Certification Blog

www.WorldTimeBuddy.com is not a sponsor of INCOSE's Certification Program, but we use it so much you might think we are getting paid to do so. When interviewing intern candidates from seven different countries, it was important that we offer interview time slots within their waking hours and that we communicate the agreed-to times. Calendar invitations are also a great help. During two meetings during the past week, a time was proposed an accepted in email, but a different time appeared in the invitation. It is a wonderful reminder of the communication problems that can occur with more complex topics. 

This post is appearing on 25 November 2022, the day after American Thanksgiving, aka Indigenous People's Day. That holiday always falls on a Thursday, and many individuals take the whole week off from work to spend time with family. As a result of this, many recurring meetings are canceled. By identifying early that participation may be low, we can reschedule meetings, focus the agenda on those who will attend, or progress offline. Sounds a lot like Risk and Opportunity Management, doesn't it? 

If you are looking for a way to earn PDUs to renew your ASEP or CSEP certification, consider learning more about your colleagues or potential colleagues. When is Chinese New Year? Will Ramadan fall during a planned conference? Does your noon meeting fall at 2AM for someone who wishes to attend? Learning about all of these topics - with an intention to apply them to your work - is relevant to you being a better systems engineer. 

INCOSE's International Workshop in 2023 is a hybrid event, with meetings hosted in-person and some of them streaming live online. The Certification meetings will not be offered hybrid. Rather, the meetings will be focused on in-person attendees during the IW. Then, there will be online-only meetings with the same topics.

Topic 1 - How to Apply for Academic Equivalency. Reference material: INCOSE Webinar 162 and https://rise.articulate.com/share/TSoyvnpFSjt-PoqSRk0ZEj8oKKdMrGUa#/

Topic 2 - How to Apply for ESEP. Reference material: Lori Zipes on YouTube and https://www.incose.org/systems-engineering-certification/becoming-certified/applying-for-esep

Topic 3 - How to Apply for CSEP Reference material: https://www.incose.org/systems-engineering-certification/becoming-certified/applying-for-csep

Topic 4 - How to Renew CSEP. Reference material: Cecilia Haskins on YouTube and https://www.incose.org/systems-engineering-certification/after-certification/renewing-certification

The INCOSE knowledge exam will also be offered in-person at the IW. It is available year-round, online. Register online here.

Yes! The work of a professor is very likely to trace to systems engineering experience areas, no matter what topic he or she is teaching! An engineering professor is more likely to qualify than someone teaching in the humanities only because of the process the engineer follows is more likely to include systems thinking. However, if a professor uses systems engineering principles to design and execute a non-technical course, it could still count. It is the process and technical products (e.g., validation plan) that matter, not the specifics of the topic area (aka domain) that matter. 

Here are some of the ways a professor might describe their work experience on a CSEP application:

• Requirements Engineering - Developing a course to meet stakeholder needs
• System Operation and Maintenance - Preparing for and managing results of course delivery 
• Technical Monitoring and Control - Planning for research project assessment and control
• Information and Change Management - Preparing for and executing change management activities for technical writing

Just as a systems engineer's system of interest may be a hardware or software, it may also be a process, a research study, or a course. Like all applicants for CSEP or ESEP, the candidate should review the definitions of the systems engineering experience areas and should describe his or her own experience focusing on what they did, not what the product was. 

Some well-qualified systems engineers resist applying for ESEP because they are near retirement or already have the job of their dreams, and they don't see a personal benefit to becoming an ESEP. And they're right, the value to them getting certified won't come back to them. 

The benefit to an engineering leader becoming an ESEP is that they help define what ESEP means. There is an old joke that someone wouldn't want to be a part of any club that would accept him as a member. This is the opposite. Others will want to be a part of the club that has these folks in it.

The beneficiaries of these leaders becoming ESEPs are other current and future SEPs of all levels. Someone will know what certification is, and that it matters, when they see that their manager is certified. It is about walking the walk.

INCOSE is hiring its next group of interns soon. Interested candidates should apply through the INCOSE Volunteer Opportunity Board. These internships are paid and may support different parts of INCOSE. Although most previous interns have supported the Certification Program, future interns will support the Marketing and Communications Team and other parts of INCOSE. The Q4 2022 internship application deadline is 4 November 2022.

Learn about the past work of INCOSE Interns at the INCOSE Internship page. 

INCOSE Certification's most recent intern, Mrunmayi Joshi, ASEP, and the Certification Program Manager, Courtney Wright, CSEP, will be giving several online presentations about INCOSE Certification in October and November.

