The Gordon Engineering Leadership Program’s mission is to create an elite cadre of engineering leaders who stand out from their peers in their ability to invent, innovate, and implement engineering projects from concept to market success.
Part-Time
The Gordon Engineering Leadership Program offered by the Gordon Institute of Engineering Leadership is a transformational graduate program designed to build a future corps of engineering leadership professionals. GEL seeks to accelerate leadership development capability in an engineering context through a concentrated curriculum that inculcates both the psychological skills and capabilities needed to lead engineers in parallel with technical skills to successfully engineer products to customers and markets.
The program teaches relevant leadership theory followed by practice in leadership laboratories. Technical product development and scientific principles courses are followed by the completion of a market-worthy challenge project. This learning framework is supplemented with three-way mentoring from industry, faculty, and program mentors. Graduates of the program, known as Gordon Fellows, have an opportunity to gain the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to successfully lead engineering teams. They stand out from their peers in their ability to invent, innovate, and implement engineering projects from concept to market success. Participation in GEL accelerates Gordon Fellowsʼ careers, making them more valuable to their company.
This certificate can be pursued alongside the following programs:
- MSBioE Bioengineering
- MS Biotechnology
- MSChE Chemical Engineering
- MSCivE Civil Engineering (select concentration)
- MSCSE Computer Systems Engineering
- MS Cybersecurity
- MS Data Analytics Engineering
- MSECE Electrical and Computer Engineering (select concentration)
- MSECEL Electrical and Computer Engineering Leadership
- MSENE Energy Systems
- MSEM Engineering Management
- MS Engineering and Public Policy (select concentration)
- MSEnvE Environmental Engineering
- MSIE Industrial Engineering
- MSIS Information Systems
- MSME Mechanical Engineering (select concentration)
- MSOR Operations Research
- MSSBS Sustainable Building Systems
- MS Telecommunication Networks
GEL candidates must apply for and be admitted to both the Northeastern Graduate School of Engineering and the Gordon Institute of Engineering Leadership. Students pursue GEL as part of a Master of Science degree in the engineering discipline of their choice or as a stand-alone graduate certificate. Upon completion of the program, students earn both the Master of Science degree in the discipline of choice and a Graduate Certificate in Engineering Leadership. Students who already hold a graduate degree in engineering or have more than three yearsʼ engineering work experience can complete the program to earn a Graduate Certificate in Engineering Leadership. The core GEL curriculum takes place during one year (September–July), and additional course work required for the Master of Science degree can be pursued before, after, or in parallel with GEL.
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Unique Features
- Can be pursued as part of a Master of Science degree in any engineering discipline offered by the College of Engineering at Northeastern University
- Can be pursued after earning a Master of Science in any engineering discipline
- The core curriculum takes place during one year
- Candidates complete a thesis-equivalent challenge project
- Nationally recognized by the National Academy of Engineering
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Program Costs
Requirements
- GEL online application. As part of the GEL application, you must provide contact information for an individual at your organization who can 1) nominate you for the program and 2) attest that the organization can provide a suitable Challenge Project for completion during the program.
- Current resume
- Interview with the GEL admissions committee
Prospective students must apply to both the Gordon Institute of Engineering Leadership and their Master of Science engineering discipline at the College of Engineering.
Admissions Dates
- Current resumé
- Interview with GEL admissions committee
| Deadline for assistantship consideration (domestic and international applicants): | January 15 |
| International applicant deadline: | May 15 |
| Domestic applicant deadline: | August 1 |
| Deadline for regional campus applicants: | August 15 |
| Deadline for international applicants (outside the U.S.): | September 15 |
| Deadline for international applicants (inside the U.S.): | November 1 |
General Requirements
Please note: This curriculum is for marketing purposes only and is subject to change. Official curriculum can be found within the course catalog.
Northeastern combines rigorous academics with experiential learning and research to prepare students for real-world engineering challenges. The cooperative education program, also known as “co-op,” is one of the largest and most innovative in the world, and Northeastern is one of only a few that offers the co-op program for graduate students pursuing an MS or PhD. Through this program, students gain professional industry experience in their field of interest as part of the academic curriculum while employed from four to eight months in a wide variety of organizations, from large companies to entrepreneurial start-ups.
In 2019, the Graduate School of Engineering placed nearly 1000 students in co-op positions. We have a team that prepares students for the cooperative education experience through resumé building, developing interview skills, and guiding professional development.
Our Faculty
Our faculty represents a wide cross-section of professional practices and fields ranging from finance to education to biomedical science to management to the U.S. military. They serve as mentors and advisors and collaborate alongside students to solve the most pressing global challenges facing established and emerging markets.
By enrolling in Northeastern, you gain access to a network of more than 255,000 alumni and 3,350+ employer partners, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and global nongovernmental organizations. Our current students and faculty across strategically located regional locations further foster a lifelong, global community of learning and mentoring.
Below is a look at where our Engineering alumni work, the positions they hold, and the skills they bring to their organization.
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Where They Work
- GE Aviation
- Raytheon
- CDM Smith
- Bose Corporation
- IBM
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What They Do
- Engineering
- Operations
- Business Development
- Program and Project Management
- Entrepreneurship
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What They're Skilled At
- Engineering
- Project Management
- AutoCAD
- SolidWorks
- Manufacturing
Learn more about Northeastern Alumni on Linkedin.