Should Systems Engineering Degrees Only Be Offered at the Graduate Level? Systems Engineering: Designing Integrated Solutions to Complex Problems COL Tim Trainor, Ph.D. Professor and Head 7 April 2010 No!

Undergraduate Systems Engineering Program at West Point Yes We Should Teach SE to Undergraduates Systems Engineering curriculum: – provides students with a multi-disciplinary and systems perspective on engineering and decision-making; –engages students in solving real problems for real people; –prepares students well for the uncertain and complex world in which they will live. Among many other attributes Systems Engineering develops this desired set of knowledge, skills and abilities: –a fundamental understanding of basic engineering principles; –a more holistic view of problem solving and decision making in an environment of uncertainty and ambiguity; –Leadership in a multidisciplinary team environment; –Comfort with technology 2

Undergraduate Systems Engineering Program at West Point We Follow the INCOSE Definition of SE 3 Systems Engineering is an interdisciplinary approach and means to enable the realization of successful systems. It focuses on defining customer needs and required functionality early in the development cycle, documenting requirements, then proceeding with design synthesis and system validation while considering the complete problem. Available at:

Undergraduate Systems Engineering Program at West Point The Systems Decision Process (SDP) Our Engineering Thought & Design Process 4 Parnell, G. S., Driscoll, P. J., and Henderson D. L., Editors, Decision Making for Systems Engineering and Management, Wiley Series in Systems Engineering, Andrew P. Sage, Editor, Wiley & Sons Inc., Revised SDP to appear in 2 nd Edition.

Undergraduate Systems Engineering Program at West Point 1.Produce graduates for a career of professional excellence and service to the nation as an officer in the United States Army. 2.Produce graduates who effectively lead interdisciplinary teams in Joint, Combined, inter-agency, and multicultural environments. 3.Produce graduates who solve complex systems engineering problems in uncertain future environments. 4.Produce graduates who communicate engineering solutions convincingly both orally and in writing to technical and non-technical audiences. 5.Produce graduates who seek out and succeed in continued intellectual professional development in systems engineering and related fields. SE Program Educational Objectives

Undergraduate Systems Engineering Program at West Point SE301SE375SE370SE402SE403 2MA206SE387SE388EM411EM420 3LX2XX Sub-Discipline Elective Simulation Elective Sub-Discipline Elective 4PH202CE300ME311EE301LW403 5 EV203/ PY201 SS307SE385HI301HI302 6SS20XEN302PL300SE400 SE Program Curriculum ABET Accredited – 43.3 Courses SE301: Foundations in Eng Design and Sys Mgmt SE370: Computer Aided Systems Engineering SE375: Statistics for Engineers SE385: Decision Analysis SE387: Deterministic Models SE388: Stochastic Models EM411: Project Management EM420: Production Operations Management SE402/3: Systems Design I / II (Capstone) SE400: Systems Engineering Seminar Sub-Disciplines Human Factors Systems Information Systems Mathematical Systems Simulation Systems Simulation Electives SE481: Systems Simulation SE485: Combat Simulation EM484: Dynamic Systems Analysis Engineering Fundamentals CE300: Fund of Eng Mechanics and Design ME311: Thermal-Fluid Systems I EE301: Fund of Electrical Engineering

Undergraduate Systems Engineering Program at West Point Primary Peer Group Comparison USMA SE Program (AY 2010) Sub-Disciplines (3 courses) Biomedical Systems Communication Systems Computer and Information Systems Control Systems Economic Systems Energy and Environmental Systems Financial Systems Human Factors Transportation Systems Management Systems Mathematical Systems Student-Designed Sub-Disciplines (4 courses) Software Systems Engineering Management Decision and Control Information Technology Sub-Disciplines (3 courses) Software Telecommunications Environmental and Infrastructure Systems Modeling and Performance Engineering Rigor Fundamentals of Engr Mechanics Intro to Electrical Engineering Thermal-Fluid Systems I Engineering Rigor Freshman Engr (2 cr) Engineering Rigor Freshman Engr (4 cr) Engineering Rigor Freshman Engr (3 cr) Elements of Electrical Engineering Total Cr Hrs: 141 Prog Cr Hrs: 54 Total Cr Hrs: 128 Prog Cr Hrs: 56 Total Cr Hrs: 120 Prog Cr Hrs: 61 Total Cr Hrs: 128 Prog Cr Hrs: 62 Math Rigor 5+ courses (Diff Eqs) Math Rigor 7 courses (Lin Alg, Diff Eqs) Math Rigor 6 courses (Lin Alg) Math Rigor 5 courses Sub-Disciplines (3 courses) Human Factors Systems Information Systems Mathematical Systems Simulation Systems Common to All Intro Course Simulation Computer Aided SE Statistics Project Management Deterministic Modeling Stochastic Modeling Senior Seminar Two Semester Capstone Common to non-USMA Human Factors (All) UML (UVA, UA) MATLAB (UA, GMU) Control Systems (UA, GMU)

Undergraduate Systems Engineering Program at West Point Yes We Should Teach SE to Undergraduates Systems Engineering curriculum: – provides students with a multi-disciplinary and systems perspective on engineering and decision-making; –engages students in solving real problems for real people; –prepares students well for the uncertain and complex world in which they will live. Among many other attributes Systems Engineering develops this desired set of knowledge, skills and abilities: –a fundamental understanding of basic engineering principles; –a more holistic view of problem solving and decision making in an environment of uncertainty and ambiguity; –Leadership in a multidisciplinary team environment; –Comfort with technology 8