Under the Systems Engineering and Design banner, students will still learn the breadth of engineering science, they will still choose a specialized focus, and they’ll still be asked to apply that specialized information to dream about, create, and maintain advanced systems around the world. While protractors and blueprints were long ago replaced with computers and data analytics, the academically rigorous palette approach of the old General Engineering program won’t be changing anytime soon. “It’s part of the expanding genealogy tree of Engineering.” “This coupling of the words ‘systems’ and ‘design’ in the name very much coincides with how engineering as a discipline is evolving,” says ISE Department Head and Donald Biggar Willett Professor Rakesh Nagi. Because of this, many people will ask why we would change the name of such a strong program with such a deep history. General Engineering was also one of the original five programs on the Engineering campus to be accredited, beginning in 1936. 1912-1918.Ĭraddock says, “The General Engineering degree as we know it has been a great curriculum since it was created in 1953, and the program has deep roots in design from the time it was originally called General Engineering Drawing (established in 1921). Military Aeronautics Headquarters (Transportation Building), ca. With that question in mind, Heidi Craddock, assistant director of undergraduate programs, says the department found that the General Engineering name was outdated and didn’t properly communicate the aspirations of students or the department. The underlying question has been, as it always is at ISE: “How will this help our students succeed?” Years were spent gathering information, talking to many students, alumni, and employers, and taking up the matter with university administration, before the decision was finalized. In Fall 2016, The Bachelor's of Science in General Engineering changed its name to the Bachelor's of Science in Systems Engineering and Design.

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