On October 28th and 29th, Certification will be featured in the New England Fall Workshop. Joshi will present "Impact of INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook Update on Certification Process" at 10am Eastern on October 28th. She and Courtney will present "INCOSE Certification Program as a System of Systems" at 3:30pm Eastern. On October 29th at 1pm Eastern, Renee Steinwand, ESEP, and Courtney will host a tutorial on "How to Apply for ESEP."

On November 9th, at 8pm Brasil time, Joshi and Courtney will join Raquel Hoffman, CSEP, in a Certification webinar presented in Portuguese and English.

INCOSE Certification representatives will attend the INCOSE International Workshop, EMEASEC Workshop, and INCOSE International Symposium in-person for similar presentations and tutorials.

These and other INCOSE Events are posted on INCOSE's LinkedIn page and the Events page on the INCOSE website. 

The September issue of INSIGHT (INCOSE's Practitioner's Magazine) is focused on the unique abilities of systems engineers. The article "Why Mountain Bike Trails Try to Scare You Off" on page 63 explains how systems engineering can be used in atypical work activities, such as leading a group bike ride. This article may be of use to those who plan to document unusual work or volunteer experiences in their CSEP or ESEP applications.

INCOSE members have free access to INCOSE Insight at 

https://connect.incose.org/Library/InsightMagazine/Practitioners%20Magazine/Forms/AllItems.aspx Look for volume 25, issue 3. 

Non-members can access through Wiley at https://incose.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/inst.12401 

It depends. (<- This is such a common response to systems engineering questions that I consider it a stand-alone punchline to a joke. Like "to get to the other side" or Rickrolling or "Assume the cow is a sphere.")

If you're looking for specific information related to a single certification level, you'll appreciate that it now has a separate page for each: ASEP, CSEP, and ESEP.

If you're looking for a page dedicated to being a reference? Got it!

Want to make sure you've read all the pages on the website and not missed a thing? Check out the Quick Links from the main certification page and you'll cover everything. 

And if you thought the certblog deserved more traffic, more awareness by the public of its existence, then you may appreciate that www.incose.org/certblog is now linked to the main certification page, www.incose.org/certification. Finally, the recognition it deserves!

Here is an interview with David R. Schneider of Cornell University which talks about his experience and perspective as faculty of the academic equivalency program. Happy SEPtember! 


  
This interview was done in 2022.

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Q1. What is your role related to INCOSE’s Academic Equivalency?

» I created and instruct the course(s) that INCOSE Academic Equivalency can be earned through.

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Q2. What is one of your proudest professional achievements?

» My proudest professional achievement is receiving multiple recognitions from the Obama White House Office of Science and Technology Policy for my work in engineering education.

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Q3. What skills do you think a systems engineer should develop during their education?

» We could write a book on this, but if I had to focus on one skill, it's not enough just to learn SE methodologies & techniques in an academic bubble but students need to develop the ability to apply what they learned across a variety of industries and societal challenges as well as across teams of highly varied expertise.

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Q4. What was your university’s motivation behind joining the academic equivalency program?

» Motivation for our university to start an academic equivalency program is a desire to improve our curriculum, offer greater value to our students and the companies they work for, and grow the SE community.

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Q5.What do you see as the benefits of the academic equivalency program for a university and a student?

» For the university, it helps to ensure that the curriculum is well-aligned to the INCOSE methodologies and hence has significant professional value for our students. It also distinguishes the course(s)/program offering academic equivalency from peer institutions. For students, they too earn additional distinction as it is not just the institution stating their SE skill capability but the student has demonstrated that they met the larger standard established by INCOSE.

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Q6. What methods do you use to teach SE courses effectively?

» Like a movie special effects artist, we use a variety of techniques to keep the audience engaged. The most important aspect in being effective in teaching SE material though is often to help ensure that students understand its purpose and value. Sometimes this requires putting students into situations where they get "burned," a bit, by using their own non-SE approaches they may be more used to. But this only helps students to recognize the SE value even further as they see how it can help them from being burned again in a real-life situation.

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Q7. How do your SE courses help students to deepen their understanding of systems engineering?

» Students often come in to the course with at best a cursory knowledge of what SE is, even if they've supposed undergone significant internal training within their companies. They may even know the names of various SE professional practices and attempted to perform some of them to what they believed was a satisfactory level. Our courses help students better understand what needs exist that the SE practices help meet, as well as the difference between just doing them and doing them well. It is the ability to make a positive impact.

