The Systems Engineering and Management (SEM) program is jointly managed by the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and the School of Management. The course of study has been designed to meet the need for formalized education in the design and management of complex systems involving a large number of interconnected components.

Certificates in Systems Engineering and Management will focus on educating industry-sponsored corporate employees in the disciplines of Systems Engineering, Systems Management, Entrepreneurship & Intrapreneurship, Product Line Development and Management, and Strategic Business Management. Target industries for the program include: aerospace, defense and space systems; transportation systems; information and communications technology (ICT) systems; information assurance and cyber-security systems; healthcare systems; energy, environment and infrastructure systems; complex biological systems; and macro-economic and financial systems.

Prospective students should have a minimum of a BS in engineering, mathematics, physics, chemistry, economics or finance (in order to ensure adequate fundamental skills in mathematics) and at least 5 years of industry experience. We draw our faculty for the core courses from both the engineering and management schools; faculty from other schools on campus, and industry leaders with expertise in specific fields will be invited to teach courses as appropriate.

Curriculum Requirements

Students have a choice of two different certificates: a Certificate in Systems Engineering, or, a Certificate in Systems Management. Each certificate will require 12 credit hours. The courses will be offered in an Executive Education, 4-hour module format.

 (1) The Certificate in Systems Engineering requires students to complete over the period of one academic year two courses from the set of engineering courses listed below, and any two additional courses from the remainder of the 20 SYSM-prefix courses listed below in either group, engineering or management. 

 (2) The Certificate in Systems Management requires students to complete over the period of one academic year two courses from the set of management courses listed below, and any two additional courses from the remainder of the 20 SYSM-prefix courses listed in either group, engineering or management. 

Engineering Courses:

SYSM 6301 Systems Engineering, Architecture and Design (3 credit hours) The course will consider concepts related to the architecture and design of large-scale and decentralized Systems from technical and management perspectives. An overview of Systems architectures, requirements analysis, design tradeoffs, and reliability will be discussed through case studies and mathematical techniques. Students will explore the history and current state-of-the-art in systems architecture and design concepts, international standardization bodies, engineering processes, notations, and tool support from both theoretical and practical perspectives. Prerequisites: none (3-0) Y
SYSM 6302 Dynamics of Complex Structures (3 credit hours) MECH 6302 Dynamics of Complex Structures (3 semester hours) Design, development, manufacturing and analysis of large, complex mechanical systems. Prerequisite: MECH 3302 or equivalent. (3-0) Y
SYSM 6303 Quantitative Risk, Probability, Stochastic Processes (3 credit hours) Risk analysis is becoming prevalent in most technical and business aspects of economic activity. In this course, basic approaches of risk analysis in industry and finance will be presented. A solid review of the methodology based on probabilistic, statistical and decision making approaches will be made. Prerequisites: none (3-0) Y
SYSM 6304 Risk Assessment and Management (3 credit hours) This course will familiarize participants with various kinds of risk that an organization may face; methodologies for identifying these risks and classifying them into various categories, their extent and their potential for causing harm; methods for quantifying the potential impact of various kinds of risk, as well as the cost of implementing risk management techniques; and risk management and implementation strategies at an organizational level. Prerequisites: none (3-0) Y
SYSM 6305 Dynamic Systems Modeling & Analysis (3 credit hours) This course will address linear and non-linear Systems and fundamental properties of dynamical Systems. Techniques such as frequency domain analysis of linear Systems and numerical methods will be discussed. Chaotic Systems and stability of dynamical Systems and will also be addressed. Prerequisites: none (3-0) Y
SYSM 6306 Modeling & Simulation of Engineering Systems (3 credit hours) Principles of computational modeling and simulation of complex systems. Monte Carlo methods. Hierarchical simulation systems. Prerequisites: none. (3-0) Y
SYSM 6331 (MECH 6331) Systems & Control Theory (3 credit hours) (3 semester hours) Systems and control theory: state space, convolution integrals, transfer functions, stability, controllability, observability, and feedback. Prerequisites: MECH 2300 and MECH 4310 or equivalents. (3-0) Y
SYSM 6356 (CS 6356/SE 6356) Software Maintenance, Evolution & Re-engineering (3 credit hours) Principles and techniques of software maintenance. Impact of software development process on software justifiability, maintainability, evolvability, and planning of release cycles. Use of very high-level languages and dependencies for forward engineering and reverse engineering. Achievements, pitfalls, and trends in software reuse, reverse engineering, and re-engineering. Prerequisite: CE/CS/SE 5354. (3-0) Y
SYSM 6361 (SE 6361/CS 6361) Advanced Requirements Engineering (3 credit hours) System and software requirements engineering. Identification, elicitation, modeling, analysis, specification, management, and evolution of functional and non-functional requirements. Strengths and weaknesses of different techniques, tools, and object-oriented methodologies. Interactions and trade-offs among hardware, software, and organization. System and sub-system integration with software and organization as components of complex, composite systems. Transition from requirements to design. Critical issues in requirements engineering. Prerequisite: CS/SE 5354. (3-0) S
SYSM 6367 (SE 6367/CE 6367/CS 6367) Software Testing, Validation, Verification (3 credit hours) Fundamental concepts of software testing. Functional testing. GUI based testing tools. Control flow based test adequacy criteria. Data flow based test adequacy criteria. White box based testing tools. Mutation testing and testing tools. Relationship between test adequacy criteria. Finite state machine based testing. Static and dynamic program slicing for testing and debugging. Software reliability. Formal verification of program correctness.  Prerequisites: CE/CS/SE 5354 or consent of instructor. (3-0) Y

