Evaluating Quality/Process Management courses in graduate engineering management curriculums

The present day business environment governed by intense competition and rapid globalization has made Quality and Process Management very important tools in the repertoire of any Engineering Manager. With this in mind, an investigation into the current aspects of Quality/ Process Management courses as taught within an Engineering Management (EM) graduate education was undertaken. The fundamental objective of the current research rests in exploring the structure of Quality/ Process Management courses that are taught as part of EM graduate curriculum. A set of Quality and Process Management topics were identified and subsequently prioritized, using a survey of the Quality instructors or EM Program Directors, to assess their relative criticality. The findings of this research are expected to provide a guideline to EM curriculum developers to evaluate and improve the structure of their own Quality /Process Management courses, and in the process improve the overall quality of their EM program.