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Q8. How do your SE courses differ from those at other universities?

» Our courses tend to take a more applied approach. For example, it is not enough to merely know how to create an SE diagram, but students must be able to recognize its value in the overall life-cycle process, how the diagram can be used effectively or ineffectively, and how it can be combined with other practices for even greater impact. We aim for all of our students to graduate with examples of proven SE experience that they can showcase to a current or future employer to demonstrate the value they can bring to their teams.

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Q9. What is your advice for universities or institutes considering applying for academic equivalency?
» It is a highly worthwhile endeavor but make sure that you give yourself enough time to appreciate and integrate any new academic equivalency material into your own curriculum.

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Q10. How can we reach out to you?

» You can reach me at : https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-schneider-6b87a414/

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Know more about Cornell University's experience with academic equivalency from here. 

Here is an interview with Kahdeem Cohens, a graduate from Cornell University which talks about his experience and perspective as a graduate from the academic equivalency program. Happy SEPtember!

 

This interview was conducted in 2022.

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Q1. What is your current role/position?

» I am a Systems Engineer Sr, Model-Based Systems Engineering at Lockheed Martin Corporation, Aeronautics.

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Q2. What are your next career goals?

» I am actively enhancing my systems engineering skillset--both depth and breadth--with ambitions of stepping into formal Systems Engineering leadership, i.e., Systems Engineering Associate Manager.

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Q3. What have you learned about systems engineering in school?

» I learnt that Systems engineering is the central repository for all things architecture and requirements. Engaging the systems engineering discipline early and often will pay dividends throughout a system's lifecycle.

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Q4. What interests you about systems engineering?

» What interests me about Systems Engineering is that it touches all domains--both technical and non-technical. In order to ensure a system's or program's success, systems engineering must be involved from the outset to ensure the right thing is being built and that the thing is being built right.

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Q5. What motivated you to get SEP certification?

» Obtaining SEP certification was a means for me to formally communicate that I had a baseline understanding of the systems engineering discipline in an objective manner. Given that I wanted to pivot into the discipline, it was a natural stepping stone.

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Q6. How did the academic equivalency program benefit you?

» Academic equivalency benefitted me as I ultimately obtained my Master of Engineering degree. Moreover, I got my certification without sitting for the formal knowledge exam. Standardized testing, like the knowledge exam, is not always the best means to test one's conceptual understanding of a discipline or topic.

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Q7. How did taking courses under the academic equivalency program help you deepen your understanding of SE?

»  At Cornell University, we applied all our systems engineering learnings to generate what we called a compendium. This final project required us to understand the intricacies of systems engineering, its benefits, and why the industry is currently shifting to becoming model-based versus document-based. It provided a great foundation as I pivoted into the discipline within my career.

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Q8. What is your advice for students and research professionals pursuing SEP certification?

» I promote SEP certification. I would suggest that everyone considering it do some introspection on their "why." In an ideal world, all systems engineering professionals are INCOSE SEPs for personal motivations like recognition, objective communication of your knowledge, and the ability to apply systems engineering learnings in the workplace. Not to mention, INCOSE SEP certifications are portable and universally recognized across industries. Maintaining your INCOSE SEP certification also ensures you develop skills through continued professional development. Continued education (via earning PDUs) ensures you are aware of industry-wide changes and can adapt and succeed.

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Q9. How can we reach out to you?

» You can reach out to me at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kahdeemcohens/

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Know more about Academic Equivalency from here.

Here is an interview with Ömer Ertekin of PSCONSULTECH which talks about his experience and perspective as a trainer on the SEP Certification. Happy SEPtember!



 This interview was done in 2022.

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Q1. What is your current role/position?

» I am a consultant and a trainer at PSCONSULTECH.

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Q2. What is one of your proudest professional achievements?

» I am the founder of Turkish Chapter INCOSE. I am a true believer of systems engineering and I am persistently promoting systems engineering (almost 30 years) in Turkey. We finally reached to a break even point in 2020-2021 and now has reached almost 100 certified systems engineer in Turkey and Systems Engineering is widely recognized in high tech industries, this is my proudest professional achievement. 

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Q3. What skills do you think a systems engineer best learns through training?
» Systems Engineering Processes and Methods employed for the processes are skills that a systems engineer best learns through trainings.

