Admissions
Application Materials

Below are details on the application materials required when applying to the Master of Engineering Management program. For more information on how to apply, deadlines, and requirements, please visit our admissions page and see answers to our frequently asked admissions questions.


* Please Note:

There are different deadlines for full-time and part-time applications.

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Work Experience

Applicants are encouraged to apply regardless of how many years of work experience they may have, although it is important to know that the curriculum is designed for students with prior work experience. The admissions committee will take into account all of your work experience, including internships, when evaluating your application so please make sure to be clear in your resume. However, please only count relevant, compensated, technical work experience (completed before or after you have finished your undergraduate studies) when reporting your work experience in the application. The admission committee will only consider relevant, compensated, technical work experience (completed before or after you have finished your undergraduate studies) as part of the three-year experience threshold.

Please note that the years of work experience refers to the date an applicant plans to start the MEM degree. For example, a Fall 2023 applicant would list the years of work experience they will have by September 2023.

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Transcripts

Please submit an electronic copy of transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended, whether you have received a degree or not. This includes degrees currently in progress and study abroad credit.

Please label your files in the following format:

  • LastName-FirstName-InstitutionName
  • Ex: Smith-Sally-UniversityofSydney

All pages of the transcript must be scanned and legible. If your transcripts are not in English, you must send a copy in the original language as well as a certified translation. If your GPA is not on a 4.0 scale, please submit a WES GPA conversion or a Scholaro GPA conversion and use the converted 4.0-scale GPA in your application.

Please note: Official transcripts in sealed envelopes, or by secure electronic delivery direct from the institution, will be required prior to matriculation only if you are admitted into the program.

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Letters of Recommendation

We require 3 letters of recommendation from individuals who have had supervisory experience over you in a professional and/or academic setting and can attest to your work performance and management potential. As a rough guide, the table below outlines a recommended balance between professional and academic letters of recommendation, based only on number of years since the completion of an undergraduate degree. When in doubt, a professional recommendation is generally more valuable than an academic one.

Years of Work Experience Academic Professional
Less than 3 1 2
3+ 0 3

All writers are asked to address the following questions:

For letters from current and former employers, we would appreciate an assessment of the applicant's career progress, management potential and leadership skills. For academic references, we would appreciate an assessment of the applicant's potential for graduate work.

In addition, the admissions committee looks for comments on the following (where applicable):

  • How long have you known the candidate and in what capacity?
  • Can you provide examples that highlight the candidate's career progress or suitability for our graduate program?
  • Can you provide any point of comparison for the candidate against others in similar circumstances?

Please note: The application system will email your recommenders at the email address you provide. Recommenders will receive a request to address the questions outlined above as well as instructions on how to upload their completed letter to the application system. Recommenders may use standard word processing software for letters.

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Personal Statement

This is a central part of your application, which gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your motivations, aptitude, and creativity. In 750 words or less, please address the following questions:

  1. Why are you applying specifically to the Master of Engineering Management program at Northwestern University?
  2. How do you hope to uniquely add value to the experience of your classmates?
  3. What are your career aspirations upon completion of the program, and how will MEM help you reach those goals?

Additional Personal Statements

Compare and contrast your experiences working on a high-performing and low-performing team. Please ensure your response is 300 words or less and addresses the following:

  1. What contributed to or led to the high/low performance of both teams?
  2. Could you have done anything to shift the low-performing team to a high-performing team?

MEM challenges its students with rigorous content and, at times, a fast-paced learning environment. Describe a situation where you leveraged time management skills to ensure the success of a project. Please ensure your response is 300 words or less and addresses the following:

  1. What lessons did you learn from the experience?
  2. How can you translate those skills into being a successful MEM student?

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Calculus Based Statistics Course

A calculus based statistics course is a prerequisite for some of the MEM coursework. If admitted, students who have not met the statistics requirement must take an online MEM statistics course during the summer session and obtain a grade of "B" or better. This online course is free to MEM students. In some cases, admitted students may be required to complete a statistics course as a part of conditional admission at an institution outside Northwestern University.

Note: Students admitted for the fall quarter (e.g. all international students) will be required to take the MEM online statistics course in the summer session immediately prior to matriculating in the MEM Program. Part-time students admitted in the Winter or Spring quarters will be asked to take the MEM online statistics course in the following summer session after matriculating in the MEM Program.

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GRE or GMAT

GRE or GMAT scores are optional for all applicants. However, many full-time applicants, particularly those with less than 3 years work experience, choose to submit GRE or GMAT test scores. Submitting test scores is strongly encouraged for those with a GPA lower than 3.2 on a 4.0 scale. All test scores that are submitted will be utilized in the admission review process.

To submit your GRE score, use "1308" for the Northwestern MEM Program GRE Institution Code. To submit your GMAT score, please find Northwestern University and select the "Master of Engineering Management" option within the GMAC online portal. Please note: applicants must include unofficial test scores with their application, but official test scores do not need to be sent to us unless you are admitted into the program.

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English Proficiency

Much of your success in graduate study in the United States will rest on your ability to understand, read, write and speak English. The program has many team-based courses and you must be able to contribute to your team.

All applicants whose native language is not English must certify their proficiency in the English language by taking the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or The International English Language Testing System (IELTS). These scores are required of all applicants whose undergraduate degree was received from an institution where English is not the primary language of instruction. This includes bilingual or multilingual institutions in bilingual or multilingual countries. United States citizenship or permanent residency status is not an automatic waiver of this requirement. Moreover, due to past applicant interactions and data, our program still requires students from several English-speaking countries, including India, to submit TOEFL/IELTS scores.

Test scores must be less than two years old at the date of matriculation. The minimum acceptable score for the TOEFL is 100 (Internet-based test) and for the IELTS, 7.0.

The TOEFL Institutional Code for the Northwestern University Master of Engineering Management program is B823.

Please note: applicants must include unofficial test scores with their application, but official test scores do not need to be sent to us unless you are admitted into the program.

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