Asynchronous Online Master’s in Engineering Management Programs for Working Engineers

What “Asynchronous” Actually Means

In an asynchronous course, you do not have to attend a recurring class meeting at a fixed time. Course materials are available for you to access around your schedule, while assignments and other requirements still follow the course calendar. Gonzaga University puts it plainly: its courses are asynchronous, “so you do not have to log on at a certain time to do your coursework.”¹

That flexibility has limits. Four terms get mixed up often, so it helps to separate them:

• Asynchronous: No recurring class meeting at a set time; coursework still follows instructor-set deadlines and term dates.
• Synchronous: Classes meet live at scheduled times, usually by video or another real-time platform.
• Mixed or blended: A program combines scheduled live instruction with asynchronous or recorded work.
• Self-paced: You control more of the pace of completion, sometimes within a broader enrollment window. That is different from a fixed-term asynchronous course.

Asynchronous study moves control of your weekly schedule to you, but the school still sets the term and its deadlines.

Even fully asynchronous programs usually have some fixed points in the calendar. The most common are:

• Term dates: Courses start and end on set dates, and at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), each course runs ten weeks.²
• Team projects: Group work may require you to agree on meeting times with classmates in other time zones.
• Office hours: Instructors may hold live help sessions, which are usually optional.
• Exams: At Old Dominion University, for example, instructors “may schedule specific deadlines for assignments or specific times to take exams.”³

Tennessee Technological University puts it this way: students don’t attend at scheduled times, but “the course deliverables are indeed scheduled for submission throughout the semester.”⁴

Verified Asynchronous MEM Programs

The 10 programs below explicitly describe coursework as asynchronous or state that there are no scheduled meeting times. We started with every online program in our directory of online MEM programs and did not infer asynchronous delivery from “online” or “100% online” alone. Program facts were checked against official university pages through October 6, 2026.

Programs are listed roughly from lower to higher published tuition for nonresident students where residency-based pricing applies. Where a school publishes only a per-credit rate, we multiply it by the required credits. Tuition estimates exclude separately billed fees unless the school explicitly includes them, so they should not be treated as final billed prices.

A few details matter when you compare these rows:

• Degree type: UCLA awards a Master of Science in Engineering with an Engineering Management specialization, while Purdue’s online option is an Engineering Management concentration within its interdisciplinary MS/MSE in engineering. Their degree titles differ from a Master of Engineering Management.
• Residency pricing: Some public universities charge different rates by residency, while others use one online rate. The table shows the nonresident rate first when a residency difference applies.
• Fees: Nebraska–Lincoln’s current $710-per-credit rate includes university fees. Old Dominion adds mandatory online technology and innovation fees, and Ohio State adds semester-based distance education and nonresident fees.
• Rate freshness: Tuition pages can disagree or change midyear. We use the current published rate when a newer university tuition schedule is available and date rates where the school does so.

A program missing from this table isn’t necessarily taught live. Many schools describe their programs only as “online” or “100% online.” Some of those may be fully asynchronous, but we couldn’t confirm it from their own pages. One program our directory had listed as asynchronous, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Master of Science in Engineering Management, describes its delivery as a “mix of asynchronous and synchronous instruction.”²³

Disclosure: EngineeringManagement.org may receive compensation from some schools featured on this site. Compensation does not determine which programs appear in this comparison or the order in which they are presented.

No-Campus-Visit vs. Hybrid Requirements

Whether a program is asynchronous and whether it requires travel are separate questions. A program can deliver every lecture on demand and still ask you to come to campus. It can also be fully remote but schedule live sessions. Check both before you apply.

Here are the requirements that most often turn a flexible program into a less flexible one:

• Residencies: Short, required stays on campus, such as the “three weeklong on-campus residencies” in Duke University’s online Master of Engineering Management.²⁴
• Orientations or intensives: Some programs start with an in-person or live virtual kickoff.
• Proctored or on-site exams: A program may require supervised exams even when regular classes are asynchronous. UCLA, for example, requires exams to be taken in person at UCLA or at a local test center.²⁰
• Comprehensive exams or capstone presentations: A final exam or project defense may happen live, even when regular courses don’t.

