Executive Engineer Dual Master's Degree Program

Curriculum

The Executive Engineer Dual Master's Degree curriculum encompasses case analysis, business simulations, problem-solving discussions, team presentations, individual study, lectures, assigned readings, state-of-the art analytic software packages, and distinguished guest speakers. Individual learning capitalizes on the collective professional experience of participants and The UI Tippie College of Business and ISU College of Engineering faculty.

The curriculum builds cross-functional competencies and strategic perspectives. Year one begins with a five-day residency on The University of Iowa campus followed by courses in core areas such as accounting, economics, finance, marketing, quantitative methods, statistics, systems effectiveness and systems engineering fundamentals.

Participants complete additional core courses their second year starting with a five-day residency on campus at Iowa State University and courses in human resource management, macroeconomics, managerial accounting, operations and strategic management. The second year also includes advanced business and engineering classes and the international business seminar. Strategic Management, the capstone course, integrates advanced engineering case studies selected by the individual students based on their particular areas of interest.

Study Groups

One of the most valuable parts of the EMBA Program will be your study group. You are part of a cross-functional team which will meet weekly at a centrally convenient location to tackle projects and review coursework. You will be matched with EMBA students who have different backgrounds, and you'll have the same members in your study group throughout the two-year program.

Applied Learning at its Best

The UI/ISU curriculum places a premium on practical value. Participants discover that classroom discussions serve as a laboratory for solving business issues they face on the job. For example, in the statistics course, participants are encouraged to share data sets and applications in areas such as compensation design and manufacturing process control.

Semester 1

Corporate Financial Reporting provides an introduction to financial accounting, reporting, and analysis from the perspective of those who use financial reports.

Data and Decisions examines decision making under uncertainty and applies probability models, estimation, hypothesis testing, simple and multiple regression, and introductory times series to real-world data.

Marketing Management explores the marketing function in profit and nonprofit organizations. Topics include marketing strategy, buyer behavior, marketing tactics, and marketing implementation.

Systems Engineering Fundamentals takes an overall system development approach of which the product is a part rather than the traditional focus mainly on product performance as the main objective. Design for the entire system life cycle is emphasized.

Semester 2

Managerial Economics analyzes the production and pricing decisions of the firm. Special attention is paid to the problem of transfer pricing and resource allocation among divisions of corporations. Modern theories of market structure--auctions, electronic trading-are studied as are anti-trust issues.

Simulation and Modeling examines the utilization of different modeling techniques useful for the design of complex systems. Methods for interpretation and analysis of modeling results are presented.

Managerial Finance develops asset valuation and capital budgeting techniques, and examines issues related to capital market efficiency, optimal capital structure, issuing non-traditional financial instruments, and mergers.

Human Factors and Product Design addresses human factors methods applied to product design and evaluation. Concepts of human-product usability, interface design, warnings and instructions, and error reduction will be covered. The course will also look at human factors as related to human-computer interface.

Semester 3

International Economic Environment of the Firm analyzes measures of economic activity; determinants of national income, investments, and business fluctuations; money, prices and inflation; exchange rates; monetary and fiscal policy and forecasting.

Management in Organizations examines the human behavior, attitudes, and performance in organizations, as they are affected by individual motivation, interpersonal and team interactions, structure, and change process.

Managerial Accounting focuses on cost and profit behavior, cost control, activity-based-costing and other techniques applicable to both service and manufacturing organizations.

Data Mining explores the value of data mining for decision support and the requirements of a successful data mining project. The data mining process is defined starting with understanding the business problem and the available data through data preparation, modeling, evaluation, and finally, deployment of the data mining solution.

Semester 4

Operations Management analyzes the design and operation of the firm's process and resources for converting inputs to outputs. Topics include operations strategy, product and process design, quality management, capacity planning, facility design, supply chain design and management, production and service planning, and project management.

Leadership Development examines major leadership theories, determinants of leader effectiveness, personal and career success, and practical development of leadership and managerial skills to enhance individual organizational effectiveness.

Technologists as Managers examines the challenges faced by engineers as they develop their managerial skills as well as the unique leadership role that technologists can ply in guiding companies in technologically dominated markets.

Project Management examines the principles of project management and the best practices in implementation. Discussion of real-world applications, problems, and implementations of the basic principles.

Semester 5

Dynamics of Negotiation develops an understanding of the predictable aspects and dynamics of bargaining experiences. Students complete simulations and experiential exercises to foster skills needed for effective negotiation in almost any situation.

Corporate Governance

Information Technology for the Industrial Enterprise introduces the current state of the art of information technology e-Commerce applications and systems typically employed in large manufacturing organizations and focuses on the challenges associated with their integration. This course covers both the theory and practice of modern information systems with emphasis on the Internet, Data Modeling and Enterprise Application Integration using XML, SQL, and SOAP. Each class will consist of both lecture and hands-on lab time.

Creative Component is a project in which each team develops a product idea based on new technology of interest to the team. The team will conduct research and develop a business plan to implement and market the profuct.

Seminar in International Business is a five-day intensive business simulation held during Residency Week. The simulation develops a living case in which teams create their own virtual business reality. Teams compete with one another through deliberations and interactions with competitors and the market place. This experiential learning exercise capitalizes on skills learned within each of the functional areas of business during Year 1. It also introduces students to the strategic focus necessary for Year 2.