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