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Q4. What guidance/training do you provide students regarding systems engineering and SEP certification?
» Following are the training/guidance that I provide:
1. A reading list
2. Applying the methodology using an example and active coaching during the sample project tasks
3. Six different study documents including sample questions and flash cards
4. Mentoring via phone and email

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Q5. What motivated you to provide these trainings?
» My motivation to provide these trainings is creating a knowledgeable systems engineering community in Turkey and to disseminate systems engineering through having powerful SEPs within companies who can advocate and apply systems engineering based on the best practices.

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Q6. What methods do you use to provide these trainings effectively?
» Following are the teaching methods that I use:
1. Tutoring the SE processes /methods theoretically
2. Giving real life examples on the topics
3. Encouraging /challenging participants to discuss
4. Daily quizzes

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Q7. How do you continue to learn about Systems engineering? What developmental activities do you do?
» I continue to learn about Systems engineering by trying to read every publication with a possible extent, based on INCOSE announcements, and  social media mentions.

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Q8. How can we reach out to you?
» You can reach me at : https://www.linkedin.com/in/omerertekin/

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Know more on training providers from here.

Here is an interview with Mark Williamson of SyntheSys Technologies Ltd.  which talks about his experience and perspective as a trainer on the SEP Certification. Happy SEPtember!



 This interview was done in 2022.

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Q1. What is your current role/position?

» I am the Managing Director of SyntheSys Technologies Ltd.

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Q2. What is one of your proudest professional achievements?

» My time serving in the Royal Air Force working on airborne radar and other systems brought about many incredibly proud professional experiences. The work I have done since leaving the forces has also been a great source of pride to me; I feel privileged to work with innovative manufacturing and engineering organizations and feel proud of how the team here at SyntheSys has developed a robust and specialist systems engineering offering.

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Q3. What skills do you think a systems engineer best learns through training?
» The INCOSE framework as outlined in the INCOSE systems engineering handbook is a robust basis for a successful learning experience and it is with that in mind that I develop my training courses. But it is not just the theory of systems engineering which is important when considering the application of new skills, and I am a great believer in teaching around human factors, knowledge management and other organizational project-enabled processes.

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Q4. What guidance/training do you provide students regarding systems engineering and SEP certification?
» I offer the following training solutions to individuals looking to start or extend their systems engineering careers: (1) An Introduction to Systems Engineering; (2) INCOSE Systems Engineering Exam Preparation Training; (3) Requirements Writing Training.

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Q5. What motivated you to provide these trainings?
»  I consider myself an active member of the INCOSE and broader systems engineering communities and saw a growing appetite and interest in systems engineering and felt I could add value by sharing my knowledge and assist those looking to develop a career.

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Q6. What methods do you use to provide these trainings effectively?
» My training style is varied and interactive. I use a mix of knowledge sharing, workshops, discussions and exercises, to ensure my students have a thorough understanding of the principles and practices of systems engineering.

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Q7. How do you continue to learn about Systems engineering? What developmental activities do you do?
» Participation in industry events is a valued source of knowledge and insight and gives me access to the latest thinking in systems engineering. I participate in formal training programs provided by industry leaders such as IBM. My privileged position as a trainer also gives me access to informal peer-to-peer learning and I participate in online and in-person peer-to-peer forums, working groups and workshops which also keep my knowledge fresh.

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Q8. How can we reach out to you?
» You can reach me at : https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmarkwilliamson/

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Know more about training providers from here. 

Here is an interview with Sarah Kawai, a graduate from University of Detroit Mercy which talks about her experience and perspective as a graduate from the academic equivalency program. Happy SEPtember!



This interview was conducted in 2022. 

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Q1. What is your current role/position?

» I am currently a 1D Fluids Engineer at Ford, where I own the 1D model for several engine systems.

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Q2. What are your next career goals?

» I would love to try something completely new, but I know I want to focus on more MBSE driven projects.

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Q3. What have you learned about systems engineering in school?

» It was really introduced to me in my Master's program. We focused on the fundamental concepts of systems engineering and systems architecture, and we covered a lot of real world case studies. What really hooked me though was learning SysML and about MBSE. We had the opportunity to build pretty complex system models, and we even got to collaborate as a class on one model. For our thesis, my team developed a new method of systems modeling called Alternative Based System Modeling that focused on moving requirements to interfaces so that alternatives could be easily swapped in and out.

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Q4. What interests you about systems engineering?

» MBSE interests me. As systems become increasingly complex, and the breadth of knowledge required to design them increases accordingly, I don't see how we succeed without MBSE.

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Q5. What motivated you to get SEP certification?

