10: School of Engineering and Applied Science

General Information | Degree Programs | Curricula | Course Descriptions | Faculty

Aerospace Engineering | Applied Mathematics | Biomedical Engineering | Chemical Engineering
Civil Engineering | Computer Science | Computer Engineering (Computer Science) | Electrical Engineering
Computer Engineering (Electrical Engineering) | Engineering Science | Materials Science and Engineering
Mechanical Engineering | Systems Engineering | Division of Technology, Culture, and Communication

Systems Engineering

The department offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in systems engineering. The principal objective of the undergraduate program is to prepare men and women with the technical skill, intellectual balance, and humane perspective required to pursue professional careers and advanced studies in systems engineering. This demands not only a thorough understanding of the engineering fundamentals of systems analysis, design, and control, but also training in economics, behavioral science, and decision-making.

Systems engineering seeks comprehensive solutions to complex problems which require the integration of technological, organizational, behavioral, human and economic factors. Students are expected to develop the full range of problem-solving, decision-making, and design skills needed to participate successfully in these activities. The undergraduate program in systems engineering is designed with these considerations in mind.

The interdisciplinary nature of systems engineering precludes a narrow educational experience. For this reason, our undergraduate curriculum is more flexible than many traditional engineering programs. In addition to required courses, 12 credits of general education electives, nine credits of applications electives, and three credits of technical electives are available to the student. Each student normally is expected to structure his or her elective course work into two elective sequences.

Appropriate humanities sequences include economics, psychology, political science, philosophy, religion, history, literature, fine arts, sociology, anthropology, and foreign languages. Appropriate applications sequences include biomedical systems, communication systems, computer and information systems, control systems, economic systems, environmental and water-resource systems, management systems, manufacturing systems, mathematical systems, and transportation and land-use systems. An appropriate sequence of ROTC courses may be counted as an application area in military systems, and students with special interests and abilities can design their own application sequences.

The undergraduate program culminates in a capstone design project spanning both the fall and spring semesters of the fourth year. Each project matches a small team of students with a client from the private or public sectors. Students work with the client, under the direction of an individual faculty member, toward the resolution of an actual, open-ended design problem.

The undergraduate program leads to the Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering. The program is accredited as a nontraditional engineering program by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, and received the board's first Award for Curricular Innovation. Because of the overwhelming student demand for the major in recent years, enrollments in the program are limited. Admission is based on space availability, academic performance, and extra-curricular activities. Further information about the undergraduate and graduate programs, and selection into the programs, is available in the department office in Olsson 114.

Minor   Students who wish to minor in systems engineering must satisfactorily complete APMA 310, APMA 312, SYS 301, SYS 321, SYS 360, and SYS 434 with a cumulative grade point average of 2.0. Students who wish to pursue a minor in systems must obtain the application form in Olsson 114 and follow the instructions therein.

Systems Engineering Curriculum

First Semester
APMA 101Calculus I 4
CHEM 151Introductory Chemistry for Engineers3
CHEM 151LIntroductory Chemistry for Engineers Laboratory 1
ENGR 160Engineering Concepts 3
ENGR 164Engineering Design 3
TCC 101Language Communication and the Technological Society 3
Total17
Second Semester
APMA 102Calculus II 4
PHYS 142EGeneral Physics I 4
CS 101Introduction to Computer Science 3
Science elective I[1]3
General Education elective[3]3
Total17
Third Semester
APMA 205Calculus III 4
PHYS 241EGeneral Physics II 3
PHYS 241LGeneral Physics Laboratory I 1
CS 201Software Development Methods 3
ENGR 2__Core elective[2]3
General Education elective[3]3
Total17
Fourth Semester
APMA 206Differential Equations I4
Science elective II 4
ENGR 2__Core elective[2]3
ENGR 2__Core elective[2]3
TCC 2__TCC elective 3
Total17
Fifth Semester
APMA 310Probability 3
SYS 301Design of Engineering Systems3
SYS 301LDesign Laboratory1
SYS 321Operations Research 3
SYS 323Information Integration and Analysis 3
General Education elective[3]3
Total16
Sixth Semester
APMA 312Statistics 3
SYS 360Probabilistic Systems 3
SYS 360LProbabilistics Laboratory1
SYS 362Discrete Event Simulation3
SYS 362LSimulation Laboratory1
General Education elective[3]3
Application elective[4]3
Total17
Seventh Semester
TCC 401Western Technology and Culture 3
SYS 401Decision Theory 3
SYS 421Intelligent Decision Systems 3
SYS 421LSystems Laboratory1
SYS 453Systems Design I 4
Application elective[4]3
Total17
Eighth Semester
TCC 402The Engineer in Society 3
SYS 434Production and Service Systems 3
SYS 434LProduction and Service Systems Laboratory1
SYS 454Systems Design II 4
Application elective[4]3
Application elective[4]3
Total17
135 credits - minimum required for graduation.

[1]Suitable science electives are MSE 102 and all courses for science majors in ASTR, BIOL, CHEM, EVSC, and PHYS numbered 200 or higher.
[2]With advisor's permission, CS 216 can be substituted for ENGR 2__. Credit cannot be received for both MSE 102 and ENGR 209.
[3]Six to twelve credits of general education electives should be selected in a related subject area of humanities and social sciences. This sequence must contain advanced as well as introductory materials. Suitable sequences include economics, psychology, political science, philosophy, religion, history, literature, fine arts, sociology, anthropology and foreign language.
[4]Twelve credits of applications electives should be selected in a related applications area of systems engineering. Appropriate sequences include biomedical systems, communication systems, computer and information systems, control systems, economic systems, environmental and water resource systems, management systems, manufacturing systems, mathematical systems, military systems (ROTC), and transportation land-use systems.

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