One of the main concerns I hear when someone is considering beginning a graduate degree is the balancing act of making sure that adding education back into the mix doesn't disrupt their already busy life. It's a valid concern, and is a common topic that we discuss with our students in the Masters of Engineering with a concentration in Information Engineering Management (IEM) at UAB.
"I didn't miss a lot of things. My daughter plays basketball and I was still able to practice with her and go to the games...My advice is if you're pinned down to a busy schedule and it's hard to get away to a traditional campus I wouldn't hesitate to get plugged into an online study program. It's a really good fit if you have a busy lifestyle and you're just looking to build these skills and build the things to drive you into a better future."
However, if you were to speak face-to-face with students that are currently in the IEM program you will hear success stories that many of them never missed their kid's basketball games and they were able to still be fully present at their jobs, if not even contributing more because of the content they were learning in IEM. They were able to do this because all of the coursework in the IEM concentration is 100% online.
Learning that is Flexible to your Schedule
The IEM concentration is designed for busy professionals that are looking to advance their careers. So in response to this, we designed a program that allows you to complete coursework whenever is best for you. Do you have kids? Family commitments? Heavy workload? Just don’t like to take night classes? You don’t have to worry about that. Our flexibility is designed to fit seamlessly into the lives of busy professionals who are juggling both work and family while they pursue their degree.
However, a 100% online degree doesn't mean that you'll be 100% on your own. Our professors pride themselves in supporting students, being available for one-on-one discussions and providing mentorship and feedback to help you reach both your goals and full potential.
Straight from the Source
We can talk all day about IEM - but we know you'd rather hear from the people that have been in your shoes before. Curtis Franklin, one of our alumni, sat down to give us an inside look at what online learning is like, why the IEM concentration of the Master of Engineering appealed to him, and how he successfully balanced all the different aspects of his life at once.
"The online professors are awesome, they're there for you from the beginning to the end. We have our weekly meetings, and at the conclusion of the meetings they stay online to chat with you about anything really, you could talk about football or you could talk about something you're hung up with on a project. They're just there for you and they stay online after class meetings."
Be Your Own IEM Success Story
We hope hearing about experiences from people who have completed IEM will help you learn more about our program and even draw up the questions that we haven't answered yet. If pursuing a master's degree is something you would like to accomplish, we would love to meet with you and most importantly support you as you grow and meet your goals. Fill out the form on this page to schedule a time to talk or email us at
About IEM
The Master of Engineering with a concentration in Information Engineering Management (IEM) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a specialized concentration designed primarily for engineers and people in technical positions. The concentration presents business systems and soft skills in a curriculum that is based on actual engineering industry needs and is offered completely online.