A historical perspective of undergraduate systems engineering at the United States Military Academy

Abstract

The Department of Systems Engineering (SE) at the United States Military Academy (USMA), West Point, New York was organized in 1989 to provide high quality undergraduate programs in systems engineering, engineering management and operations research. The design, development and implementation of the SE Major followed a "systems approach" that was motivated by several important factors: cadet education; faculty growth and development; remaining linked to the industry we serve-the Army; and use of state-of-the-art computer and information technology. Preliminary work included a review of undergraduate SE programs around the USA, revealing important lessons learned and success factors, many of which have since been incorporated into the SE Major at USMA. The Major builds on a strong, interdisciplinary core program of mathematics, computer science, and social and behavioral sciences. This is followed by engineering science courses that extend the core program into systems engineering. A somewhat unusual five-course sequence is integrated into the major leading to a capstone SE design experience. Nonengineering students take this sequence to meet an Academy requirement. Within this, heavy emphasis is placed on the "systems approach," to give students a structured framework for thinking creatively.