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Session 1139

The Value Added By A Semester Paper In A Graduate Engineering Economy Course

William R. Peterson, Paul J. Kauffmann, David A. Dryer Old Dominion University

Abstract

This paper reports the authors’ experiences with including a semester project as a portion of the course requirements in a graduate course in engineering economy. The required projects are intended to allow the students the opportunity to apply course concepts in real applications. Since the majority of the students in the program in which the course is taught are working professionals, this allows them to demonstrate the benefit of the education they are receiving to their employer.

The Graduate Program

The Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Department at Old Dominion University offers a MS and Master’s in Engineering Management (MSEM and MEM respectively). Both degrees require ENMA (Engineering Management) 600 (Cost Estimation and Financial Analysis) in the core curriculum. These programs are offered live on campus and via live televised feed (one or two way video with two way audio) as part of the University’s TELETECHNET distant learning program and the state’s CGEP (Commonwealth Graduate Engineering Program) system.2

The students in these masters’ programs are predominately, working professionals.1, 3 While there are some full-time students taking three or more courses per semester and working part- time as graduate assistants, the majority of the students take classes on a part-time basis of one to two courses per semester. Of the working professionals, approximately one-fourth are serving officers in the military (Navy and Coast Guard officers are common), one-fourth work directly for a government agency (Department of Defense, Department of Navy, state department of transportation), one-fourth work for companies primarily working on government contracts (such as Newport News Shipbuilding), with the remainder working for “typical” for profit companies (manufacturers, engineering firms, power companies).

The program accepts students with a wide range of backgrounds into the program. While the typical student has an engineering degree from an ABET accredited program, students with engineering technology degrees, degrees in other technical disciplines, and students who are willing to makeup deficiencies in preparation (typically, a lack of a sufficiently rigorous

Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright  2003, American Society for Engineering Education

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Dryer, D., & Kauffmann, P., & Peterson, W. (2003, June), The Value Added By A Semester Paper In A Graduate Engineering Economy Course Paper presented at 2003 Annual Conference, Nashville, Tennessee. 10.18260/1-2--12495