Management Courses:

SYSM 6311 Systems Project Management (3 credit hours) Systems project management is the discipline of planning, organizing and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives. The course will cover critical path methods for planning and controlling projects including time and cost tradeoffs, resource utilization, organizational design, conflict resolution and stochastic considerations. Prerequisites: none (3-0) Y
SYSM 6312 Engineering Economics and Finance (3 credit hours) This course is intended to develop capacity to both (1) recognize the relevant costs of engineering/Systems projects for investment decision purposes, and (2) measure the true economic value (to be) created, including consideration of associated project and system risks. We will deal with the relationship of project risk to those of the entire firm, with performance indicators that are used by investors and mangers, and with costs of capital that are affected by funding choices and project risk Prerequisites: none (3-0) Y
SYSM 6313 Negotiating Deals & Resolving Conflict Within the Organization (3 credit hours) The major focus of this course will be on negotiating deals and resolving conflict in business situations, and understanding human behavior in organizational settings, and its causes and consequences e.g., how the individual is affected by and affects the structure of the organization; how reward structures and leadership processes are related to organizational goals; and how all of these and other factors impact managerial effectiveness in the organization. Prerequisites: none (3-0) Y
SYSM 6314 Manufacturing & Service Systems Planning & Analysis (3 credit hours) Manufacturing & Service Systems Planning & Analysis is the study of management related to transforming inputs to outputs for both manufacturing and service organizations. Its fundamental purpose is the adding of value to inputs - materials, labor, capital and management - to create outputs - products or services which customers want - throughout the supply chain. Prerequisites: none (3-0) Y
SYSM 6315 Entrepreneurship (3 credit hours) This course teaches entrepreneurship, with an emphasis on identifying, evaluating and developing new venture opportunities. Topics include opportunity identification and evaluation, startup strategies, business valuation, business plan development, attracting stakeholders, financing the venture, managing the growing business and exit strategies. Prerequisites: none (3-0) Y
SYSM 6316 Innovation within the Corporation (3 credit hours) Intrapreneurs are the entrepreneurs within established corporations who combine innovation, creativity and leadership to develop and launch new products, new product lines and new business units that grow revenues and profits from within. The course seeks to equip student with the skills and perspectives required to initiate new ventures and create viable businesses in dynamic and uncertain environments in the face of organizational inertia and other sources of resistance to innovation. Prerequisites: none (3-0) Y
SYSM 6317 The Management of High Tech Products (3 credit hours) Building on the premise that successful product management involves getting the right product to the right customer at the right price at the right time, the course will teach techniques in product definition and requirements; product development; management of internal resources, including manufacturing, sales and management; costing and pricing decisions; product planning and winning the right design win. Prerequisites: none (3-0) Y
SYSM 6318 Marketing Management, Marketing Systems Analysis (3 credit hours) The basic objective of this course is to help executives and managers develop relevant marketing skills and philosophies and to examine the trends and applicable techniques in the area of marketing management. This course should enhance understanding of marketing problems, the setting in which marketing decisions are made, the tools available to facilitate these decisions, and the impact of the decisions for the firm and the "larger marketplace." Prerequisites: none (3-0) Y
SYSM 6319 Business Economics (3 credit hours) This course provides foundations of the economic analysis of business problems, with special emphasis on the function and determination of market prices in production and consumption. Supply and demand, price theory, production theory, trade theory with reference to the global economy, the effects of tax and other policies in the economy, and essential elements of the banking system and monetary policy are addressed. Prerequisites: none (3-0) Y
SYSM 6320 Strategic Management (3 credit hours) Strategic management consists of the analysis, decisions, and actions that organizations take to create sustainable competitive advantages. The course examines a variety of issues including environmental, competitor, and stakeholder analysis; strategy formulation; and strategy implementation and control. The central role of ethics and corporate governance as well as global issues will be addressed. Prerequisites: none (3-0) Y