It's a Tuesday evening and Kris Pate (Class of '97) is in his home office, standing at a desk as he types away at a paper for his graduate program class. His wife and three of his children go about their own evening routines outside the door. Earlier in the day, Kris's focus was on his work as the Associate Director in the Technology Solutions organization of the Verizon Business Group, the company he's been at for 27 years.
Kris Pate (right) and family at his son's graduation
Kris is established and successful in both his professional and personal life, yet he still made the choice to go back to school to pursue Texas A&M's Master of Engineering Technical Management (METM).
"After several years in leadership, I recognized that I needed to improve my management skills," says Kris. "Most engineers don't get training while in school to lead teams and organizations, which becomes a problem once an engineer (or other technical individual contributor) is put into a leadership position."
Designed for working professionals, METM equips graduates for the next step in their technical careers.
Dr. Ben Zoghi, METM's Founding Director, says, "Our Master of Engineering in Technical Management was created at the request of a team of industry leaders who identified a deficit in engineering leaders in their companies who also had the strategic and tactical skills to fully understand the business environment."
Dr. Ben Zoghi teaching during Residency Week
Kris, among other METM students, chose METM over an MBA or MS degree due to its unique nature of combining business leadership topics with a technical and engineering context. "I was intrigued once I heard about the METM program and the emphasis on industry best practices taught by industry leaders," says Kris. "This was what I was looking foran MBA-type program built for technical people." And what better place to return to school than Texas A&M?
The typical METM student can be described as:
The online feature of the METM degree not only allows students to continue working while they pursue their masters, but also encourages the integration of their career by focusing on current industry best practices that students can immediately apply to their jobs.
"I teach two courses: Persuasive Communication and Managing Technical Teams," says METM Director Dr. Sunshine Webster. "Both of these courses help technical leaders learn how to advocate their ideas effectively and lead their teams to greater engagement and results."
Dr. Sunshine Webster
Dr. Webster previously served as senior manager of talent development for Q2 as well as spent time as a faculty member in the College of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. She, along with METM's other top industry faculty, bring real-world knowledge into their classroom. Coming from NASA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and more, METM faculty are eager to share with students their management expertise from years of working in industry.
"Our success depends upon our ability to communicate and lead effectively," Dr. Webster says. "We will never truly know how brilliant our technical folks are without their ability to translate and share that brilliance with others. METM helps technical leaders translate their expertise in meaningful ways to lead others effectively."
With METM, students graduate with the knowledge to:
METM Class of 2025s
Technical industries and organizations are hungry for qualified leaders. On one hand, there are leaders who understand the technical aspects of these organizations. On another, there are leaders who understand the people. And then there are leaders who understand both. Those are the ones technical organizations will build their future on. With Texas A&M's Master of Engineering Technical Management, Kris Pate and others like him are taking the steps to become the technical leaders of the future.
Kris Pate (right) and family at his son's graduation
Kris is established and successful in both his professional and personal life, yet he still made the choice to go back to school to pursue Texas A&M's Master of Engineering Technical Management (METM).
"After several years in leadership, I recognized that I needed to improve my management skills," says Kris. "Most engineers don't get training while in school to lead teams and organizations, which becomes a problem once an engineer (or other technical individual contributor) is put into a leadership position."
Designed for working professionals, METM equips graduates for the next step in their technical careers.
Dr. Ben Zoghi, METM's Founding Director, says, "Our Master of Engineering in Technical Management was created at the request of a team of industry leaders who identified a deficit in engineering leaders in their companies who also had the strategic and tactical skills to fully understand the business environment."
Dr. Ben Zoghi teaching during Residency Week
Kris, among other METM students, chose METM over an MBA or MS degree due to its unique nature of combining business leadership topics with a technical and engineering context. "I was intrigued once I heard about the METM program and the emphasis on industry best practices taught by industry leaders," says Kris. "This was what I was looking foran MBA-type program built for technical people." And what better place to return to school than Texas A&M?
The typical METM student can be described as:
- An early to mid-career professional.
- Ambitious and looking to advance into management.
- Having an undergraduate STEM degree or working in a related field.
The online feature of the METM degree not only allows students to continue working while they pursue their masters, but also encourages the integration of their career by focusing on current industry best practices that students can immediately apply to their jobs.
"I teach two courses: Persuasive Communication and Managing Technical Teams," says METM Director Dr. Sunshine Webster. "Both of these courses help technical leaders learn how to advocate their ideas effectively and lead their teams to greater engagement and results."
Dr. Sunshine Webster
Dr. Webster previously served as senior manager of talent development for Q2 as well as spent time as a faculty member in the College of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. She, along with METM's other top industry faculty, bring real-world knowledge into their classroom. Coming from NASA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and more, METM faculty are eager to share with students their management expertise from years of working in industry.
"Our success depends upon our ability to communicate and lead effectively," Dr. Webster says. "We will never truly know how brilliant our technical folks are without their ability to translate and share that brilliance with others. METM helps technical leaders translate their expertise in meaningful ways to lead others effectively."
With METM, students graduate with the knowledge to:
- Manage a diverse team of technical professionals.
- Use EQ skills to communicate with customers and colleagues from technical and non-technical backgrounds.
- Construct and put in place corporate strategic technology plans.
- Manage resources and assets.
- Apply leadership skills that create a lasting and effective change in technical organizations.
METM Class of 2025s
Technical industries and organizations are hungry for qualified leaders. On one hand, there are leaders who understand the technical aspects of these organizations. On another, there are leaders who understand the people. And then there are leaders who understand both. Those are the ones technical organizations will build their future on. With Texas A&M's Master of Engineering Technical Management, Kris Pate and others like him are taking the steps to become the technical leaders of the future.