Engineering Management and Professional Practice for Mechanical Engineers

The development of engineering management skills is essential to practice as a professional engineer. Engineers carry out technical analyses, but technology is always embedded in the context of society, and usually also business. Engineers therefore need to be able to integrate their solutions and planning within these broader contexts. This course covers several topics in engineering management and professional practice: project management, professional engineering competence and careers, environmental and societal dimensions, cultural and societal expectations, biculturalism and worldviews, health and safety, ethics, risk management, product liability, torts, managing people, team and conflict, structure of organisations, financial budget, cashflow, marketing, vision and strategy, intellectual property protection, among others. The focus throughout the course is on the engineering contexts, including new product development and production engineering. The course develops students' ability to solve problems in these various other areas, and produce integrative solutions for prospective engineering ventures.