Some schools are explicit about travel. Ohio University says no residency is required and describes its courses as exam free.⁹ The Ohio State University says no campus visits are needed.¹³ UCLA requires in-person proctored exams but allows students to use a local test center rather than travel to Los Angeles.²⁰ Many other program pages do not address travel or exam logistics. When a page is silent, confirm the requirement with admissions rather than assuming there is none.

Duke’s model also shows that “hybrid” can mean different things. Its courses are recorded and “accessible for synchronous and asynchronous viewing,” so you can watch live or later.²⁴ The residencies are what make the program hybrid. For a working engineer, that means planning for three weeks of travel and time off, not rearranging your weekly schedule.

How to Evaluate Flexibility While Working

The label “asynchronous” tells you where to start, not what your week will look like. Workload matters as much as scheduling. Gonzaga, for example, tells applicants that, depending on the class, they “will likely need 10 to 15 hours a week” for coursework.¹⁷

Course length changes the math too. An eight-week course often fits a full course into half a semester, so each week is usually denser. Colorado School of Mines, for example, tells online students to expect “16-weeks of work within an 8-week timeframe.”²⁵

Before you enroll, ask admissions these questions:

1. Are any course sessions, office hours, or team meetings required at a set time, and in which time zone?
2. How many courses do most working students take at once, and how many hours a week do they report?
3. Are there proctored exams, and where and when do students take them?
4. Is there a required orientation, residency, or on-campus event at any point in the program?
5. How much of the coursework is team-based, and how do online teams usually coordinate?
6. Can I pause for a term if work gets busy or I have to travel, and is there a limit on total time to finish?
7. How is the capstone or comprehensive exam delivered?

Your job matters as much as the program. Think about your travel schedule, busy seasons, and whether your employer’s tuition support requires you to keep a certain pace or grade. If you travel often, ask whether you can download lectures to watch offline and which time zone governs deadlines. For more on balancing work and graduate study, see our guide to part-time master’s programs in engineering management.

Who Asynchronous Study Fits — and Who May Prefer Live Classes

Asynchronous study is not inherently easier than live study. The academic expectations remain graduate-level; the main difference is when you engage with course material and classmates.

Asynchronous programs tend to suit engineers who:

• Work shifts, travel often, or have on-call duties that make fixed class times hard to keep.
• Live in a time zone far from the university.
• Already plan their own work well and don’t need a set class time to stay on track.
• Have family commitments at the hours when live classes usually meet.

Live or blended classes may be a better fit if you:

• Learn best by asking questions and hearing answers in real time.
• Want to build relationships with classmates and faculty through regular face time.
• Find that a fixed weekly class keeps you from falling behind.
• Value networking enough to make room for residencies or campus events.

Many students land in between. A program whose classes you can watch live or later, like Duke’s, lets you attend live when you can and catch up when you can’t.²⁴ If networking matters to you but travel doesn’t work, ask asynchronous programs how they connect online students with classmates and alumni.

FAQ

Which Online MEM Programs Confirm Asynchronous or No-Set-Time Delivery?

As of October 2026, 10 programs in our review explicitly confirm asynchronous delivery or no scheduled meeting times: Old Dominion University, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, West Virginia University, Ohio University, Tennessee Technological University, The Ohio State University, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Gonzaga University, UCLA, and Purdue University. The exact wording varies, so check whether optional live sessions, exams, or other fixed-time requirements apply.

Does Asynchronous Mean I Can Do the Coursework Whenever I Want?

Usually, you can choose when to access course material and complete the work. You still have instructor-set deadlines, fixed term dates, and sometimes scheduled exams or team commitments.

Which Programs Require No Campus Visits?

Ohio University says no residency is required, and The Ohio State University says no campus visits are needed. UCLA requires in-person proctored exams but allows a local test center. Most other programs in the table do not state a blanket no-travel rule on their main pages, so confirm with admissions.

Can Asynchronous MEM Students Still Have Scheduled Exams or Group Projects?

Yes. Some programs use proctored or comprehensive exams, and team projects often mean coordinating times with classmates.

What Should a Full-Time Engineer Ask Admissions About Scheduling?

Ask about required live sessions, time zones, exams, residencies, typical weekly hours, and whether you can pause for a term. See our full list of questions above.

All sources accessed or rechecked between September 28 and October 6, 2026.