PDF version of this chapterSystems Architecture and Engineering
Ethel Percy Andrus
Gerontology Center 240
(213) 740-4893
FAX: (213) 740-1120
Email:
isedept@usc.edu
Program Director: F. Stan Settles, Ph.D.
Email: settles@usc.edu
Associate Director: George Friedman, Ph.D.
Email: Hprimate@aol.com
Faculty
IBM Chair in Engineering Management: F. Stan Settles, Ph.D. (Industrial and Systems Engineering, Astronautics)David Packard Chair in Manufacturing Engineering: Stephen C-Y Lu, Ph.D. (Industrial and Systems Engineering, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering)
TRW Professorship in Software Engineering: Barry Boehm, Ph.D. (Computer Science, Industrial and Systems Engineering)
Andrew and Erna Viterbi Chair in Communications: Solomon W. Golomb, Ph.D. (Electrical Engineering, Mathematics)
Professors: Michael O. Arbib, Ph.D. (Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, Neurobiology); Barry Boehm, Ph.D. (Computer Science, Industrial and Systems Engineering); John Choma, Ph.D. (Electrical Engineering, Electrophysics); Maged Dessouky, Ph.D. (Industrial and Systems Engineering); Roger Ghanem, Ph.D (Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering); Solomon W. Golomb, Ph.D. (Electrical Engineering, Mathematics); Michael Gruntman, Ph.D. (Astronautics and Space Technology); Randolph Hall, Ph.D. (Industrial and Systems Engineering); Behrokh Khoshnevis, Ph.D. (Industrial and Systems Engineering); Yan Jin, Ph.D. (Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering); Joseph Kunc (Astronautics and Space Technology, Physics); Stephen C-Y Lu, Ph.D. (Industrial and Systems Engineering, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering); Sami F. Masri, Ph.D. (Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering); Gerard Medioni, Ph.D. (Computer Science); Jerry M. Mendel, Ph.D. (Electrical Engineering); James E. Moore, Ph.D. (Industrial and Systems Engineering); Sheldon M. Ross, Ph.D. (Industrial and Systems Engineering); F. Stan Settles, Ph.D. (Industrial and Systems Engineering, Astronautics); Firdaus Udwadia, Ph.D. (Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering); Charles L. Weber, Ph.D. (Electrical Engineering); L. Carter Welford, Ph.D. (Civil Engineering); Alan Wilner, Ph.D. (Electrical Engineering)
Associate Professors: Najmedin Meshkati, Ph.D. (Industrial and Systems Engineering); Mansour Rahimi, Ph.D. (Industrial and Systems Engineering)
Assistant Professor: Maria Yang, Ph.D. (Industrial and Systems Engineering)
Adjunct Professors: George Friedman, Ph.D. (Industrial and Systems Engineering); Michael Mann, Ph.D. (Industrial and Systems Engineering)
Research Professors: Malcolm R. Currie, Ph.D. (Industrial and Systems Engineering); Peter Will, Ph.D. (Industrial and Systems Engineering)
Senior Lecturer: Kurt Palmer (Industrial and Systems Engineering)
Emeritus Professors: Elliot Axelband, Ph.D. (Electrical Engineering ); George Bekey, Ph.D. (Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering); Ralph Keeney, Ph.D. (Industrial and Systems Engineering); Gerald Nadler, Ph.D., P.E. (Industrial and Systems Engineering); Eberhardt Rechtin, Ph.D. (Industrial and Systems Engineering)
Degree Requirements
Master of Science in Systems Architecture and Engineering
This program is recommended to graduate engineers and engineering managers responsible for the conception and implementation of complex systems. Emphasis is on the creative processes and methods by which complex systems are conceived, planned, designed, built, tested and certified. The Architecture experience can be applied to defense, space, aircraft, communications, navigation, sensors, computer software, computer hardware, and other aerospace and commercial systems and activities.A minimum grade point average of 3.0 must be earned on all course work applied toward the master's degree in systems architecture and engineering. This average must also be achieved on all 400-level and above course work attempted at USC beyond the bachelor's degree. Transfer units count as credit (CR) toward the master's degree and are not computed in the grade point average.
