Systems Engineering Certificate

Program Coordinator: Ali Montazer, Ph.D.

Systems engineering has existed for many decades but was mostly used and appreciated by practitioners in the defense industry and companies working on military contracts.  The discipline, however, has gained popularity and acceptance by engineers and technologists in non-defense sectors because it helps them navigate effectively the intricacies associated with complex systems.  This 12-credit hour certificate is designed for professionals who wish to learn about and explore the concept of systems thinking, and acquire knowledge and expertise in the theory, applications, and approaches of systems engineering as applied to projects and products design and development.

The required certificate courses also apply toward the requirements of the master of science in industrial engineering.  Candidates for the certificate are expected to have the requisite background in computing, probability, and statistics.  The program advisor, depending on the background of the candidate, may allow substitutions to best meet the professional need of the candidate.

 

Program Educational Objectives

 

The knowledge and skill set provided by the certificate in systems engineering program will enable its graduates to attain the following program educational objectives (PEOs):

• Graduates will be fully familiar with systems thinking and its advantages as they relate to both personal life and professional practice.
• Graduates will have a reservoir of knowledge, skills, and abilities to enable them to efficiently and effectively develop and apply any level of expertise in systems engineering and model-based systems engineering methodologies needed on their future projects.
• Graduates will be able to become effectively involved in service and/or leadership of the systems engineering profession and society at local, national, and global levels.

 

Program Outcomes

 

At the completion of the program, a student will be able to:

1. Apply the systems engineering processes throughout the project life cycle to develop and achieve balances solutions to engineered systems.
2. Develop key systems engineering artifacts using representative case project.
3. Conduct technical reviews for an overall system (e.g. System Requirements Review, Preliminary Design Review, Critical Design Review).
4. Apply systems thinking and systems engineering to analyze systems.
5. Manage systems engineering initiatives at various levels of an organization.