Exploring Niche Programs at Temple University

Temple University offers a diverse range of specialized programs designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in today's rapidly evolving industries. These "niche" programs cater to specific interests and career goals, providing students with a focused and practical educational experience. This article will explore some of these programs, highlighting their unique features, curriculum, and potential career paths.

Master of Engineering (MEng): A Customizable Path to Advancement

The Master of Engineering (MEng) program in Temple University’s College of Engineering is a 30-credit master's program providing flexibility and customization for working engineers interested in advancing in their organizations and beyond. This program is designed to provide working engineers with the technical expertise and business acumen needed to meet the demands of the ever-evolving engineering industry. The College of Engineering's cross-disciplinary approach to career development combines in-demand technology training with project management skills to innovate and lead.

Tailoring Your Education

One of the key features of the MEng program is its flexibility. Students can tailor their learning goals to best meet their professional needs with this practice-oriented master's program. Engineering as a discipline can be very broad and include a wide range of specialized fields, each requiring a unique set of skills and technologies. Niche fields of study include cybersecurity, new product development, project management, and/or advanced manufacturing and robotics.

Learning Outcomes and Curriculum

Possible learning outcomes include the following.

Gain advanced knowledge in hardware and device security concepts, technology, and methodology for engineered resilient systems.
Understand current management and innovation tools to conceptualize, develop and bring to market valuable new products and services in the context of an existing organization.
Learn to use project management tools to effectively plan and execute projects.
Gain technical skills in mechanical engineering, automation and robotics to conceive, design and execute advanced manufacturing technologies.

To earn the Master of Engineering MEng, students complete three certificates of nine credits each along with a capstone project. Students propose an individual capstone project to address a current or future industry need while integrating the technical aptitude and leadership skills gained throughout the program.

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MEng vs. Engineering Management MS

While both programs create a pathway to career advancement, they are unique in scope. Temple’s Master of Engineering MEng online program is customizable, allowing students to choose what they learn. It focuses on understanding and innovating industrial processes and teaches students to address specific needs within various niche sectors of the field.

The Master of Science in Engineering Management combines coursework from the College of Engineering and the Fox School of Business in a hybrid of online and in-person instruction. The MS program is grounded in research and combines an in-depth understanding of engineering theory with the tools of an entrepreneur.

Program Format and Available Certificates

Classes are held online and in the evenings to accommodate working schedules and can be completed in 10 semesters. The 30-credit program comprises exams, group projects, individual assignments and online discussion forums. Students complete three certificates consisting of nine credits each along with a culminating capstone project. The certificates currently available from the College of Engineering include the following.

Advanced Manufacturing/Robotics
Engineering Project Management
New Product Development
Engineering Management

Related Graduate Degrees

The College of Engineering offers 12 graduate degrees and seven certificate programs for both the full-time student and working professional. The following degree programs provide cross-disciplinary curriculum, rigorous technical training, research opportunities and career development.

Bioengineering PhD
Bioengineering MS
Civil Engineering MS
Civil Engineering PhD
Electrical Engineering MS
Electrical Engineering PhD
Engineering Management MS
Environmental Engineering MS
Environmental Engineering PhD
Mechanical Engineering MS
Mechanical Engineering PhD

Graduate Certificate in New Product Development: Innovate and Lead

The College of Engineering’s Graduate Certificate in New Product Development at Temple University is designed to provide practicing engineers with the critical skills needed to further their engineering career. This nine-credit online certificate program is designed for practicing engineers looking for advanced technical knowledge and new management tools.

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Curriculum and Learning Outcomes

Students will acquire expertise in the marketing of technological products, interpersonal leadership, and the design and execution of organizational processes. They will also learn theories and practices for innovation, methods for design inquiry and characteristics of a design thinking process. Instruction in Agile project management methodologies and financial analysis of the value of a project will expand students’ leadership skills and business acumen.

With this graduate certificate, students will learn the principles to innovate and lead new product development directly from industry experts working in the field. They will understand how to effectively use these tools to conceptualize, establish and bring to market valuable new projects, products and services in the context of an existing organization.

