How Tulane’s Master of Management in Energy Is Designed for Engineers

Technical proficiency remains essential in many industries, but employers increasingly value professionals who can pair specialized knowledge with broader business competencies. The Future of Jobs Report 2025 from the World Economic Forum reported that 7 out of 10 employers consider analytical thinking an essential skill, while traits such as flexibility, agility, and leadership also rank highly. The report also noted that approximately 39 percent of workers’ core skills will change by 2030, underscoring the importance of continued learning and adaptability.  

This combination of abilities can be particularly important for engineers. Their technical and quantitative expertise can help organizations solve complex problems, while business knowledge and communication skills can help them collaborate across departments and contribute to decisions involving financial risk and strategy.  

These capabilities are especially relevant in the energy sector, where employment continues to grow and evolving technologies are reshaping workforce needs. Earning an energy management master’s degree can help those with an engineering background develop valuable industry expertise in areas such as analytics, finance, risk management, and energy trading.  

Why Is Tulane’s Master of Management in Energy Program a Good Fit for Engineers? 

Engineers often enter the workforce with strong quantitative abilities and experience solving complex technical problems. Tulane’s University’s Master of Management in Energy (MME) program — offered through the A. B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University — builds on that foundation by educating students on the economic and strategic considerations that shape decision-making across the energy sector. 

Designed around the business of energy, the program covers areas such as financial modeling, valuation, energy trading, analytics, and risk management. This coursework can help engineers look beyond how an energy system or technology functions to consider how projects are financed, how market conditions affect their viability, and how organizations manage uncertainty. 

The program also allows students to align their studies with their professional interests. After their first semester, students may choose from one of the following specializations: 

• Analytics 
• Banking and finance 
• Electric power 
• Energy trading and risk management 
• Entrepreneurship 
• Renewable and sustainable energy 

The MME program combines classroom instruction with experiential learning through simulations and hands-on exercises, giving students the opportunity to connect theory with real-world concerns. Additionally, students benefit from studying in New Orleans, Louisiana, a global energy hub, where trips to refineries, trading floors, renewable energy facilities, and other parts of Louisiana’s energy infrastructure provide direct exposure to industry operations. 

What Can Engineers Learn in the MME Program? 

Pursuing an energy management degree can help engineers gain the business insight needed to enter the growing energy sector and contribute beyond technical roles. Tulane’s MME program introduces students to the financial considerations and market forces that influence energy organizations.  

Through the program’s core curriculum and specialization options, students explore several key areas that can prepare them for a range of roles within the industry. 

• Energy markets and industry fundamentals: Students examine energy systems, policies, and market dynamics across traditional and renewable energy. 
• Analytics and forecasting: Coursework in the program’s analytics specialization covers concepts such as statistical modeling, econometrics, and forecasting, as well as the strategic application of artificial intelligence (AI) in energy analytics. 
• Finance and project valuation: The program helps students gain insight into the financial variables involved in energy projects, with a focus on valuation, financial modeling, and investment banking. 
• Trading and risk management: Through coursework and simulations, students explore energy market operations, trading platforms, quantitative strategies, portfolio management, and approaches to managing risk.  
• Electric power and renewable energy: Specialization courses cover electric power markets, renewable technologies, energy transitions, and the development and financing of renewable energy projects. 

The program also emphasizes the importance of effective communication and collaboration, broad professional competencies that can help students prepare to work in various business environments. 

How Do Engineers Benefit From Earning an MME? 

The skills that engineering professionals can develop through Tulane’s energy management degree program can help them approach energy challenges from both technical and commercial perspectives. By adding expertise in finance, markets, analytics, and risk, graduates are prepared to contribute in new ways and consider opportunities beyond conventional engineering roles. 

Below are the potential benefits engineers can realize by earning an MME. 

Gain a More Versatile Skill Set  

Engineers who understand the business considerations of energy projects can play a larger role in strategic decision-making. Additionally, by honing their communication skills, they are better prepared to collaborate with colleagues in finance, operations, and leadership positions.  

Develop Specialized Energy Expertise 

Tulane’s MME program provides students with a focused understanding of the economic forces that influence the energy industry, helping them evaluate opportunities and decisions within a broader business context. Through its specialization options, students can further align their coursework with their career interests in areas ranging from electric power and renewable energy to trading, analytics, and entrepreneurship.  

Access a Growing Sector of the Economy 

Employment in the energy sector continues to expand, driven by new technologies and infrastructure investment. According to a 2024 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) report, the nation’s energy workforce added more than 250,000 jobs in 2023, with clean energy accounting for 56 percent of the growth. Renewable power is expected to remain especially strong in the coming years. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that the solar electric power generation industry will be the fastest-growing industry in the country between 2024 and 2034, growing by 180 percent, followed by wind electric power generation at 81 percent.  

Broaden Career Opportunities 

Earning an energy management degree can open up new career pathways for engineers in roles that involve data analysis, management, consulting, finance, and other business-focused functions. The BLS projects many professions in these areas to experience strong growth from 2024 to 2034: 

• Operations research analysts: 21 percent growth (24,100 net new jobs) 
• Management analysts: 9 percent growth (94,500 net new jobs) 
• Project management specialists: 6 percent growth (58,700 net new jobs) 

By pairing an existing engineering background with energy-focused business knowledge, an MME can help graduates prepare for a wider range of responsibilities across the industry.  

Prepare for a Career in the Energy Industry  

An energy management degree can help engineers complement their technical foundation with business insight and specialized knowledge of a growing industry. This combination can position them to take on greater responsibilities and help guide decisions that connect engineering priorities with organizational goals.  

If you are looking to add business savvy to your engineering background, consider Tulane’s MME program. With six specialization options and a curriculum that balances classroom instruction and experiential learning, the program allows students to tailor their studies to their professional interests, preparing them for a range of career paths across the energy sector.  

Learn how Tulane can help you develop the skills you need to enter this dynamic sector.  
 

Sources: 

American Society of Mechanical Engineers, “Industry 4.0 and Modernizing Manufacturing Education” 
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Management Analysts 
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Operations Research Analysts 
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Project Management Specialists 
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Solar Electric Power Generation Employment Projected to Grow 180.2 Percent From 2024 to 2034 
U.S. Department of Energy, DOE Report Shows Clean Energy Jobs Grew at More Than Twice the Rate of Overall U.S. Employment 
World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs Report 2025