Engineering Management vs MBA | NC State University
Engineering Management vs MBA
While Engineering Management vs MBA is a comparison of highly regarded programs, both will prepare you to be a proficient leader with a curriculum in:
- Management and leadership
- Decision-making
- Communications
- Economics
- Marketing
- Operations
But, an Engineering Management degree will make you a better fit for today’s technology companies. That is because the MEM program requires a STEM-related undergraduate degree for admission. A MEM degree gives you an advantage over an MBA where most students graduate with a non-technical education.
MEM Program
- A MEM provides you with leadership skills that apply to technical industries, like engineering. You will build connections with peers, professors and professionals who have similar experiences and goals. Students in the program may come from different engineering fields, but they all have a STEM background.
- MEM programs prepare you for the engineering and technology industry. While many courses overlap with those in an MBA program, they are engineering-specific. For example, MEM examines how factors like staffing, finances, and technical requirements can improve an engineering organization’s performance and how they impact the final product.
- You will graduate with your MEM prepared to take on leadership roles within engineering, technology and scientific organizations and companies. You will be a multi-talented professional who can connect technical engineering knowledge with organizational and people management skills.
- A full-time MEM takes as few as 12 months to complete.
MBA Program
- An MBA provides you with leadership skills that apply to a wide variety of industries. Quite often, you would select an MBA if you wanted to pursue more traditional business professions, such as finance or marketing. Few MBA students aim to enter the engineering field.
- Most MBA programs rarely prepare you for specific industries. Curricular topics may include supply chain management, accounting, organizational behavior, project management, economics and statistics.
- You will graduate with your MBA prepared to improve performance and return on investment for companies and organizations.
- A full-time MBA typically takes two years to complete.