Our Outreach Engineering Management (OEM) program continues to draw strong demand from industry partners and students throughout Florida and beyond. As we prepare to launch our 28th offering this upcoming fall semester, we are proud of the talented students and the robust connections to industry that make our program a vital asset to the Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering (ISE) at the University of Florida.

COHORT UPDATES
Spring was a successful semester for our 2024 cohort, who graduated on May 5th. These students completed a semester-long capstone project and showcased it to classmates and faculty advisors in April. To celebrate their hard work and the completion of their master’s degrees, we hosted a banquet at the Reitz Union where three of our students (Nick Becklund, Pat Osborne and Chris Waybright) shared remarks with attendees. Fourteen of the graduating students are continuing on to complete their Master of Business Administration (MBA) degrees at UF, and are expected to graduate in April 2025. 

 Our 2025 cohort, which is nearing the halfway point of the five-semester program, continues to excel and develop stronger bonds. Notably, two students from this cohort, Michaela Gosha and Michelle Nguyen, earned UF ISE departmental scholarships of $1,000. This group will begin the early stages of their master’s projects in August, and they will need to decide by October if they want to enroll in the MBA program. 

SPRING 2024 EVENTS
This semester we held several recruiting events, including on-site visits to corporate partners Lockheed Martin, L3Harris Technologies, The Boeing Co. and Northrop Grumman, as well as various open houses, presentations, tabling events, and webinars. We also hosted an end-of-semester networking reception for the 2024 and 2025 cohorts at Drive Shack in Orlando, which provided students with an opportunity to relax and socialize after final exams.

ABOUT
The OEM program is a 20-month engineering master’s program for working professionals, with weekend-based classes that meet in Orlando. The program, which has abandoned GRE requirements, is designed so that working professionals can balance work, family and their studies without having to choose an online program. Classes are presented live by UF engineering and business faculty one weekend each month, with two full days of instruction on Saturday and Sunday. A new cohort begins every August. Students develop skills in optimization, managing risk, logistics functions, improving manufacturing and service processes, and informed decision-making, as well as a solid foundation in business. 

CONNECT WITH US!
If you want to get involved or learn more about the program, please visit our website (ise.ufl.edu/oemp) or email me (messinger@ise.ufl.edu) for more information!

Best regards and GO GATORS!

Patsy Messinger
OEM Associate Director