Engineering Technology Management

The  2+2 Program

The Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology Management is designed for students who earned an associate’s degree in Engineering Technology. This 2+2 program leverages partnerships between USC Upstate and technical colleges to allow Engineering Technology degree holders to complete their bachelor’s degree at USC Upstate by adding management skills to their technical degree.

The Engineering Technology Management program is accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABETwww.abet.org.



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  • Mission 

    To prepare students for careers in business and industry by combining technical management and refined leadership with the skills students obtain from their specialized Associate’s Degree in Engineering Technology (ET).

    Program Objectives  and Expected Outcomes for Graduating Students 

    Our objective is for our graduates to be employed in management and leadership roles with the following job titles once they have three to five years of technical work experience:

    Process Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer, Quality Engineer, Quality Manager, Quality Technician, Operations Manager, Manager of Technical People, Manager of Manufacturing Processes, or Manager of Projects.

    1. To prepare graduates to manage quality and productivity of processes and products

    1.1 Graduates should possess an ability to apply knowledge, techniques, skills, and modern tools of mathematics, science, engineering, or technology to solve broadly-defined engineering technology management problems.

    1.2 Graduates should possess an ability to design systems, components, or processes meeting specified needs for broadly-defined engineering technology management problems.

    1.3 Graduates should possess an ability to conduct standard tests, measurements, and experiments and to analyze and interpret the results to improve processes.

    2. To prepare graduates to lead technical people

    2.1 Graduates should possess an ability to function effectively as a member as well as a leader on technical teams.

    2.2 Graduates should possess an  ability to apply written, oral, and graphical communication in broadly defined technical and non-technical environments; and an ability to identify and use appropriate technical literature.

    2. To prepare graduates to manage their careers

    3.1 Graduates should possess an understanding of the need for self-directed continuing professional development.

    3.2 Graduates should possess an understanding of and a commitment to address professional and ethical responsibilities.

  • Courses such as Engineering Cost Analysis, Engineering Work Analysis, Systems Decision Making, Engineering Team Theory and Practice, Quality Practices, and Engineering Project Management complement students’ technical training to prepare them for management and leadership roles in business and industry. The ETM degree program requires students to enroll in related courses from a list of selective electives. Because of this requirement, many ETM students choose to earn a minor in Business Administration.

  • The Engineering Technology Management (ETM) Program is accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org.  ABET is the recognized accrediting body for college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology.  Among the most respected accreditation organizations in the U.S., ABET has provided leadership and quality assurance in higher education for over 75 years.

    As students earn their degrees and begin looking for job, having a degree from an ABET accredited program is an advantage.  The accreditation is an assurance that USC Upstate’s ETM program meets the quality standards established by the profession for which it prepares its students.  To employers, graduate schools, and licensure, certification, and registration boards, graduation from an accredited program signifies adequate preparation for entry into the profession.  In fact, many of these groups require graduation from an accredited program as a minimum qualification.

  • Engineering Technology Management Program Statistics

    There are 35 students currently enrolled in the program.

    The number of graduates by academic year is as follows:

    Academic YearTotal Graduates
    2021-202215
    2020-202114
    2019-20207
    2018 – 201911
    2017 – 201814
    2016 – 201712
    2015 – 201612
  • Many ETM students are already employed, using their Associate degree in an engineering technology field. With the BS in Engineering Technology Management, they can often move into management and leadership positions within their organization.

  • Below are some frequently asked questions and answers to those questions.

    What are the entrance requirements?

    The requirement for entrance into the ETM program is an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Engineering Technology (ET) from one of our partner technical colleges or any ETAC of ABET accredited 2-year program (www.abet.org). Our current partner technical colleges are Greenville Technical College, Piedmont Technical College, Spartanburg Community College, TriCounty Technical College, and York Technical College. In addition, students should complete Calculus I and Lab Science requirements before being fully online in ETM.

    Minimum Transfer GPA: 2.0 on a 4.0 scale

    Note – Students nearing completion of their AAS ET degree may take up to 12 hours of ETM courses while completing the AAS ET.

    Where and when can I take courses?

    Many of the lower division courses (100 and 200-level) are completed at a technical college as part of the Engineering Technology associate degree. Students typically transfer 56-76 hours from technical college to USC Upstate including 31 hours of technical courses. The transfer limit is 76 credit hours.

