News Release

As the challenges of developing products and solving systems problems become increasingly complex and multidisciplinary, the need for systems engineers with advanced skills continues to grow. To address this need, The Johns Hopkins University has launched a new program offering an Advanced Certificate for Post-Master's Study in Systems Engineering. This part-time graduate program is designed for senior engineers and managers who already have a master's degree in systems engineering. The program provides advanced state-of-the-art tools and knowledge that go beyond a traditional systems engineering program.

"The rapid growth of the systems engineering discipline and the breadth of its applications implies that recent engineering graduates need to keep up with the most advanced tools and standards to be employable and productive today," said Samuel Seymour, acting chair of the Systems Engineering Program.

This certificate program offers a convenient way for students to keep up with changes in the field, said Allan Bjerkaas, associate dean for the Whiting School of Engineering's Engineering and Applied Science Programs for Professionals.

"This certificate is important because many of our M.S. graduates in systems engineering received their degrees more than five years ago," Bjerkaas said, "and so much is changing in systems engineering as the world moves to more and more complex systems."

The program builds upon the university's existing part-time master's program in systems engineering, which provides an integrated foundation course series. An important component of the new program is that it gives students a chance to do original research of potential interest to their employers and to publish their findings.

"Both keeping up with their field and publishing a paper can be important for students' professional development," Bjerkaas said. "This is the sort thing we hope to facilitate."

The certificate program will provide the opportunity to expand the student's experience and knowledge base to encompass the enterprise and integrated systems environments. Commercial and government challenges will be explored. The courses are taught by advanced systems engineers who are intimately familiar with the current challenges facing government and industry.

The Advanced Certificate for Post-Master's Study in Systems Engineering program requires students to complete six courses, including four required courses, such as Systems of Systems Engineering, Systems Architecting and Enterprise Systems Engineering, and two advanced electives. The courses must be completed within three years of enrollment in the program.

For more information about the program, go to www.epp.jhu.edu/ or call 800-548-3647.

Part of the Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering, the Engineering and Applied Science Programs for Professionals (EPP) offer masters degrees in 15 distinct disciplines. There are currently more than 2,200 students enrolled in EPP programs at seven education centers throughout the Baltimore/Washington area. For more information on EPP programs and functions, contact Associate Dean Allan Bjerkaas at 410-540-2960, visit the Web site at www.epp.jhu.edu, or e-mail epp@jhu.edu.