A Culminating Experience Model For Master’s Students

Most graduate schools that offer Master’s Degrees require some sort of culminating experience. These culminating experiences usually consist of a thesis or project, or an examination based on certain core courses. Department of Manufacturing Systems Engineering and Management (MSEM) at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) offers Master’s Degrees in Engineering Management. The program is offered both in residential mode and online mode. Students in both programs must satisfy the same admission requirements and must fulfill a culminating experience course. This culminating experience is individually designed between each student and his/her faculty advisor. Each student selects two case studies from a pool of developed case studies. These case studies have been designed to allow students to demonstrate their ability to utilize and apply the knowledge and skills gained throughout the Master of Science in Engineering Management degree program. This paper describes the process that students go through during the culminating experience course and expresses how the case studies were developed. It explains a set of underlying beliefs that give life to courses and guide program implementation. Finally it presents a set of issues important in transferring the experience to other graduate schools who offer engineering management programs. This culminating experience model replaces a comprehensive exam.