Alumni Profiles
Purdue's Engineering Management master's program is designed to give students depth of technical skills in engineering while building leadership skills, preparing them to take on management roles in industry. Due to the varied professional experience gained in this program, our engineering management students consistently secure competitive job offers from innovative companies and Fortune 500 corporations prior to graduation.
These are their testimonials.
2014
Maysoon Alkhuzai
Graduated May 2014
Current: Tesla, Production Engineering Manager
Previous: Cummins Inc., Industrial Engineer
"Jamestown Engine Plant produces a variety of clean and fuel efficient diesel and natural gas engines to customers all over the world. One of my primary duties is to maximize the throughput of the assembly line and to optimize manpower placement at different production levels. I currently manage a team of five brilliant technicians who all work together to continuously improve the processes of over 300 stations.
The Purdue Engineering Management degree allowed me to get my foot in the door as a co-op with Cummins, and I was able to hand pick Engineering classes that I knew were beneficial in industry based on my experiences as a co-op. For me, these were Simulation, Robotics, and Statistics classes. The mandatory management (MBA) classes challenged me to work [with] very diverse teams. These experiences were essential in elevating my communication and team building skills - they are experiences that I often reflect upon in my current role as a manager.
I'm proud to call myself a Boilermaker. We know how to work hard, and more importantly how to work smart."
Zack Flohr
Graduated May 2014
Current: Specialty Coating Systems Inc., Senior Validation Engineer
Previous: MiraVista Diagnostics, Production and Engineering Manager
"I manage our manufacturing lab, which provides engineering support for all equipment and processes within the company, ranging from routine maintenance to calibration. Our lab also develops, validates, and manufactures different medical devices.
In Engineering Management, the real-world work experience combined with the engineering skills and business training has jump-started my career in the medical device industry. Undergrad engineering degrees provide a good mental framework, but Engineering Management helped link this knowledge to real-world application. The degree is a perfect hybrid of real business experience, where you are introduced to accounting, operations, and finance, while you fine-tune your engineering skills. This degree does not focus on strictly engineering research or theoretical science, but focuses on the real world application. This mix of skills allows you to be able to dive into industry and become a leader in a company quickly, causing real growth and impact.
Purdue is a world class institution, and the engineering programs produce highly skilled and effective students ready to make long-lasting impacts on the world. A Purdue engineer is ready to dive into projects and challenges with adequate preparation and skills to solve problems and innovate novel solutions. I value Purdue's engineers and know that the engineering degrees are backed up by solid schooling and real world application."