History of the Northwestern Program

The Master of Engineering Management (MEM) Program at Northwestern University is the one of the oldest in the country. Although there was initial resistance, it has enjoyed a long and successful history. The program was initiated in 1976 by Professor Al Rubenstein who believed that there was a need for high-quality engineering management education for Chicago area engineers and scientists. From very high-tech to the traditional "rust belt" companies, Professor Rubenstein understood that companies needed to maintain their competitive edge through continuous technological innovation and effective management of their technology base. He felt this could be better accomplished through a MEM program rather than the traditional MBA.

Back in 1976, there was not much support within the University for a program to educate working professionals, attending school part time, who would not be considered part of the traditional University community. Professor Rubenstein found it difficult to get faculty to teach courses in the evening to students who were more interested in the application of course material than in research. The Department Chair of IEMS, Professor Art Hurter was very supportive of the program and continue to run interference for it with the school and University as needed. Some thought MEM teaching would take faculty time away from their undergraduate and PhD teaching and research. Despite this resistance, a general agreement was reached to go ahead with the program as long as sufficient revenue was returned to the IEMS Department to help fund research and other programs.

The target enrollment of 50 students was reached by the third year of the program's operation. By the sixth year, the program reached its upper limit of 75-100 in student enrollment. Before the 2007 recession, it was at 110.

A major strength of the MEM program is that it is part of the IEMS Department, which in 2010 was rated 4th in the country by US News & World Report for graduate education. This provides credibility for the students and their employers. To maintain this position MEM has continued to be innovative in its curriculum and to introduce new fields as electives, reflecting the needs and opportunities of engineering management. A major strength of the program was its close association with Rubenstein's Program of Research on the Management of Research, Development, and Innovation (POMRAD) funded by government and the Center for Information and Telecommunication Technology (CITT), which was funded by industry. MEM students could take a required course in Management of R&D and an elective in Technical Entrepreneurship.

MEM still has those courses today as innovation and entrepreneurship are as important today as then. Recent innovations in the MEM curriculum incorporate electives in design thinking from the Segal Design Center and integration of team teaching throughout the program. There is a gateway course for all new students to help foster a sense of community and all graduates complete the program with a capstone Strategic Management course that connects the content from the individual courses.

The success of the program over the years can be measured in many ways, from the excellent GPA of entering students to the high satisfaction ratings that the students give the program. A 2007 student survey showed that 70% of graduates who remained with their company received a promotion within a year of graduation and to date all of the fulltime students have found jobs within 6 months of graduation. A 2009 Payscale.com survey showed that the average MEM graduate makes more than the average MBA throughout their careers. From the school's perspective, the success of the program is seen by the fact that MEM provides about 50% of the IEMS discretionary budget and the fact that faculty enjoy teaching in MEM.

Although the MEM program is known by the 50+ companies in the Chicago area that support it through tuition reimbursement, engineering management does not have the level of national awareness that an MBA enjoys. For this reason, an elite group of MEM programs formed the MEM Program Consortium in 2006; the consortium now includes Dartmouth, Duke, Cornell, Northwestern and Stanford. The goal is to make the MEM degree as well known and understood within the engineering community as an MBA, and to promote its differentiation and value.