MEM Abroad: Eligibility, Fees, Universities, Jobs

MEM Abroad: It may seem that a MEM degree is meant for engineers to hone their management skills alone. However, the fact is that masters in engineering management programs provide students with a broader perspective to solve problems associated with more complex and dynamic systems. Check out everything about MEM abroad in this article. 

MEM Abroad refers to pursuing a Master's in Engineering Management (MEM) degree in countries like the USA, Canada, UK or Australia. MEM abroad blends engineering skills with business acumen for leadership roles in tech-driven industries. The Master's in Engineering Management program provides in-depth technical and managerial skills and the necessary training to work with people from different cultures and backgrounds. Also, people who are in management roles usually earn more as compared to those in technical positions.

Admission to a MEM degree abroad requires a GRE/GMAT/IELTS score, an engineering background, good academic records and often some work experience - leading to high-demand global careers with strong earning potential in areas like AI, data analytics and sustainability. This article presents complete details on the course Master’s in Engineering Management or MEM abroad, covering its eligibility, popular universities, subjects, fees and duration.

What is Master's in Engineering Management?

Master in Engineering Management (MEM) is a professional master’s degree designed to bridge the gap between engineering, technology, and management. Popularly known as the ‘Engineer’s MBA’ or “MBA for Engineers”, Master in Engineering Management is an ideal choice among engineering graduates who wish to combine their technical skills with business acumen and thus move to a higher managerial role with a technology core. MEM students, therefore, can be viewed to be more aware of issues such as social, culture, ethics, environment, etc than a traditional master’s degree holder. A traditional engineering degree does not provide such a broad outlook.

Masters in Engineering Management graduates do not only have advanced knowledge of engineering, finance, design, processes, etc but are also skilled in leading and motivating individuals.  As a result, graduates with a master's in engineering management degree are highly sought after by companies. Organisations today prefer graduates who can look at a problem from various perspectives and provide a solution by optimising technology and business tools.

Related reads

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• Job Prospects of MEM
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Eligibility for Masters in Engineering Management 

If you are an engineering or science graduate and looking for a non-traditional master’s degree, MEM can be the right choice. Is there any specific engineering background requirement? No, any engineering graduate can apply for master's in engineering management. It is a perfect fit if you are interested in research and development management, technology entrepreneurship, industrial management, quality control, intellectual management, data analytics and more.

Masters in Engineering Management is widely offered in the USA and some universities in Canada and Australia among other countries. MEM programs are offered full-time and also through distance learning mode. The admission requirements may vary from university to university and the mode of learning but here are some basic requirements for admission:

• An accredited bachelor’s degree program in an engineering or science discipline or its equivalent with a good CGPA.
• GMAT or GRE scores required by most universities. GRE or GMAT scores may be waived off for candidates with exceptional work experience.
• Two or three letters of recommendation demonstrating the candidate’s academic, work and leadership skills.
• A statement of purpose or personal statement.
• TOEFL or IELTS scores for international students whose native language is not English.
• Transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate schools attended.
• Masters in Engineering Management programs are designed for students with limited or no work experience. It is recommended for students having not more than 5 years’ work experience. Keep in mind that the work experience requirement varies from university to university.
• Pre-requisite programs. Many universities require students to either complete a pre-requisite program or have enough pre-requisite knowledge in advance technical skills, preferably calculus and statistics.

Subjects Covered Under Masters in Engineering Management

Masters in Engineering Management program is a multidisciplinary and immersive program. Students are required to complete a number of core courses and select electives plus compulsory internship modules to move ahead in their areas of specialization.

Popular electives offered across MEM programs include but are not limited to -

• Computer Simulation for Risk & Operational Analytics
• Project Management
• Product Management
• Manufacturing Management
• Systems Engineering and Architecture
• Environmental Systems Analysis, Economics & Public Policy
• Applied Machine Learning
• Data Science for Business Intelligence
• Operations and Supply Chain Management
• Technology Development and Commercialisation
• Core or compulsory courses vary with universities but the popular ones include Leadership and Organizational Behaviour, Strategic Management, Accounting, and Finance, etc.

