2.96/2.961: Management in Engineering

Fall | Undergraduate/Graduate | 12 Units | Prereq: None

Introduction and overview of engineering management. Financial principles, management of innovation, technical strategy and best management practices. Case study method of instruction emphasizes participation in class discussion. Focus is on the development of individual skills and management tools. Restricted to juniors and seniors.

Fall 2020 Update: Fully Remote Classes - 2.96/2.961 introduces key principles and practices used in engineering management. Students first learn basic business functional knowledge  financial accounting, sales, marketing, operations, and topics related to entrepreneurship and then are given opportunities to apply this knowledge through the analysis of case studies in the management of innovation. A key element of the course is the formation of student teams who work together to create a business plan that they present as a major project. Each team will have regular meetings with a dedicated coach/mentor for their project, a faculty member or one of the featured guest entrepreneurs. The class sessions will be mostly online , both synchronous and asynchronous.  Concepts and principles will be introduced through readings, lectures, exercises, and discussion.  Case studies about real companies -- often with the entrepreneurs in the case available in that class for discussion of the decisions they faced -- give students practice in applying management principles and making decisions as if they were the managers themselves. Their analyses will be discussed with fellow students as well as with instructors and guests, so as to develop a full understanding of the various choices that could have been made to solve practical business problems.