HomeFrequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Questions about the SSE program:
What is an Application Focus?
The SSE program consists in: (1) courses in the methodology of systems engineering; and (2) courses in an area of application.
You do not have to follow any of the predefined application areas.You can define your own Application Focus. The name should refer to some class of systems, such as Telecommunication Systems or Manufacturing Systems. You put a name to that area only to help communicate your desired area of expertise and to help select courses that prepare you to work in that area.
You will not receive any graduation document that designates what your area of application is. Therefore, there is no advantage to selecting two concentrations. Of course, your transcript shows what courses you take, and you can describe your educational experience any way you wish in your resume as long as you can back up your description with evidence from your transcript.
What courses should I take for my Application Focus?
Select 6 courses from the various university departments that will prepare you to understand, analyze, and design systems of the specific type specified by your Focus. At least three courses in the focus must be engineering courses. At least two of those should be upper level courses.
Questions about the BAS program:
What is a Societal Project?
The name Societal Project has been changed to Applied Senior Project.
How do I arrange an Applied Senior Project?
In the Applied Senior Project you apply the things you have learned, including your technical skills, to define and solve a practical problem. Typically, the first stage of your project is to define appropriate objectives and show how you know the objectives are appropriate; then you create a design or solution to meet those objectives and demonstrate that your design does meet the objectives.
You must seek out a professor willing to work with you on the subject that you select. The supervising professor need not be from the engineering school. You submit to the supervising professor a Request for Academic Credit For Applied Senior Project form (obtained from 111 Towne) together with a brief proposal that indicates what you will do. The professor will review your basic objectives to assure that they are appropriate for an Applied Senior Project. The form must also be approved by your Academic Advisor and Undergraduate Chair. They will assure that the work is quantitative, not just qualitative. It is up to the supervising professor to determine the grade and submit it (via a grade change form) to the dean's office of SEAS.
What is Independent Study?
Independent Study refers to an academic learning experience (problem-solving project, research, book study, etc.) that you conduct essentially on your own, but under the guidance and supervision of a faculty member. You either determine the topic on your own and convince a faculty member to supervise it and assign a grade; or you convince the faculty member to help you determine the topic as well as supervise it.
In either case, you must submit a Request for Academic Credit For Independent Study form (obtained from 111 Towne) with a brief proposal that describes what you intend to do for the independent study, including the basis for grading. Often, the grade is based on a written paper. The form must be signed by your independent-study supervisor, your Academic Adviser, and your Undergraduate Chair.