Imparting Business and Management Skills to Engineering Technologists through the Development of a Cross Disciplinary Program

Abstract

This paper describes an effort that seeks to impart business as well as management skills to engineering technology students. Face-to face and online is the chosen method of instruction. It is well recognized that engineering technologists generally have a very strong background in technical skills at the time of graduation. However, they are imparted little education related to organizational management, entrepreneurship, finance, project management, product quality and development etc. These skills form the crux of entrepreneurship and are highly sought after in any workplace. Demonstrably, the absence of aforementioned skills in a technology curriculum is a great disservice to students. This paper describes how this crucial need was addressed through the development of a master's program in engineering management that includes several dual numbered courses that can be taken by graduate as well as undergraduate students. The curriculum for said program is multi-disciplinary. It builds on faculty expertise in diverse disciplines such as safety, product development, Quality and Engineering Economy. Communication skills are enhanced in every course through writing a project report and presenting findings. Issues such as technology transfer are also woven into the fabric of this program. Program overview, effectiveness as well as salient features are presented.