» My professor, Mike Vinarcik, was a huge motivation for me and he helped get the process started. I also realized that SEP certification was the easiest way for me to communicate the level of knowledge and experience I have, as well as my commitment to SE.

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Q6. How did the academic equivalency program benefit you?

» If it didn't exist, I'm not sure I would have become certified. Even though I know I have the knowledge to pass the exam, I don't think another exam would have been high on my priority list right after finishing my degree.

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Q7. How did taking courses under the academic equivalency program help you deepen your understanding of SE?

» Taking the courses let me go beyond learning about SE, and allowed me to actually practice it. As someone who learns best by doing, this really cemented a lot of concepts for me. It's also a lot easier to learn when you have other students to work with, and when you have professors to give you useful feedback.

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Q8. What is your advice for students and research professionals pursuing SEP certification?

» I was lucky enough to basically stumble into an academic equivalency program, but if you have the opportunity, take it. Also, seriously, work on your references early. Life gets busy.

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Q9. How can we reach out to you?

» You can reach out to me at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-kawai-4bb45351/

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Know more about academic equivalency from here.

Here is an interview with Shreyas Renukuntla, a graduate from Cornell University which talks about his experience and perspective as a graduate from the academic equivalency program. Happy SEPtember!



This interview was conducted in 2022. 

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Q1. What is your current role/position?

»  I am a MBSE, Simulation and Functional Safety Engineer for Automated Driving at Ford Motor Company.

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Q2. What are your next career goals?

» My next career goal is getting my master's degree and doctorate in computer science.

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Q3. What have you learned about systems engineering in school?

» I learnt the ability of the field to help handle complexity, reduce waste and optimize the engineering process by establishing traceability across the design.

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Q4. What interests you about systems engineering?

» It's a unique field which requires a practitioner to have thorough knowledge of a multitude of fields. One doesn't have to be an expert in every field, but rather just needs to know enough to help guide and point the experts in the right direction to build a well engineered system.

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Q5. What motivated you to get SEP certification?

» SEP Certification adds credibility to a practitioner's work profile. It also is conclusive proof that the certified member does possess thorough knowledge of the field.

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Q6. How did the academic equivalency program benefit you?

» As opposed to studying systems engineering to clear a test, doing the academic equivalency program instead allowed me to apply my learnings to a real world project. By going that route, I was able to better understand the need for the field as well as the benefits of practicing it.

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Q7. How did taking courses under the academic equivalency program help you deepen your understanding of SE?

» The courses allowed me to explore a broader subset of areas that fall the under the paradigm of Systems Engineering. I was able to explore systems architecture development, optimization and modeling in more detail. In effect, I was able to get a deeper understanding of the field and the associated work that would have to be developed in tandem for SE to be successfully deployed.

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Q8. What is your advice for students and research professionals pursuing SEP certification?

» Try to apply the learnings to large scale projects or your real time work responsibilities. SE is something that can be learned a lot better when applied practically. Doing this will give you a deeper understanding of the field and the subject matter. Once done, the certification test will be quite intuitive to complete.

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Q9. How can we reach out to you?

» You can reach me at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shreyasren/

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Know more on academic equivalency from here.

Here is an interview with Steven H Dam, the Advisory Board Chairman for the George Mason University Systems Engineering and Operations Research Department which talks about his experience and perspective as faculty of the academic equivalency program. Happy SEPtember! 


    
This interview was done in 2022.

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Q1. What is your role related to INCOSE’s Academic Equivalency?

» My role is encouraging any associated universities (many of whom use our (SPEC Innovation's) Innoslate tool) to apply for the academic equivalency.

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Q2. What is one of your proudest professional achievements?

» My proudest professional achievement is development of the Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office (DARO) Vision Architecture. It provided the basis for many DoD architectures afterward.

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Q3. What skills do you think a systems engineer should develop during their education?

» Skills to be developed by systems engineers during their education are: Requirements Analysis, Modeling and Simulation, and an in-depth understanding of all the programmatic and "illities" that make up systems engineering. A focus needs to be restore on the optimization of cost, schedule, and performance across all engineering disciplines.

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Q4. What was your university’s motivation behind joining the academic equivalency program?

» I the Advisory Board Chairman for the George Mason University Systems Engineering and Operations Research Department. I was one of the advocates for GMU getting the academic equivalency.

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Q5.What do you see as the benefits of the academic equivalency program for a university and a student?

» It recognizes the value of the SE degree via certification.

