Rice’s Engineering Project Management Graduate Certificate

Certificate Curriculum and Requirements

Rice Engineering’s online courses teach more than practical, career-ready skills – they teach a growth mindset.

Rcel 501: Engineering management & leadership theory and application (3 credits)

Technology-based innovation is the grand driver of economic progress, which hinges on strong technical leadership guiding engineering teams in mid-to-large corporate organizations and startup to small companies. By surveying and learning about the different type of EML approaches, this course outlines a framework for engineering professionals to progress from engineering manager to engineering executive (e.g., Vice President of Engineering, Chief Technology Officer). Practical methods from the engineering management literature that addresses technology-based innovation issues that have engineering management implications will be introduced. Seminal technology management principles, such as disruptive innovation, leaderless technology development, and digital platform strategy, found in companies ranging in size from start-up to large, will be examined.

Rcel 502: Engineering project management (3 credits)

Engineering Project Management will provide instruction on the tools, techniques, and leadership characteristics required to successfully execute a project. The course will address the phases of project execution—initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing. The course is designed to use a combination of video presentations, case studies, and project related exercises.

Rcel 505: Engineering economics for leaders (3 credits)

This course will explore economic analysis of capital expenditure decisions, financial mathematics, microeconomics, and decision-making under risk and uncertainty. Topics covered in this course include time value of money, analysis of alternatives using net present value and internal rate of return, depreciation, taxes, and inflation. Computational approaches, such as probabilistic design in engineering designs, which connect randomly varying design parameters to economic impact, will sometimes be considered based on course composition. Engineering ethics case studies that involve engineering economics will be explored as well

Internship practicum (1–3 credits)

Graduate students may select 1 course from either RCEL 541: Internship Practicum for Engineering Leaders (1 credit) or a Certificate Elective (mostly 3 credits). For more information, see the requirements for the Certificate in Engineering Project Management, Online Program.