teaching takes a 50 percent practical and 50 percent theoretical approach, allowing students to learn what is, as well as what could be, Moorer says. All aspects of the curriculum relate to how the content is applied in real-world professional environments. Focus areas of the curriculum reflect the essential skills and tasks that engineering managers may need to perform daily on the job, including:
Within the Program, a premium is placed on flexibility so that working engineers can progress through it without disrupting their current work or professional positions. As a graduate of the Program, you鈥檒l be empowered with new knowledge and skills that are workplace-ready, including leadership and ethics, project and portfolio management; product management, technology innovation and entrepreneurship; sustainable, resilient and regenerative enterprises; production and operations for the 21st century; and management and leadership across engineering industries.
For anyone considering the engineering management degree as a way to advance their careers, it鈥檚 important to understand that the industry outlook for individuals with the credential is very bright. indicates that employment of engineering managers is expected to grow two percent over the next decade. And the need for engineering managers in the engineering services industry, such as with consulting firms, is projected to grow six percent over the next decade.
At CU 羞羞视频, there are a number of options for earning an engineering management degree online or on campus as well as certificate-level offerings. If you would like to speak with an advisor or request more information about the Engineering Management Program or any of our specific options, please visit the CU 羞羞视频 EMP website. You can also contact our graduate advisor, Kendra Thibeault, at Kendra.Thibeault@colorado.edu or call 303-492-0954.