Where to Earn Your MEM Degree in Pennsylvania

Engineering managers are holding steady in Pennsylvania, and not just in a few spots. As of May 2024, nearly 8,700 people were working in these roles across the state.⁴ And the outlook’s still strong. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects these jobs to grow by 6% across the country between 2023 and 2033, which beats the average growth rate for all jobs.⁵

Pay here reflects that demand. On average, engineering managers in Pennsylvania earn around $156,750 a year.⁴ Of course, salary only goes so far without context. According to the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, the state’s cost of living tends to stay reasonable, especially compared to other states in the Northeast. In 2023, it was only 2.1% above the national average.⁶ And if you want real numbers, Numbeo’s May 2025 update puts the average monthly cost of living for a single person (including rent) at around $2,750 in Philadelphia and $2,350 in Pittsburgh^7,8 This cost considers one-bedroom apartments outside the city center.⁸

Not every engineer wants to go full business. But not every project can run on technical skill alone, either. That’s why Master of Engineering Management (MEM) programs exist. MEM is not the same as an MBA. It’s more technical and more tailored to engineers. And it’s also not a traditional MS in engineering, which tends to stay deep in the weeds of one discipline.

The MEM is a graduate degree that sits in the middle, giving you enough technical depth to keep up with your team and enough management training to lead it. Instead of switching tracks entirely, the MEM adds tools like budgeting, systems thinking, quality control, and team leadership to your engineering foundation. You still work in tech-heavy spaces, just with more say in how things run.

In Pennsylvania, MEM programs are shaped with working engineers in mind, but they go about it differently. One engineering management degree program might focus more on managing risk in technical environments, while another leans into operations or data-driven decision-making.

At Penn State Great Valley, for example, students work through a capstone that pulls together technical problem-solving and project management.⁹ Temple also requires a capstone course, but the curriculum is split across the College of Engineering and the Fox School of Business, giving it a more interdisciplinary layout.¹⁰ Across the board, though, the goal is the same: Turn engineers into leaders who can manage both people and systems.

Now that you know what the MEM is about, the next step is figuring out which program actually fits. That’s going to come down to things like format, schedule, and how a program builds its mix of engineering and management training.

In Pennsylvania, several universities offer solid MEM options, but they don’t all follow the same playbook. Some lean more technical, others more interdisciplinary, and a few are built to work around a full-time job.

Here’s how they compare.

Once you’ve narrowed it down to a Master of Engineering Management, the question becomes this: Which program actually works for you? Format is often the first thing to think about. Some students want the structure and in-person contact of a campus setting while others need the flexibility of online courses, especially if they’re already working full time. Schools like Penn State offer both, with the World Campus option fully online and Great Valley offering a hybrid approach, mixing online lectures with on-campus sessions in Malvern.¹

Cost can vary quite a bit depending on the format and the school. Some programs break tuition down by credit hour, and others offer bundled pricing per semester. A few schools, like Elizabethtown College, also offer shorter graduate certificates in engineering management, which can later be applied toward a full master’s degree — a helpful route if you’re watching your budget or testing the waters.¹³ Financial aid and scholarships are available in most cases, but you’ll have to dig into each program’s site to see what’s open to part-time students or professionals returning to school.

Then there’s content. Some programs stick close to systems engineering and operations; others mix in entrepreneurship or innovation strategy. A few let you tailor your electives to fields like civil, electrical, or mechanical engineering, such as Penn State Harrisburg.¹⁴ The best way to compare curricula is to go beyond the course titles, trying to see how each program trains you to think, lead, and solve real-world problems in tech-heavy settings. That’s the part that sets a strong MEM apart, and Pennsylvania has a few worth a closer look.