Certificate in Engineering Leadership

DSCN1208The RCEL Certificate in Engineering Leadership is the only four-year engineering leadership certificate in Texas and one of only a handful of educational innovations like it in the United States. The ultimate goal is to help students begin careers that align with the strengths learned in our program and make a positive difference with their engineering education.

The Certificate in Engineering Leadership is a sequence of courses and a final presentation offered through the Rice Center for Engineering Leadership. The Certificate enhances the traditional undergraduate education by developing skills that are not expressly covered in the Rice Engineering curriculum. The targeted learning experiences provided by the Certificate program are organized around five interrelated competency domains—Personal, Interpersonal, Management, Communication, and Leadership.Faculty within the Brown School of Engineering teach courses which cover topics such as leadership styles, engineering ethics, project management, engineering team building, and motivational techniques.

Upon completion of the Certificate’s requirements, students receive formal recognition on their transcript and a certificate provided by Rice University’s Registrar.

RCEL Certificate Program-Level Learning Outcomes

  1. Communicate Effectively
    Apply effective oral, written, and interpersonal communication strategies
  2. Make Timely Decisions
    Apply analytical and creative problem-solving to deliver timely solutions based on the information at hand
  3. Work on Teams
    Understand and analyze team dynamics to empower those around you to be successful in accomplishing team goals
  4. Manage Projects
    Demonstrate knowledge of the basic tools and techniques to deliver projects on time, on budget, and within scope
  5. Self-Lead
    Develop self-awareness to build personal mastery, exhibit, discipline, and make conscious self-improvements
  6. Create a Vision
    Develop a clear vision that sets future personal team direction
  7. Apply Ethics and Analyze Values
    Analyze personal and organizational values and apply ethics concepts to decision-making
  8. Jump Start the Next Step
    Demonstrate leadership concepts in at least one specialization; Research, Industry, Pathways to non-Engineering careers, or Entrepreneurship (RIPE)

RCEL 2.0

In 2018, RCEL concluded a two-year extensive evaluation of courses, curriculum, content, and general academic structure of the Engineering Leadership Certificate Program.  Based on these findings, we have refined, revised, and reorganized the Certificate Program.  The changes improve the overall academic experience for RCEL students.

What does this mean for students?
All students entering the program in Fall 2018 or later will follow a new course schedule laid in the Course Requirements, as well as the Leadership Development Plan, Engineering Leadership Porfolio, and Final Presentation.  The core of our certificate is built around a sequence of integrated coursework taken throughout a students time at Rice. Each class emphasizes different yet interrelated skill and topic areas.

If you were part of the RCEL certificate program prior to Spring semester 2018 and have taken ENGI 140 and/or ENGI 218/219, you are considered a legacy student to the program.  Legacy students follow the original RCEL course requirements, described in the Legacy Student Course Requirements. Legacy students will also be required to completethe Leadership Development Plan, Engineering Leadership Porfolio, and Final Presentation.

Should I Join the Program?

The difference between a “really smart” engineer and a “leading engineer” is the ability to create and communicate a shared vision, to build a high performing team, to develop and execute shared plans, and to create innovations that endure. These capabilities are not usually taught in traditional engineering courses. Our certificate will set you apart from other engineers.

If you have dreams of making a difference, and are motivated to learn the skills needed to do so, then this is the program for you. We especially encourage students to work toward earning this certificate if:

  • You are currently or are a formal leader in a club, college, group project, or other position.
  • You are currently an "informal” leader or advisor.
  • You aspire to become a team or organizational leader.
  • You aspire to become a “thought leader”: someone who exercises influence based on their technical expertise.
  • You aspire to become an entrepreneur or founder of a non-profit.
  • You aspire to holding elected office one day.