Duration of Masters in Engineering Management (MEM)

The duration of the Masters in Engineering Management programs will depend on the mode of the program. A full-time program may last from 12 to 24 months. Part-time or distance learning programs may last up to 6 to 9 months or a year.

MEM Degree Tuition & Costs 

Tuition for MEM programs will depend on the duration, mode, and university. The estimated tuition fee for one term may range from $30,000 to $68,000. This may be the entire tuition fee or the yearly fee depending on the length of the program. International students should anticipate the total cost to be anywhere between $50,000 to $105,000 including living expenses.

Accreditation

Accreditation is an important aspect when choosing the right engineering management program. Several accreditation bodies for engineering management include the most popular Master of Engineering Management Programs Consortium (MEMPC), the American Society of Engineering Management (ASEM), the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying, The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education, etc.

Check: Difference Between University and College

• Master of Engineering Management Programs Consortium (MEMPC)

The Master of Engineering Management Programs Consortium (MEMPC) is a dedicated and highly selective group of elite American universities working together to promote engineering and management programs to students and share best practices with the industry.

MEMPC consists of Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, John Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, Purdue University, TUFTS University and the University of Southern California as its member universities.

If you are a candidate aspiring to study master's in engineering management in the USA, it is recommended to check the universities under MEMPC to yield the best out of your MEM program and leverage the industry-driven policies and career network provided by the consortium.

• Careers and Salaries after Masters in Engineering Management

In today’s complex data-driven world, companies prefer applicants with both strong business and engineering acumen over candidates with pure engineering backgrounds. Masters in Engineering Management graduates are highly in demand for jobs in operations, data analytics, product management, marketing management, consulting, performance analytics, quality control, etc.

Top companies hiring MEM graduates around the world include IBM, Google, Bloomberg, Deloitte, Apple, Amazon, General Motors, Goldman Sachs, etc. Transition to senior management and leadership roles among MEM graduates is often quick because of their in-depth skills in engineering & management.

The average salary of a MEM or MSEM graduate highly depends on the university, the candidate’s academic and experience background, the company, the location, etc. Graduates from top universities may fetch an average salary in the range of $70K to $90k annually. Candidates should, therefore, choose the university wisely.

Also Read: Shiksha Opinion: What's the Better Choice for Engineering Students - MBA or MS Abroad?

Popular Universities for Masters in Engineering Management

Here are some of the well-known universities for MEM programs around the world:

• Cornell University, USA
• Dartmouth College, USA
• Duke University, USA
• Johns Hopkins University, USA
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
• Northwestern University, USA
• Purdue University, USA
• TUFTS University, USA
• University of Southern California, USA
• McGill University, Canada
• University of Ottawa, Canada
• University of Windsor, Canada
• University College London, UK
• Brunel University London, UK
• RMIT, Australia
• University of Melbourne, Australia
• The University of Auckland, New Zealand
• Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China
• Tsinghua University, China
• RWTH Aachen, Germany

MEM or MBA?

Whether you should choose MEM or MBA will depend on your long-term career goals and interests. Candidates must also be aware of the admission requirements, program curriculum, career outcomes and budget while choosing a program. Some points you can keep in mind when it comes to choosing between MEM and MBA are as follows:

• While an MBA program is open to graduates from any discipline, MEM is strictly for science and engineering graduates with a stronghold in Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry and Mechanics.
• MBA programs are more expensive than master's in engineering management programs. MBA programs are also designed for candidates with solid professional experience whereas MEM programs are designed for young candidates with no or limited work experience.
• MBA covers a wide variety of topics and may or may not focus on technology.  An MBA is ideal if you want to move to higher-level business management and leadership roles. However, if your interest lies in technology and technical areas along with a passion to develop strong business and decision-making skills to solve complex problems, MEM is the program to go for.

Hence, students must carefully check all program details before making a choice. Research well. Connect with students, faculty, and alumni of engineering management and MBA programs and check out the pros and cons, work-life, careers, etc. and decide accordingly. Check out in detail, MEM vs MBA.

Talk to our experts, get your profile evaluated and learn more about university and program options to make an informed decision.

Also read:

• Engineering Management in Canada
• Top 10 MEM Colleges in the USA