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Q6. What methods do you use to teach SE courses effectively?

» As an Adjunct Professor, I used our Innoslate tool as a means to help students better understand all aspects of systems engineering.

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Q7. How do your SE courses help students to deepen their understanding of systems engineering?

» I have taught an introductory course at the Graduate level to help students who come from other disciplines to better understand the full scope of systems engineering.

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Q8. What is your advice for universities or institutes considering applying for academic equivalency?» My advice is: make sure your program teach more than just Systems Engineering Management. We need SEs with a strong Math and Physics background and exposure to other Engineering disciplines.

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Q9. How can we reach out to you?

» You can reach me at : https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-dam-b105447/

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Know more about Academic Equivalency here.

Here is an interview with Michael Johnson of SE-Training GmbH which talks about his experience and perspective as a trainer on the SEP Certification. Happy SEPtember!



 This interview was done in 2022.

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Q1. What is your current role/position?

» I am the Co-Founder, Trainer and Coach at SE-Training GmbH.

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Q2. What is one of your proudest professional achievements?

» My proudest achievement is development and delivery of a space telescope for Mars (CaSSIS on the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter) within a very short time.

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Q3. What skills do you think a systems engineer best learns through training?
» The essence of Systems Engineering, hence the actual useful and pragmatic application of the methods and processes can be best learnt by a systems engineer through trainings.

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Q4. What guidance/training do you provide students regarding systems engineering and SEP certification?
» Our courses are consistent with the INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook. We provide an overview of SEP Certification. We provide additional support and guidance to attendees who pursue SEP certification.

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Q5. What motivated you to provide these trainings?
» As a Systems Engineering manager for over 10 years, I saw early-on the need for professional development training in Systems Engineering in both my teams and in adjacent organizations. I began by delivering the courses internally at the Space company I was working for at the time, the need was then validated by the response of the attendees, notably their managers' positive feedback. 

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Q6. What methods do you use to provide these trainings effectively?
» We provide these trainings through: lectures, individual activities, activities in groups of 2 to 3, and moderated workshop. 

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Q7. How do you continue to learn about Systems engineering? What developmental activities do you do?
» I continue learning about Systems engineering predominantly through the Systems Engineering networks, friends are often asking for support on novel topics. 

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Q8. How can we reach out to you?
» You can reach me at :  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikejohnson1981/
 The LinkedIn page of SE-Training GmbH is : https://www.linkedin.com/company/se-training/

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Here is an interview with Raksha Poondicherry Mani, a student at ISAE SUPAERO which talks about her experience and perspective towards SEP certification as a certified student. Happy SEPtember!



This interview was conducted in 2022. 

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Q1. What is your current role/position?

» I am currently working as a Solution Architect intern for the World-Wide Value Engagement team at Dassault Systemès in Paris.        

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Q2. What are your next career goals?

» I aim to continue work in the field of systems engineering primarily focusing on applications in the Aerospace industry. With the upcoming innovations with respect to sustainability and hybrid propulsion techniques, the complexity of aircraft systems is bound to increase and many times this also leads to reduction of safety. I wish to contribute to this field by using the MBSE and MBSA approaches, thereby handling system complexity without compromising the safety factor.   

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Q3. What have you learned about systems engineering in school?

» At my school I had opted for a Majors in Systems Engineering. Therefore, through different courses I was introduced to System Modelling and Analysis, Requirements Engineering and the importance of V-cycle. We also had lectures from Airbus, that provided an insight into how complex is system development in real-life and how the MBSE approach is helping the aerospace industry with complex system development.      

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Q4. What interests you about systems engineering?

» I am particularly interested by how systems engineering provides an efficient traceability right from the capture of stakeholder needs until the end of the system life. The traceability between the system functions and the system design stages is crucial and this helps in reducing rework time and provides cost benefits too.

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Q5. What motivated you to get SEP certification?

» The SEP certification by the INCOSE is a universally recognized certification, helping me prove my competence and knowledge in the different aspects of systems engineering. In addition to this, by receiving several newsletter and attending conferences organized by INCOSE, it provides an opportunity to interact and exchange insights with the systems engineering experts working in different fields. 

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Q6. How did preparing for the knowledge exam help you deepen your understanding of systems engineering?» During the days of the preparation of SEP certification exam, I was introduced to the different technical and technical management processes, which I was not aware of in that level of detail. And, also with the introduction of the modern approaches adopted in the industries nowadays, the INCOSE handbook is rightly called the Bible for systems engineering.

