Hey guys! My name is Kyaw Myo and I am a rising sophomore with engineering and management major here at Clarkson. If you are looking to learn more about the E&M program, you’ve come to the right place. In this blog, I will be sharing what the program is all about, as well as share some of my experiences being in the program. Without further ado, let’s dive in.
What is the E&M Program All About?
Let’s first look at what the program is all about. E&M is an interdisciplinary program that’s geared toward preparing students to become technical problem solvers with quantitative and qualitative managerial decision-making.
In this program, students receive a balanced education involving course requirements from each of the major disciplines of engineering, business, science, and liberal arts. However, it is heavily geared toward engineering and managerial business courses. The program also provides hands-on teamwork experiences for students, so they know what they can expect in the real world.
E&M is also one of the most popular programs at Clarkson because of its unique combination of engineering and business. This program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET and Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
E&M Courses for First-Year Students
Here are some of the courses you might be taking in your first year. This could vary based on whether or not you have taken college level courses in high school. But, I will just give you the general courses that most first year students take for E&M major.
There are a total of six courses for your first semester. The courses include the following: Financial and Managerial Accounting (EM 205), Team-based Design (EM120), Clarkson Seminar (UNIV 190), Calculus 1 (MA 131), Chemistry 1 (CM 131), and First Year Seminar (FY 100).
In your second semester, you will be taking the following courses: Enterprise Info System (EM 211), Technology Entrepreneurship (EM 121), Calculus 2 (MA 132), Psychology (PY 151), and Chemistry 2. Here is the link curriculum sheet.
If you have taken advanced english courses in high school, you might be able to take something else in place of Clarkson Seminar. Same goes for Chemistry 1 and Calculus 1.
So the courses I mentioned above might not be exactly what you take. Also, if you are reading this early enough and you haven’t taken those courses, it might not be a bad idea to do so, if they are offered at your high school of course.
Who Is the Right Fit for This Program?
If you are a student who is interested in engineering, but do not want to give up your passion on business aspect or vise versa, this program is your best bet. It will allow you to pursue both of your passions without having to compromise one or the other.
To give you the most relevant information on this topic, I interviewed my E&M advisor, Misty Spring and director of the E&M program, Michelle Crimi. This was their responses to the question.
Adviser Misty Spriggs responded by saying that the students who tend to enjoy being in the program are the students who are math and science oriented, personable, and enjoy communicating with others. As you go forward, you will be working in teams and being able to communicate your idea is very important.
They further explained that, these are important traits and skills to have in order to be successful as a student.
The responses by the director of the program, Michelle Crimi were similar. She also emphasized on students being resourceful. There are many opportunities out there for everyone, but the ones who get the opportunities are the ones those resourceful.
As far as I know from my experience, they are completely right. So, if you can’t decide whether to go for engineering or business, E&M program is going to fit your interests best.
My Personal Experience
First, a little bit about how and why I chose E&M. Choosing a major was a big decision for me. I did not want to have to go through a major switch later in my college career. I did not want to have to take extra courses. That being said, I struggled deciding between engineering and business.
So I waited to find out what I really like. I went undecided for my first semester. Later on I heard about E&M program and its combination of engineering and business discipline, and then I declared my major in E&M.
It’s completely normal to not know what you want to major in from the get go. A majority of the college students go through this process and there’s no need to rush. Enough about that. Now, let’s move on to my experience with being in this program.
I enjoy being in this program. There’s a ton of career options that I can take on. For example, I can go into project management, technical sales, supply chain management, and more. Knowing that I am not going to be limited to just one thing and have so many options gives me the confidence to keep going.
I enjoy the courses. Let’s be honest, we all have days where we do not want to go to class, but in general, I enjoy them. I am not stuck with only math courses or business courses. I get to learn both equally.
Teamwork was one thing that I struggled with a little bit, and that’s because I am just not big on working with a team. I think teamwork is important but, what works for you is more important. That being said, don’t worry if you are not a team player, you will learn how to work within teams and be a leader.
I hope this gave you some insights into E&M program at Clarkson. If you want to find out more about the program, you can read it here or you can contact the E&M department directly.