7 Reasons to Study Engineering Management

The benefits of engineering management are vast, helping you to solidify your leadership skills and prepare yourself for the future of the industry. If you are considering studying the subject, these pointers will help you decide whether it’s right for you.

Becoming an engineering leader is the logical next step for a technical engineer in any field, from chemical engineering to aerospace engineering. It expands your horizons, allowing you to be more creative and challenges you to develop and strengthen your technical and soft skills, supporting your continuous career progression.

Working on the same projects for lengthy time periods can become repetitive, so progression into management will also re-energise you for any projects you are working on. You can expand your creative mindset whilst reigniting your passion for the engineering industry.

Technological advancements such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and other technologies are transforming the way equipment operates. Employers in the engineering sector are looking for effective leaders who can manage change and make an impact on the business.

Engineering managers must respond to these disruptive changes, such as floating railway lines, smart rings, or autonomous suitcases. Customers are also demanding more customised equipment and intelligent interfaces, increasing the demand on the engineering sector to deliver value through technology to the end customer. Whatever the innovation is, being an engineering manager gives you a new frontier, allowing you to influence decisions and change the way we know the world today.

Engineering leaders have the advantage of staying close to technology as well as leading the way for other engineers. They are required to keep on top of the latest advancements in technology to find solutions to business challenges, eradicating the myth that you will rarely be exposed to the technical side of engineering again as a leader.

It’s important to gain non-technical experiences and skills to show your management capabilities to senior individuals. Additionally, having a high level of technical knowledge will aid your professional relationships with team members and earn their trust.

As a manager, your vision is reflected by the work of your team. Therefore, the number of things you will be involved in will increase, as well as the support you need from other divisions. This makes you the link between senior management and your employees.

Being an engineering leader allows you to multiply your impact and initiate change in a fast-moving industry that’s on the verge of the next innovative product or process. You can shape the way your employees work and align this to the corporate social responsibility of the organisation. This, in turn, will increase your impact as a manager.

As well as multiplying your impact, you can share your technical and industry-related knowledge from a CMI-accredited qualification with team members in mid-level or lower-level roles, as well as mentoring them to resolve technical challenges.

Having an open-door policy can encourage employees to share and listen to information. Recognising good ideas and building on those that need development whilst crediting success is a great way to collaborate across hierarchical levels and distribute your knowledge.

As a leader in engineering, another aspect of managing is helping team members succeed in their careers. Sharing your creativity and wisdom into others to foster personal and professional development is a side of management that can be very rewarding. This helps employees feel invested in their work and creates an engaged workforce.

When you see team members succeed, you can see how your own guidance has supported them, bringing a sense of personal reward to you as a leader.

Engineering managers require both technical knowledge and leadership skills. This combination is highly sought after by employers, as it can accelerate innovation within a business and improve efficiencies/product offering.

Engineering leaders are effectively bilingual; they can speak the technical language of production engineers and translate this into terms senior-level employees can understand.

There has never been a more important time for businesses to have technically proficient managers, and our specialised curriculum brings a modern, technology-focused perspective to tried and tested management strategies.

If you want to become a multiskilled professional at the forefront of global engineering trends who can share knowledge to maximise impact and help others to succeed in the process, then you should consider studying a Masters or Postgraduate Certificate.

On graduating, you’ll be ready to progress to a leadership position in various areas of engineering, develop within your existing company, or improve your management skills within your current role. Alternatively, you may wish to go into further research, in which case, studying will help you too.

The Engineering Management Masters (MSc) / Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) at the University of Leeds is delivered 100% online, giving you the flexibility to learn whilst working. The course is specifically designed for Engineers and will help you gain the advanced management techniques and practical skills that tomorrow’s business leaders need.

The CMI-accredited course is ideal if you are:

• In the early stages of your career and looking to fast-track your progression.
• An ambitious professional with substantial industry experience.
• Already working in engineering management or are new to a management role and looking to develop your skills.
• A busy professional and/or working abroad and unable to study full-time on-campus.

During your time on the course, you’ll learn from high-profile academics across four leading engineering schools: the School of Chemical and Process Engineering, the School of Civil Engineering, the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering and the School of Mechanical Engineering. This unique collaboration will help you develop your working knowledge of a range of engineering specialisms.

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