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Q7. What is your advice for students and research professionals pursuing SEP certification?

» As a student or a research professional, one is exposed to the fields of modelling, simulation and other such aspects of systems engineering. However, with the theoretical knowledge provided through the INCOSE handbook, it provides a deepened knowledge about the different aspects and this also would aid one to adopt a more strategic approach while using a modelling tool or methodology. Apart from this, the SEP certification is universally recognized and is a valuable certification on one's resume.

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Q8. How can we reach out to you?

» You can reach out to me at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rakshapmani

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Know more about INCOSE SEP Certification from here.

Here is an interview with Cihan Dagli of Missouri University of Science and Technology which talks about his experience and perspective as a faculty of the academic equivalency program. Happy SEPtember!



This interview was done in 2022.

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Q1. What is your role related to INCOSE’s Academic Equivalency?

» I am the founder and program director of Systems Engineering Graduate program at Missouri S&T. I am an INCOSE fellow and former INCOSE Fellows chair.

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Q2. What is one of your proudest professional achievements?» My proudest professional achievements are:
1. Founding organizing and chairing ANNIE Artificial Neural Network in Engineering Conferences 1991 -2011.
2. Founding organizing and chairing Complex Adaptive Systems Conferences 2012 to date
3. Founding and directing Systems Engineering Graduate Program at Missouri University of Science and Technology from 2000 to date 4. Integrating all these activities with the popular theme of today AI in Systems Engineering and Systems Engineering in AI based on over 40 years of experience in each of these fields

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Q3. What skills do you think a systems engineer should develop during their education?

» Good systems engineers are excellent engineers and basic scientists first then systems engineers. We need to build up systems engineering , systems architecting, artificial intelligence, namely; adaptive or achromous systems and complex systems concepts based on strong foundation in engineering and applied science. Ability to think systems as a whole is a fundamental for them. This is generally identified with the term systems thinking. They should be good communicators, listeners who can formulate the right questions so that correct decision problems are defined and correct sequence of decision are made in responding dynamically changing needs. Our program is build on these ideas in our course design and integration and continuingly involving.

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Q4. What was your university’s motivation behind joining the academic equivalency program?

» Our basic motivation was to provide a platform for our program within INCOSE community so that we can continuously inform the community adaptive nature of the graduate program in meeting the needs of international practicing systems engineers as the systems that we are designing evolve. The second motivation was to create an ecosystems for system engineering education. Missouri S&T is a main partner of this new activity SEEE- SYSTEMS ENGINEERING EDUCATION ECOSYSTEM.

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Q5. What do you see as the benefits of the academic equivalency program for a university and a student?» This is very well explained in the basic vision statement of SEEE. https://beta.incose.org/seee/vision You can also see the founders and the team. I am one of the founders. https://beta.incose.org/seee/team.

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Q6. How do your SE courses differ from those at other universities?
 
» Our MS degree programs has a modular structure having six core systems engineering courses and four elective courses where students can earn a second graduate certificate based on their selection. Four out of six systems engineering core courses are sufficient to get a systems engineering graduate certificate. Second graduate certificate can be from system engineering or other engineering or basic science discipline. Hence each graduate has their unique characteristic in the degree they receive based on their choices of second graduate certificate. Here is an example program: . Computational Intelligence Engineering Emphasis SYS ENG 5101 Systems Engineering and Analysis SYS ENG 6102 Information Based Design SYS ENG 6103 Systems Life Cycle Costing SYS ENG 6104 Systems Architecting Receive Systems Engineering Graduate Certificate SYS ENG 5211 Computational Intelligence SYS ENG 5212 Introduction to Neural Networks and Applications SYS ENG 6213 Deep Learning and Advanced Neural Networks SYS ENG Elective: Like Modeling Complex Systems Receive Computational Intelligence Engineering Graduate Certificate Sys Eng 6542 Model Based Systems Engineering Sys Eng 6196 Systems Engineering Capstone Receive Master of Science in Systems Engineering.

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Q7. How do your SE courses help students to deepen their understanding of systems engineering?

» The students are exposed to a variety of opinions, tools and methodologies. The end point of the inclusion of design prototyping, electronics, software development, and validation from a real world customer is a more personal understanding of the processes and results of systems engineering realities.

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Q8. What methods do you use to teach SE courses effectively?

