Master of Science in Engineering Management - About the Industry

An evolving industrial landscape

How data analysis is transforming the field of engineering management.

As a discipline, engineering management involves designing, operating and continuously improving high-tech enterprises through technical and management knowledge. Beyond achieving a project’s desired goals, such as completion, engineering management is equally focused on quality, sustainability, efficiency and – now more than ever – data.

With the development of the Internet of Things (IoT), as well as the incorporation of 5G in various engineering technologies, the amount of data from engineering systems is staggering – and, as importantly, increasing by the second. For engineering firms, this massive trove of data has led to improvements in product design, manufacturing, maintenance and operations.

But in order to capitalize on this opportunity, the industry needs smart engineering managers who can use data to continuously improve modern engineering operations. That’s where CSUN’s Master of Science in Engineering Management comes in.

This program explores Russ Ackoff’s well-known model: Data, Information, Knowledge & Wisdom (DIKW). This model is ideally suited for engineering management students, as it ties in with managing and supervising data-driven technical projects. The acronym, DIKW, is the thrust of the model, with data leading to information which then leads to knowledge and, finally, to wisdom. This is where the engineering manger’s technical expertise comes into play, marrying new skills and data with time-tested practical abilities.

In this program, students will acquire both, gaining a mastery of data as well as an expansive skillset of technical and managerial capabilities – a perfect match for today’s industry.

Job Outlook

A booming field, engineering management is at the forefront of many emerging markets – from big tech to major manufacturing. Coming as no surprise, companies are aggressively recruiting and compensating well-educated engineering managers.

Over the last two years, the job market for engineering management grew significantly, in both size and pay: