U of A ONLINE

Flexible options from a top public research university

“I started my pursuit of a Master of Science in Operations Management shortly after joining Lennox International as a Value Engineer,” Lisa Scott said.  “After nearly 10 years of working in the aerospace and defense industry as a mechanical engineer, I learned of an opportunity with a major heating, ventilation and air conditioning manufacturer in the Dallas area.  The Lennox Commercial department was forming a team of engineers to solely focus on value engineering.

“While I was familiar with air conditioning systems due to my previous experience designing aircraft cooling systems, I was not at all familiar with value analysis/value engineering and I had no experience working in a manufacturing environment.  Nevertheless, I decided it was an opportunity that was too good to pass up.  Little did I know at the time how invaluable the knowledge and tools I gained throughout the [M.S.O.M.] program would be to my work on material cost reduction projects.

“I was able to immediately put my newly acquired tools and skills to use as I worked closely with manufacturing engineers, quality engineers, buyers, and inventory management personnel within Lennox in order to successfully implement cost reduction projects.  As I progressed through the courses, I began thinking more strategically, and I started getting the ‘big picture’ view into the business operations.

“In my current role as a Value Engineer, at least five of the 10 strategic operations management decisions are addressed on a daily basis.  In the future, I hope to involve myself in all 10 strategic operations management decisions by moving into an executive-level role, overseeing day-to-day operations.  I know that the knowledge and skills gained through the M.S.O.M. program will undoubtedly give me a competitive advantage in order to move forward in my career.