E M 701 Capstone

Overview

(3 semester credits; by arrangement only)

To receive a master’s degree in the ETM Program, students must complete a minimum of 10 courses; one course from each of the six core areas, three courses from any of the E M offerings and 3 credits of E M 701 for a total of 30 credits.

The EM701 capstone course extends the students’ knowledge and understanding of the multidisciplinary nature of engineering management and provides students the opportunity to demonstrate their depth and breadth of understanding of their courses of study, research, and ability to synthesize and apply what they have learned throughout the ETM program.

EM701 is completed during the student’s final semester of their master’s program under the guidance of a committee chair (ETM faculty) and two ETM faculty committee members and includes the analysis of a set of four case studies followed by a final executive summary and a final oral presentation presented to their faculty committee.

Please take note: The final semester of EM 701 must be in the Spring or Fall semester. Students complete all ETM program courses prior to or in the final semester with the EM 701 capstone course. Because the capstone course presumes completion of the core courses, it should not be taken concurrently with any of the six core requirements.

Details of the EM701 capstone course are as follows:

  1. The E M 701 instructor provides case studies covering the six core areas of the program as listed below.
    • Managing Organizations and People
    • Managing Projects
    • Managing Financial Resources
    • Managing with Analytical Methods
    • Managing Variability
    • Managing Strategy
  2. Students receive four case studies for written case study analyses using the guidance provided for each of them, submitting each case study analysis to Canvas by the due dates.
  3. Expanding on their initial work, students select one of the assigned case studies and apply new methods, processes, and tools not required in the original case study analysis; perform extended research beyond their initial research; further, relate their “new” work to the original case study and to related examples or experiences in their workplace or community, and integrate their new and updated findings into a concise presentation that they deliver to their faculty committee in a formally scheduled oral presentation. Students prepare both an executive summary and an executive presentation of their final oral presentation.
    • The written executive summary and presentation slides are submitted to the committee via Canvas.
    • The oral presentation is presented to the faculty committee during a one-hour online meeting that includes the student’s 20-minute (hard limit) presentation followed by questions from faculty, a private committee deliberation (while students wait in a break room), and a final meeting on the presentation outcome.
    • Students are required to use both video and audio during the oral presentation.
    • Once the student receives his/her feedback from their committee after the faculty deliberation, students have up to one week to update any artifact required by their Chair and committee.
  4. Students complete an end-of-program survey to summarize their experience throughout the ETM program.

The student’s case study analyses and final executive summary and oral presentation should integrate skills from several different classes and address implications to the work environment, the Engineering Management field, and the broader community while extending the student’s learning.

Download a generic EM701 syllabus

Helpful Resources

Policies

Students in the program are bound by the WSU Graduate School Policies and Procedures as well as those of the ETM program. Please familiarize yourself with the WSU Graduate School policies and procedures. Definition of Graduate Level Courses and 701 Policies can be found in Non-thesis 701 credits.