Executive Level Masters Programs In Technology Management (Tm), Management Of Technology (Mo T) And Engineering Management (Em)

This paper concentrates on executive level Masters programs (MS) in MoT, TM and EM. Executive level MBA programs were excluded. Programs were selected based on an extensive literature search, searching published directories and a survey of program directors. These searches did not uncover any “official” definition that clearly defined executive as compared to advanced or basic level Masters programs. An initial screening classified a program as executive if the program required at least five years of business experience and/or the students enrolled had an average age of at least thirty. This resulted in 11 programs. A survey was then sent to the program administrators asking them to rank the criteria that they thought constituted executive or advanced level. The survey confirmed that an Executive Level Masters program in TM and MoT could be defined by the admission requirement of at least five years of work experience and advanced course work. As a consequence of a 5-yr. minimum work experience requirement, the student body average age would be at least 30 years old. Another criteria is the self-designation of the program as executive, particularly in schools or universities with other “basic” programs. While all programs required some combination of GRE / GMAT and / or undergraduate GPA, the surveys indicated that this factor did not distinguish basic from advance programs, but was rather a general requirement for all programs. Neither company sponsorship nor engineering or science undergraduate degrees were factors that distinguished advanced or executive level from basic programs. While it is common for EM programs to have engineering and / or science undergraduates, no Engineering Management program made the executive level list.