The purpose of this course is to introduce postgraduate students in technical disciplines to the broad concepts, processes, techniques and tools applicable to the design and development of large, complex socio-technical systems. The course illustrates these practices both in a Defence context, where the discipline of Systems Engineering is applied extensively, as well as in non-Defence contexts. Examples of the latter domain include the design and development of complex civil infrastructure projects. This course establishes a foundation of knowledge that will enable the student to progress to more advanced levels of postgraduate programs in Systems Engineering.

On completion of this course the student should be able to:

• Apply holistic systems thinking to engineering design and practice;
• Explain the role of systems engineering in the total system lifecycle;
• Compare and contrast the roles of specialist engineering disciplines in systems engineering;
• Reflect on key points and the role of systems engineering standards;
• Explain the benefits of following formal systems processes;
• Explain the value of model-based systems engineering;
• Explain the impact of COTS and MOTS elements on engineering design;
• Explain the key competencies required by systems engineers;

Approximately 150 hrs which consists of:

• a face-to-face workshop (10 hrs)
• synchronous online classroom presentations and discussions (27 hrs)
• asyncrhonous online study, a blend of reading, discussion forums and recorded lectures (51 hrs)
• assessment and related activities (78 hrs)

Entry to MEP program.

Previous engineering work or specialised study.

Stevens, R., Brook, P., Jackson, K., & Arnold, S., Systems Engineering: coping with complexity, Pearson - Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-13-095085-8, 1998.