Path to a Master's Degree

The New Product Development Certificate (Graduate) is part of a series of four graduate certificates offering students flexibility and customization. Students can choose one to gain specific niche skills or combine them for cross-disciplinary training. All four certificates can be completed along with a capstone project to earn the Master of Engineering MEng.

Program Format and Coursework

Students can complete the six courses of 1.5 credits each in three semesters. The curriculum is delivered in an online format blending synchronous and asynchronous courses. The nine-credit program comprises exams, group projects, individual assignments and online discussion forums.

The courses required for this certificate include the following.

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Design Thinking
Idea to Invoice: Managing the New Product Development Process-Part 1
Idea to Invoice: Managing the New Product Development Process-Part 2
Management Principles for Innovators, Engineers and Technologists-Part 1
Management Principles for Innovators, Engineers and Technologists-Part 2
Marketing Technological Products and Services

Related Graduate Certificates

Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics
Computer and Systems Security
Engineering Project Management

Career Opportunities

The New Product Development Certificate (Graduate) will provide specialized technical and advanced leadership skills and prepare students to branch off into management and sales positions within the field. Graduates can expect to find roles similar to the following engineering positions.

Lead systems engineer
New product engineer
Product marketing manager
Retail technology application manager
Senior product engineer

Master of Journalism (MJ): Storytelling in an Urban Environment

The Master of Journalism degree program from the Lew Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University is designed to help students become versatile and innovative professional journalists. Students develop their talents in writing, editing and multimedia work, and gain a deeper understanding of journalism’s evolving roles and practices in today’s media landscape. Using Philadelphia as an extension of the classroom, you will refine the reporting skills necessary to convey compassionate and extensively researched stories centered in an urban environment.

Program Structure and Curriculum

Designed to teach current and aspiring journalists, the 30-credit Journalism MJ provides rigorous training as a cohort experience, encouraging students to work together and learn from one another as much as they’re learning from faculty and local professionals. Philadelphia is replete with journalistic experiments (including startups and nonprofits) that are rethinking metropolitan, niche and ethnic media. The city’s daily newspapers are owned by a nonprofit organization-an experiment many hope will represent a path to sustainability for news organizations around the country. As a student in this master’s program, you will interact with journalists and innovators from those organizations, forming strong connections in Philadelphia’s vast network of media professionals.

The 30-credit Master of Journalism courses take place at Temple’s Main Campus, and students are expected to complete the program in one year of full-time study. The following courses are required.

Editing the News
Introduction to Urban Journalism
Journalism and the Public Interest
Journalism Concepts
Urban Reporting Lab 1 and 2

Additionally, students are required to complete the Capstone Reporting Experience, which consists of an independent reporting project. The goal of this project is to produce a journalistic masterwork (analogous to a thesis) that will lead to professional publication. Students must also choose one elective course to aid in their specialization.

Related Graduate Degrees and Certificates

Communication for Development and Social Change MS
Media Studies and Production MA
Conflict Management and Dispute Resolution
Cultural Analytics
Public Relations

Student Organizations: Enhancing the Academic Experience

Participation in student organizations will support and prepare you for a career in advertising, communication, journalism, media and more. Some of the related clubs and organizations include the following.

Freely Magazine strives to faithfully represent the experiences of Philadelphia’s international student community as well as those who show appreciation for diversity and cultural uniqueness.
The LatinX Media Association provides support, opportunities, professional development and extracurricular enrichment to LatinX students and students interested in LatinX media, communication and culture.
Public Relations Student Society of America is a preprofessional organization for students who are interested in public relations.
Sports Media Society for Women is Temple’s first organization dedicated to supporting women in sports media.
The Temple Association of Black Journalists aims to support students of color and all student journalists as they pursue their career goals.
The Temple News, an award-winning student publication, has been the paper of record for the Temple community since 1921.
WHIP Radio, Temple’s student-run internet radio station, provides the opportunity for students to gain firsthand experience in radio production.

Tuition and Fees

In keeping with Temple’s commitment to access and affordability, these programs offer a competitive level of tuition with multiple opportunities for financial support.

Tuition rates are set annually by the university and are affected by multiple factors, including program degree level (undergraduate or graduate), course load (full- or part-time), in-state or out-of-state residency, and more.

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