The Texas A&M University College of Engineering’s Engineering Project Management Certificate program aims to help prepare graduate engineering students for industry. The program educates students so that they are able to understand complex engineering projects, project organizations, and project management methods. The two key objectives are to prepare graduate students for the transition to a workplace environment and to teach advanced project data analytics tools and methods.
Students with engineering graduate degrees are typically hired into organizations that are highly project-driven. In such environments, they need to know how organizations function, how to operate in a team environment, and how to address interpersonal challenges. However, they typically have no formal training and education in engineering project management. Therefore, this program creates an opportunity for students to understand how projects are organized and executed, with the goal of them becoming more competitive in the job market.
Additionally, about five years into their careers, engineering graduates face a point that branches into two career paths – managerial or advanced technical. These paths directly match typical organizational structures. The first path leads to a career in project, program and organizational management departments, while the second path leads to a career in functional (i.e., technical) departments. Hence, this program allows for advanced continuing education for the engineers who would like to explore project management careers.