"Super-sizing" your degree

As promised, here's the follow-up post on the Engineering & Management/Society/International Studies programs at McMaster. These, along with co-op, are what I affectionately think of as the "Super-sizing" degrees - giving your program an extra boost. The "Engineering & ______" programs can be combined with all specializations of engineering except for Chemical & Bioengineering, Electrical & Biomedical Engineering, Software & Game Design, and Software & Embedded Systems. They still include all of the curriculum of the individual programs (i.e. engineering physics, civil, mechanical, etc.), but since it is spread over five years rather than four, there are "spaces" left in between. These "spaces" are then filled by focus electives and specialized courses.

Engineering & Management is a program that prepares students for manager responsibilities, so the focus electives form most of the content of a minor in business. The specialized courses study how engineering fits into the overall context of management - project management, presentations, client relationships and corporate communications. It's such a strong degree that many graduate schools in Canada will recognize it as equivalent to the first year of a Masters in Business Administration, allowing E&M students to finish their MBA in 8-12 months.

Engineering & Society is very close to my heart, and one of the main reasons I came to McMaster. The focus electives are chosen according to your interests; some students choose a wide variety while others (like myself) tend to concentrate and can even declare a minor (mine's in music). Although this is what originally attracted me to McMaster, with time I've grown to really appreciate the specialized courses in designing for sustainability (social and financial as well as environmental factors), and inquiry skills. The inquiry courses are really engaging, and teach students research, questioning, and communication skills for understanding all issues of topics that they are passionate about.

Engineering & International Studies is a new program in the family of Engineering & Society, and the first cohort will be graduating this year (including my housemate Adri)! These students share a lot of specialized courses with the Society students, but their focus electives are more directed for learning about different cultures and preparing a mindset for working in a global context. These include anthropology, a foreign language, political science, religious studies, and supply chain management.

That's all for now...I hope you had a great long weekend! Back to classes for both of us tomorrow.