{"id":4859,"date":"2025-02-19T10:19:06","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T18:19:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pacific.edu\/blog\/?p=4859"},"modified":"2025-07-23T14:10:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T21:10:08","slug":"how-to-become-an-engineering-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pacific.edu\/blog\/2025\/02\/19\/how-to-become-an-engineering-manager\/","title":{"rendered":"How to become an engineering manager\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Engineering management student, Mackenzie Cook, did a CO-OP with the Department of Water Resources.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Studying engineering management is a good way to prepare yourself to enter leadership in a technical industry. Just about every form of engineering, from chemical to civil, needs managers to keep projects on-track and within budget.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Broadly speaking, engineering managers oversee projects from conception to execution. The exact process, though, depends heavily on the industry. Engineering managers may oversee a production scale-up, the construction of a bridge or the creation of a product.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Abel Fernandez<\/a>, the chair of University of the Pacific\u2019s engineering management program<\/a>, will tell anyone who asks that it can be hard to explain the program. People rightly wonder how a fresh college graduate can enter management. And the answer is, they typically don\u2019t. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That doesn\u2019t mean you shouldn\u2019t study engineering management, though. In fact, it\u2019s a great degree for people who are looking ahead in their career. By training as an engineer while also getting comfortable overseeing systems-level issues \u2014 think budgets, timelines and team leadership \u2014 you\u2019ll be ready for advancement when the opportunity arises.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tyler McIntosh<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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At Pacific, engineering management student Tyler McIntosh landed an internship with America’s fifth-largest winery, Delicato Family Wines in Manteca, California. Tyler believes his real-world experience and background in engineering management will help him find success in intellectual property law.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Learn about Tyler<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

This degree is also a great option for students who aren\u2019t necessarily interested in engineering management itself. Plenty of engineering jobs have feet in two worlds: sales engineering, project cost estimating and technical marketing are just a few examples. Engineering management students develop their technical skills alongside their business and leadership abilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If that sounds interesting to you, here\u2019s what else you need to know about pursuing an engineering management degree. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does an engineering manager do? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The day-to-day job depends heavily on the industry and even the individual company, but you can generally think of it as a specialized form of project management.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the front end, an engineering manager might design a plan and timeline, get a budget ready and source tools or components. They call on their technical knowledge and experience to predict project issues, then plan accordingly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the project gets underway, engineering managers may shift from planning to delegating work, keeping their team on-track and preparing updates for outside stakeholders. Being a strong communicator is very important in this stage, as they may have to coordinate with other teams in the company or build relationships with clients or vendors.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Engineering managers may still have to get their hands dirty during these projects, especially if they\u2019re working with a smaller team.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep in mind that the particulars of this job depend heavily on the industry and company. That might be frustrating if you\u2019re trying to wrap your head around it, but that\u2019s also one of this degree\u2019s great strengths. You\u2019ll still learn and train as an engineer in a field that interests you, while also building skills that are helpful for advancing your career anywhere you go.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Engineering manager skills <\/h3>\n\n\n\n