Growing M.E.M. adds director, cited by U.S. News as one of nation’s best online graduate engineering programs

Nebraska’s online master of engineering management program has added Jena Shafai Asgarpoor, Ph.D., as its director. Asgarpoor joined the program last fall to facilitate delivery of the growing online M.E.M. offerings. She attributes growth in the program can be attributed to today’s organizations needing engineers who not only understand the inner workings of technical projects but also those who can successfully manage teams and scarce resources.

“The MEM program is designed to help practicing engineers advance in their careers by gaining knowledge, insight and perspectives that will help them be upwardly mobile in technical managerial roles,” said Asgarpoor, who also teaches in the MEM program and is an Associate Professor of Practice in the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction.

The College of Engineering’s MEM is a practitioner’s master’s degree for working engineers. It’s a non-thesis, 30-credit hour program (10 classes) which is 100 percent online, affording students flexibility of time and space to be employed full-time while pursuing their aspirations to earn advanced education. Classes are offered in accelerated eight-week sessions, allowing full immersion in one subject at a time to maximize learning and to create opportunity for immediate real-life applications.

“Our M.E.M. is structured to meet the needs of engineers and prepares them for the realities of their responsibilities,” she added. “It gives them the knowledge, skills, and acumen to successfully face both the technical and the business challenges of their careers, to effectively lead in their engineering profession, and to help their organizations be lean, agile, and competitive in the global economy.”

At least 15 credit hours must be in engineering coursework and nine credit hours in business coursework. Faculty include full-time professors as well as lecturers who are industry professionals. The program has garnered plaudits for its convenience and reputation as the U.S. News & World Report rated the M.E.M. program in the top 30 in its 2018 list of the Best Online Graduate Engineering Programs nationally.

The College of Engineering will soon offer the Engineering Management Certificate, which is in the final phases of approval process at the University. To earn the EM Certificate, a person must complete 12 credit hours (four classes) of engineering coursework: two core MEM classes and two engineering electives.

To learn more about the MEM curriculum, go to mem.unl.edu, or contact Jena Shafai Asgarpoor at jshafai@unl.edu, or call (402) 554-2089.
For advising and information about tuition and fees, application, admission, and enrollment steps, contact Micah Chaffee, program coordinator, at (402) 554-5929 or email mchaffee4@unl.edu.