    Lab-based ETM courses and the senior seminar course meet once per week in the evening in a live online format (synchronous). The lecture component of ETM courses is online (asynchronous).

    Once students have completed Calculus I and Lab Science requirements the remaining general education, support, and elective courses are available both online and face to face on the main USC Upstate campus in Spartanburg.

    What is the degree and what can I do with it?

    The ETM program will enable graduates to manage technical projects and teams and be an effective interface between technicians and upper managers. They will typically serve as manufacturing engineers, quality engineers, project managers, or as functional managers for technical personnel. ETM graduates also work in areas such as purchasing or consulting.

    To support these roles the program contains a comprehensive blend of management courses and business electives to build a layer of technical management knowledge and skills on top of the technical foundation developed in the engineering technology associate degree program. ETM coursework includes project management, cost and work analysis, systems decision making, probability and statistics, and quality practices. Communication skills and teaming are an integral part of the curriculum.

    For whom is the degree designed?

    This degree program is designed for both working adults and traditional students. Working adults, who possess excellent technical training and knowledge, but not a bachelor’s degree, may find career advancement options limited; our evening schedule allows convenient degree completion options.

    What prior coursework will transfer into the program?

    The ETM program director will be glad to meet with you and determine courses that will likely transfer. This will include 31 hours of technical credit from your ET degree plus any university level transfer general education courses from a SC technical college. Transfers from other institutions must be reviewed for suitability. For an initial review send an unofficial transcript to etm@uscupstate.edu. Please do not email any documents with your SSN showing.

    When you apply for admissions to USC Upstate, you must request official copies of transcripts be sent to the Office of Admissions. If you are accepted to USC Upstate, your transcripts will be sent to the Chair of the Department of Informatics and Engineering systems. The Chair will evaluate your transcripts relative to the program and determine what courses will transfer into the program.

    A maximum of 76 hours from a technical college, which includes 31 hours of technical content, may be counted toward degree credit at USC Upstate.

    How do I enroll in the program?

    You should begin with an AAS ET degree. USC Upstate has partnered with Greenville Technical College, Piedmont Technical College, Spartanburg Community College, Tri-County Technical College, and York Technical College for the required AAS ET programs. Each partner institution has specific ET programs designed to seamlessly transfer into the USC Upstate program.

    Planning early will allow for maximum efficiency of transfer credits, so you should contact USC Upstate during or after your second semester at technical college. This may provide access to a USC Upstate advisor while in technical college. Your advisor will guide you at every step of the way to help you successfully complete your program of study.

    If you have already completed the an AAS ET program contact USC Upstate via etm@uscupstate.edu

    When should I apply to USC Upstate?

    If you already possess or are near completion (1-2 semesters) of an Engineering Technology degree, you can apply for admission to USC Upstate through the Office of Admissions. Feel free to email the program at etm@uscupstate.edu with any questions about the process.

    How long will it take to complete the degree?

    An associate degree in Engineering Technology typically takes two years to complete full-time. The Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Technology Management program is 124 total credit hours and typically takes an additional two years of full-time study. Part-time students taking two courses per semester including some summer courses can typically complete the program in three to four years.

    What is the history of the program?

    The program was developed in concert with an advisory group consisting of industry representatives and technical college representatives from Greenville Technical College, Piedmont Technical College, Spartanburg Community College, Tri-County Technical College, and York Technical College. It was approved and classes started in the Fall 2006 semester. 

    The Industrial Advisory Committee, consisting of industry and technical college representatives, continues to guide the program.

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  • ETM Major Course Work (27 hours at USC Upstate)

    •          Engineering Cost Analysis
    •          Engineering Work Analysis
    •          Systems Decision Making
    •          Engineering Team Theory and Practice
    •          Quality Practices
    •          Engineering Project Management
    •          Senior Seminar

    Upper Level and Free Electives (15 hours at USC Upstate)

    •          Business Administration or other related courses

    Supporting Courses (6 hours typically at USC Upstate)

    •          Statistical Inference
    •          Technical Writing or Technical Presentations

    Engineering Technology Technical Credits (31 hours transferred from Technical College)

    General Education (45 hours transferred from technical college or taken at USC Upstate)

    *The maximum allowable transfer credits is 76 hours

    Based on the 2019/2020 Academic Catalog

    Contact the ETM Program Coordinator to discuss course Transfer Articulation.

Contact

Tim Ellis
Sr. Instructor Engineering Technology Management

864-552-4235
etm@uscupstate.edu