Key Principles of Engineering Management for Master’s Students

Within engineering management, there are certain principles which must be kept in mind. Understanding these principles is vital for anyone who has a passion for enhancing their career prospects as a professional engineer. An MRes Engineering Management degree from the University of Bolton is a great choice to give you knowledge of these principles. It could be an ideal path for anyone who is working in the industry, planning a career that involves research-associated with engineering business and management, or pursuing a Chartered Engineer (CEng) status.  

Before we delve into explaining the principles themselves, let’s explore a bit more about what you can expect from studying for a master’s degree in engineering management at Bolton University.  

Course Highlights  

The UK engineering sector is key to the UK economy, contributing over one-quarter of the UK’s GDP; amounting to over £420 billion. In an industry that was founded on innovation and enterprise, this makes it a great time to decide to progress in your career by achieving your professional engineer status. With the MRes Engineering Management degree, you can expect a teaching-intensive, research-informed approach that puts teaching quality and supporting your career ambitions as our core focus: 

- The course combines study in our supportive learning environment with both practical and focused work-based learning and experience  

- We will encourage you to develop a mastery of postgraduate-level research techniques that are relevant to both modern engineering and technology 

- The course is designed to meet the standards of UK professional institutions; supporting your achievement of a CEng status 

- Access to the direct support of our experienced lecturers, who have a range of professional and industry knowledge, and technical expertise 

- Opportunity to gain an industry-recognised project management qualification that is assessed by an external provider  

Sound like a good career path? Let’s now get into the key principles of engineering management that every master’s student needs to know… 

Project Management 

The first key principle is project management. Specifically, when referring to project management, it’s important to be able to have a broad overview of the project in mind at all times. What is it that you are attempting to achieve? By retaining project management awareness, any decisions that are made during the project are done, so with the best interests of the overall success in mind. 

Risk Management 

Risk management is a core part of any project, because there are undeniably risks that can come from engineering work. Risk management is vital because it is the responsibility of the project leader and every worker within that project to identify and take certain actions to mitigate risks to both the project and the individuals working on it. A project can be stalled for weeks at a time if there is an injury or damage to the structure.  

Resource Management 

Resource management is a core component to any successful project, because there are only a finite number of resources available for each project that you undertake. Knowing how to distribute resources evenly throughout the project and allocating, the correct funding to certain areas is vital for success. Understanding what resources are required, allocating them, and making sure that they are suitable for the task is a core part of a successful project. 

Cost Management 

We touched on this briefly a moment ago, but cost management is an important part of engineering management. Being able to effectively allocate funding to certain areas as required is vital for ensuring the success of the project, so a keen understanding of cost management is a prerequisite. 

Quality Management 

Quality management is a vital part of any successful engineering project. If you attempt to cut corners on quality at the beginning of the project then later parts of it are put in jeopardy, thanks to substandard work or unsafe foundations. Quality management demands a level of perfection and high standards, so learning how to apply them and make sure that the proper changes are made in order to meet quality management is very important. 

Interested in taking the next step in your career by joining the University of Bolton’s School of Engineering? Find out more about our MRes Engineering Management course by heading to our website and viewing our full course details.  

For further information, contact our team at enquiries@bolton.ac.uk or call on 01204 903807; we are here to help!