New Minor in Global Engineering Leadership

To keep up with the fast-changing and diverse engineering industry, the Office of Global Engineering Leadership at the University of Maryland’s A. James Clark School of Engineering now offers a new minor: Global Engineering Leadership. The 16-credit minor is designed to develop the skills necessary to lead with a global vision, work effectively with others to address social issues, and engineer solutions that improve communities and organizations.

Students can register for the Global Engineering Leadership minor this school year by filling out this form.

Upon completing this minor, students will have a deep understanding of the cultural dimensions of engineering and business practices, and of effective approaches to negotiation around the world.

Jane Fines, director of the Office of Global Engineering Leadership, said the office is aware of the need to integrate the intersection of engineering design and diversity in leadership into the engineering curriculum.

“We're trying to prepare future leaders who will support communities by knowing what it means to be part of a community, and considering all members of the community,” said Fines.

Fines said when a student cultivates his or her leadership, determining his or her own strengths and weaknesses is one of the most important aspects of the process. The courses within the Global Engineering Leadership minor provide assessment tools to help students think about what their skills, abilities, and philosophies are. She believes these assessment tools have made students very competitive in the job search because companies use a similar system when evaluating staff members.

“It’s really nice to be able to join a company, and you're already familiar with that information,” Fines said. She added that students can utilize the assessment tools to be a leader in academia, or whichever field they choose. After students know themselves, they have to put their leadership skills to practice while working with others, said Fines.

For more information on the Global Engineering Leadership minor, visit: eng.umd.edu/global/coursework

Published July 20, 2018