Engineering Management Foundations Certificate | NC State University
Engineering Management Foundations Certificate
Last Updated: 05/21/2024 | All information is accurate and still up-to-date
The Engineering Management Foundations Certificate is a graduate program that can help advance your career as you take on more responsibility or aim for a management role. This program equips you with the principles and foundational concepts for planning and managing industrial and technical projects. You can pursue this certificate either on-campus or online through our Engineering Online Program.
The Foundations Certificate meets the demand for key concepts and provides a graduate certificate for those unsure about committing to a full master’s degree program. Successfully completing the certificate also covers 40 percent of the MEM degree and is designed to be highly marketable with minimal prerequisites.
If you plan to transfer courses into a master’s degree program, such as MEM, consult the Director of the Graduate Certificate Program (DGCP) for specific requirements. Additionally, note that NC State requires a grade of B or higher for course transfers into a master’s degree program, as per the Graduate Student Handbook (Section 3.1.D).
Curriculum
To earn the certificate, you need to complete 12 credit hours of engineering management graduate courses. The curriculum covers the following topic areas:
- Quantitative Literacy / Student Choice (3 credits)
- Leadership and Communication (3 credits)
- Project Management and Coordination (3 credits)
- Financial Competency (3 credits)
| Theme | CURRICULUM: Engineering Management Graduate Certificate | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Take one course: | 3 | |
| ISE/OR 501 Intro to Operations Research 1 | ||
| ISE 535 Python Programming for Industrial & Systems Engineers 1 | ||
| ISE 537 Data Science for Industrial & Systems Engineers | ||
| MBA 545 Decision Making under Uncertainty 1 | ||
| EM 589 Probability and Statistics for Engineers 1 | ||
Quantitative Literacy / Student Choice | ST 513 Statistics for Management I 2 | |
| ST 515 Experimental Statistics for Engineers I | ||
| ST 517 Applied Statistical Methods I 2 | ||
| TE 533 Lean Six Sigma Quality | ||
| EGR 517 Facilities Engineering Systems 1 | ||
| EGR 518 Environmental Compliance for Facilities Engineers 1 | ||
| Or 500-level course from MEM curriculum with approval by DGCP | ||
| Take one course: | 3 | |
| EGR 501 Engineering Leadership and Strategic Change 1 | ||
Leadership and Communication | COM 527 Seminar in Organizational Conflict Management 2 | |
| COM 530 Interpersonal Communication in Science/Technology Organizations 2 | ||
| COM 556 Seminar in Organizational Communication | ||
| Take one course: | 3 | |
| EM 530 Project Management 1 | ||
Project Management and Coordination | EM 590 Engineering Project Management 2 | |
| BUS 554 Project Management 2 | ||
| CE 561 Construction Project Management 2 | ||
| Take one course: | 3 | |
| ISE 510 Applied Engineering Economy 1 | ||
Financial Competency | EGR 505 Managerial Finance for Engineers 2 (includes Accounting) | |
| CE 567 Risk and Financial Management in Construction 2 | ||
| CERTIFICATE total | 12 |
Note: ST 516 and 518 may be substituted for ST 515 and 517, respectively, providing you meet the requirements.
1 Course taught both on-campus and online.
2 Courses are offered online only.
The Fine Print
- Unless the Director of the DGCP grants you an exception, you must choose courses as outlined in the table below.
- Out of the 12 required credit hours, three may be at the 400 level with prior approval from the DGCP, according to the Graduate Student Handbook (Section 3.13). The remaining nine hours must be at the 500 level or above.
- You need to take one course per semester to stay in good standing. Your grades must be a B- or higher for them to count toward the certificate, and you need a GPA of 3.00 to earn the certificate. For more details, refer to the Graduate Student Handbook (Section 3.13).
- Due to the program’s specificity and high demand, premium tuition is charged for this certificate. If you are currently pursuing other degrees or certificates, you cannot be admitted to this certificate program until you complete those other programs. Once enrolled in this certificate, your credit hours will be subject to the MEM tuition premium until you receive the certificate.
- If you are in a degree program without a tuition premium, you cannot simultaneously add a second program with a tuition premium. Similarly, if you are in a degree program with a tuition premium, you cannot add a second program with a different tuition premium (including no premium).
- Premium tuition is based on your program of study, not the individual courses you take. This policy is outside the department’s control. For example, as a MEM student, you pay the MEM premium even if you take one, two, or three courses outside the MEM curriculum in a given semester. Similarly, once you are admitted to the Engineering Management Foundations Graduate Certificate Program and the certificate is added to your program of study, you will be charged the premium.
Admission Requirements
To apply to the program, you need to:
- Complete an online application form
- Submit transcripts of all academic work after high school
- Provide a written personal statement
Admission is competitive, and the GRE is not required. Your academic success plays a significant role in the admission process. However, completing a certificate program does not guarantee entry into a graduate degree program. You should have a STEM or another relevant bachelor’s degree.
Certificate Learning Outcomes
Upon completing the graduate certificate program, you will be able to:
- Understand critical engineering leadership and organizational communication concepts. You will also use communication techniques to work with various stakeholders.
- Grasp and apply basic financial concepts to analyze alternatives for projects of different lengths and cash flows.
- Use conceptual, analytical, and practical tools to plan and manage projects involving various stakeholders.
- Identify quantitative tools and analytical methods for solving different problems.
- Effectively communicate quantitative information to both technical and non-technical audiences.