In addition to the general requirements of the School of Engineering, the Master of Science in Systems Architecture and Engineering is also subject to the following requirements:
(1) a total of at least 30 units is required, consisting of at least nine units in the Technical Management Area, nine units in the General Technical Area, and 12 units in the Technical Specialization area;
(2) every plan of study requires prior written approval by the director of the Systems Architecture and Engineering Program recorded on the study plan in the student's file;
(3) no more than nine units at the 400 level may be counted toward the degree -- the remaining units must be taken at the 500 or 600 level;
(4) at least 24 of the 30 units must be taken in the Viterbi School of Engineering;
(5) units to be transferred (maximum of four with advisor approval) must have been taken prior to taking classes at USC; interruption of residency is not allowed;
(6) no more than six units of Special Topics courses (499 or 599) may be counted for this degree;
(7) thesis and directed research registrations may be allowed to individual students only by special permission of the supervising faculty member and the program director;
(8) a bachelor's degree in an engineering field and a minimum of three years systems experience are recommended prior to taking Systems Architecture and Design Experience courses. This program is not recommended for recent bachelor's degree graduates.
| Required courses | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| ISE 460 | Engineering Economy, or | |
| ISE 561 | Economic Analysis of Engineering Projects | 3 |
| ISE 541 | Systems Engineering Theory and Practice | 3 |
| SAE 549 | Systems Architecting | 3 |
| one of the following design experience courses or the Equivalent Approved by the Director: | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| AME 527 | Elements of Vehicle and Energy Systems Design | 3 |
| AME 556 | Systems Architecture Design Experience | 3 |
| CSCI 577a | Software Engineering | 4 |
| Electives | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| Advisor-approved electives in Technical Management Area | 3 | |
| Advisor-approved electives in General Technical Area | 3 | |
| Advisor-approved electives in Technical Specialization Area | 12 | |
Courses Pertinent to the Program
Technical Management Area: nine units required including two required courses and one elective course.| Required | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| ISE 460 | Engineering Economy, or | |
| ISE 561 | Economic Analysis of Engineering Projects | 3 |
| ISE 541 | Systems Engineering Theory and Practice | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Electives | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| AME 589x | Management for Engineers | 3 |
| CE 556ab | Project Cost Estimating, Control, Planning and Scheduling | 3-3 |
| IOM 525* | Quality Improvement Methods | 3 |
| IOM 527* | Managerial Decision Analysis | 3 |
| IOM 537* | Information Systems Management for Global Operations | 3 |
| IOM 580* | Project Management | 3 |
| ISE 515 | Engineering Product Management | 3 |
| ISE 544 | Management of Engineering Teams | 3 |
| ISE 550 | Engineering Management of Government-Funded Programs | 3 |
| ISE 562 | Value and Decision Theory | 3 |
| ISE 585 | Strategic Management of Technology | 3 |
| MOR 561* | Strategies in High-Tech Businesses | 3 |
General Technical Area: nine units required including two required courses and one elective.
| Required | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| AME 527 | Elements of Vehicle and Energy Systems Design, or | |
| AME 556 | Systems Architecture Design Experience, or | |
| SAE 549 | Systems Architecting | 3 |
| CSCI 577a | Software Engineering | 4 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Electives (take one) | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| CSCI 510 | Software Management and Economics | 3 |
| CSCI 577ab | Software Engineering | 4-4 |
| IOM 535* | Database Management | 3 |
| ISE 542 | Advanced Topics in Systems Engineering | 3 |
| ISE 550 | Engineering Management of Government-Funded Programs | 3 |
| ISE 580 | Advanced Concepts in Computer Simulation | 3 |
Technical Specialization Area: Twelve units are required, usually in the student's present or intended technical specialty. Courses are intended to complement the student's prior education and experience toward becoming a well-rounded systems architect-engineer or architect-manager. With a few exceptions, the courses should come from the recommended list, and usually all from a single specialization.
The student may choose from a large variety of technical specializations spanning all departments in the Viterbi School of Engineering. Flexibility is emphasized in this choice; the program director is expected to work closely with the student in choosing the best set of courses to meet the student's need.
Several sample specializations are listed below but are not intended to be complete.
