U.S. News & World Report has once again ranked the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture among the best online graduate engineering programs in the nation. With a nine point improvement from last year, it is among the top 30 programs of choice for those who want to earn an advanced degree and further their careers.
WSU’s master of Engineering and Technology Management (METM) program, established in 1982, serves technical professionals and engineers from around the globe who want to learn how to more effectively manage organizations, projects, people, and technology for better results, while still maintaining a full-time job. WSU’s online engineering offerings also include a professional science master’s degree in electrical power engineering and a new master’s degree in software engineering. WSU’s data analytics degree will also be offered online starting in fall, 2017.
The programs continue the state’s efforts to educate more engineers and computer scientists to address high industry demand and a shortage of qualified engineers at every level. In 2011, a Washington Technology Alliance report found that while the state employs the highest percentage of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workers per capita in the nation, it was near the bottom among the states in graduating students in STEM fields. To meet the demand, WSU’s Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture has increased its undergraduate enrollment by 65 percent to more than 4,500 students in the past seven years. The college also started engineering programs at Olympic College and WSU North Puget Sound at Everett.
Engineering and Technology Management
The Engineering and Technology Management program graduates an average of 28 students per year, most of whom are practicing engineers and technical professionals holding positions in industry. The curriculum focuses on management skills, such as developing analytic frameworks for decision making and effective business process improvements; gaining skills to manage evolving technology; and cultivating leadership skills designed to meet industry needs. This all-online program is delivered using an innovative blend of traditional classroom instruction and the latest in web conferencing technologies, which allows students and faculty to interact in real time as well as providing benefits of recorded classes for busy students. The faculty members all have industry experience, allowing them to relate real-world organization savvy. Students are encouraged to use current business issues in conjunction with the coursework to solve existing problems in their workplace. Students graduate with a Master’s of Engineering and Technology Management. The program also offers professional certificates in seven specialized areas.
Electrical Power Engineering
The online professional science master’s degree program in electrical power engineering was the first program of its kind when it got started in 2014. Aimed at addressing the need for engineers in the electric power and utilities workforce, the two-year program includes a technical core in power engineering, technical electives and professional courses in areas such as management, communications and decision analysis. An internship is also required.
Software Engineering
The software engineering program prepares students for developing and maintaining large and complex software with advanced courses in software development, testing and validation, maintenance, security and management and integration – all specialties of high demand among the state’s computing and IT industries.
Data Analytics
The data analytics degree, one of only two such programs at a research university in the U.S., will be an interdisciplinary degree focused on data analysis and application. The curriculum includes hands-on experience managing and analyzing real industry datasets to solve problems, guide decision-making and make predictions. Partnerships with industry leaders will provide critical insights into the rapid evolution of big data in the workplace.
U.S. News & World Report also ranked WSU’s Global Campus among the top 15 undergraduate online degree programs and the online MBA program 27th in the nation