Abstract:

The Master of Engineering Technical Management program was launched in 2018 in the College of Engineering of Texas A&M University. Customarily designed for technical managers and leaders in engineering and/or technology fields, and taught by a group of stellar faculty that averaged 30 years of industry experience, this professional online program weaves emotional intelligence and leadership best practices into technical knowledge offerings to foster the most sought-after skill sets in the engineering and technology industry. In Lu & Zoghi [1] [2], the authors discussed the design of the program as well as students’ learning outcomes. Three cohorts, more than 140 students have graduated since the program launched, and it is time to take a holistic look at the curriculum design for further improvements.

This paper aims at reviewing the curriculum from a 360-degree angle, by examining faculty, current and former students’ feedback collected via program exit surveys, panel discussions, and university surveys. Both quantitative and qualitative data are analyzed to answer the burning questions: how the curriculum performed as it was tailored for engineering/technical working professionals, what students' experience was, what they valued the most, and what room for improvement is. We hope to share our best practices with higher education institutions that have an interest in offering a similar program.

Keywords:

360-degree review, curriculum design, professional education, leadership development.