Recommended Courses
Aerospace and Mechanical Systems: AME 501, AME 502, AME 503, AME 504, AME 506, AME 521, AME 532a, AME 544, AME 548, AME 557, AME 560, AME 580, AME 581, AME 583, AME 585, AME 588.Artificial Intelligence/Neural Networks: CSCI 460, CSCI 545, CSCI 561, CSCI 564, CSCI 566, CSCI 567, CSCI 574; EE 547.
Automation and Control Systems: EE 543a, EE 547, EE 585, EE 587, EE 588, EE 593.
Communication and Signal Processing Systems: EE 551, EE 562a, EE 563, EE 564, EE 567, EE 580, EE 582, EE 583, EE 599.
Computer and Information Systems: CSCI 485, CSCI 551, CSCI 585, EE 552, EE 554, EE 561, EE 562a, EE 574, EE 658.
Construction: CE 501, CE 519, CE 525ab, CE
Engineering Management Systems: ISE 515, ISE 530, ISE 535, ISE 541, ISE 544, ISE 550, ISE 562, ISE 580, ISE 585, ISE 599.
Integrated Media Systems: EE 469, EE 522, EE 555, EE 569, EE 596, EE 599 -- Immersive Audio Signal Processing, EE 669; CSCI 450, CSCI 480, CSCI 551, CSCI 574, CSCI 576, CSCI 585, CSCI 588.
Manufacturing Systems: ISE 511, ISE 514, ISE 516, ISE 517, ISE 544, ISE 570; AME 588; EE 561ab.
Network-centric: CSCI 402, CSCI 530, CSCI 551, CSCI 555, CSCI 558L, CSCI 577ab, EE 550, SAE 574.
Software Process Architecture: CSCI 510, CSCI 577b, CSCI 665; ISE 544, ISE 562, ISE 564, EE 554, EE 557.
Systems: ISE 515, ISE 520, ISE 525, ISE 527, ISE 528, ISE 532, ISE 535, ISE 536, ISE 538, ISE 541, ISE 542, ISE 544, ISE 562, ISE 580, ISE 585; EE 598.
Graduate Certificate in Systems Architecture and Engineering
The graduate certificate in systems architecture and engineering is designed for practicing engineers engaged in the creation and design of complex innovative systems, in aerospace and commercial fields. Entering students are expected to have a bachelor's degree in engineering or a related field from an accredited institution. Three years of industry experience are recommended. Students are required to earn a cumulative B average or higher in courses taken for the certificate. The courses taken for the certificate may be applied later to the Master of Science in Systems Architecture and Engineering.| required courses--choose four | units | |
|---|---|---|
| ISE 460 | Engineering Economy, or | |
| ISE 561 | Economic Analusis of Engineering Projects | 3 |
| ISE 515 | Engineering Project Management | 3 |
| ISE 541 | Systems Engineering Theory and Practice | 3 |
| ISE 542 | Advanced Topics in Systems Engineering | 3 |
| ISE 544 | Management of Engineering Teams | 3 |
| SAE 549 | Systems Architecting | 3 |
In addition, one 3- or 4-unit elective course shall be taken from the list of those approved for the Master of Science in Systems Architecture and Engineering.
All programs of study will be approved by the director of the Systems Architecture and Engineering program.
Courses of Instruction
Systems Architecture and Engineering (SAE)
The terms indicated are expected but are not guaranteed . For the courses offered during any given term, consult the Schedule of Classes.
499 Special Topics (2-4, max 8) Course content to be selected each semester from recent developments in systems architecture and engineering and related fields.
549 Systems Architecting (3, FaSp) Introduction to systems architecture in aerospace, electrical, computer, and manufacturing systems emphasizing the conceptual and acceptance phases and using heuristics. Prerequisite: B.S. degree in a related field of engineering.
574 Net-Centric Systems Architecting and Engineering (3, FaSp) In-depth examination of the technical design approaches, tools, and processes to enable the benefits of net-centric operations in a networked systems-of-systems.
590 Directed Research (1-12, FaSpSm) Research leading to the master's degree. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department. Graded CR/NC.
594abz Master's Thesis (2-2-0, FaSpSm) Credit on acceptance of thesis. Graded IP/CR/NC.
599 Special Topics (2-4, max 9, FaSpSm) Course content will be selected each semester to reflect current trends and developments in the field of systems architecture and engineering.