» Our courses are synchronous live both on campus and off campus. They are recorded and archived for viewing 24/7 throughout the semester and deleted at the end of the semester. The systems engineering pedagogy used in the program is to expose students to the wide range of influences that program managers and systems engineers face in real programs, along with the systems engineering tools that are needed to produce the best balanced development of today’s complex systems, while incorporating “real-world” problems that expand the students’ knowledge base in the area of “system life-cycle.”

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Q9. What is your advice for universities or institutes considering applying for academic equivalency?

» They can look the programs of current universities who have secured INCOSE Academic Equivalency and contact them. I also advise them to look at SEEE- SYSTEMS ENGINEERING EDUCATION ECOSYSTEM vision links that I provided earlier.

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Q10. How can we reach out to you?

» You can reach me at:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cihan-dagli-70a0b26/

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Know more about academic equivalency from here. 

Here is an interview with Rick Grandrino of Drexel University which talks about his experience and perspective as faculty of the academic equivalency program. Happy SEPtember! 


 
This interview was done in 2022.

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Q1. What is your role related to INCOSE’s Academic Equivalency?

»  I am faculty and director of the Drexel University, College of Engineering Systems Engineering Master of Science Degree program.

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Q2. What is one of your proudest professional achievements?

» Developing the Systems Engineering Master of Science degree program at Drexel was the accomplishment that I am most proud of. This program was launched in the fall of 2014. The programs follows the rich tradition of the Drexel College of Engineering by providing an education that prepares students to be successful in industry. In developing the program, we worked with an experienced industry advisory board a to determine program needs by industry. We also conducted a survey of the top ranked systems engineering programs and contrasted to industry needs in order to create a comprehensive and effective systems engineering program that is different than most others.

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Q3. What skills do you think a systems engineer should develop during their education?

» The mission of our systems engineering program is to develop systems engineers and leaders that meet customer and industry needs of today and tomorrow. Our students learn skills and knowledge to solve complex problems. Systems engineering is different from traditional engineering as it is an interdisciplinary field of engineering that draws upon a variety of disciplines. A systems engineer is often referred to as a “jack of all trades” as they possess knowledge of many different fields such as hardware development, software, analysis of alternatives skills, design engineering and project management to name a few. A systems engineer needs to have the ability to think within the context of a systems point of view. This involves understanding of the system linkages and interactions between the subsystems and components that comprise the entirety of the system. An effective systems engineer needs to have the following skills:
- A thorough understanding of the systems engineering process - Knowledge of the Life Cycle Stages of the systems development process and the engineering activities required for each stage
- The ability to think in context of entire system or a holistic thinking approach
- Understanding the interconnection and relationships of a system and the concept of systems thinking
- Ability to conduct thorough and rigorous requirements analysis
- Leadership ability to guide the execution of the systems engineering process
- Analytical skills to evaluate decision alternatives with quantitative factors and data analytics so as to choose the best alternate course of action
- Understanding of use of models and model based systems engineering (MBSE) to provide solutions and designs for complex problems and systems development.

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Q4. What was your university’s motivation behind joining the academic equivalency program?

» It is important that the foundation of our systems engineering degree program be linked to the INCOSE society as well as industry. Achieving academic equivalency ensures that our program meets industry standards and needs.

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Q5. What do you see as the benefits of the academic equivalency program for a university and a student?

» For a university, the benefit is an acknowledgement that our program meets the high quality industry standards. For a student, academic equivalency provides a path to achieve systems engineering professional certification by the INCOSE society.

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Q6. What methods do you use to teach SE courses effectively?

» We have designed a program of courses that effectively teaches students how to execute the systems engineering process. We also focus on developing skills and knowledge that are required by systems engineers. We do this through a learning process taught by experienced professors who worked as systems engineers in the industry. Additionally, our students get to work on projects so that they can apply the systems engineering process to real world applications. Additionally, our courses are offered fully asynchronous online.

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Q7. How do your SE courses help students to deepen their understanding of systems engineering?

» All of the courses focus on application. They are taught by faculty with experience of the course they teach. Also, the assignments are usually in the form of projects and / or real world applications so students can learn how to execute what they are learning.

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Q8. How do your SE courses differ from those at other universities?

» All our courses are taught by faculty who have significant experience through working in industry. Therefore, students get to learn about the art and science of systems engineering through experienced practitioners. Our students can apply what they learn effectively and hit the ground running. Also, the program can be tailored to meet each students’ specific goals. This is a major differentiator with our program is that there is flexibility to design a program that meets students specific career needs and desires. Students can focus to be general systems engineer, or focus more, on perhaps, reliability engineering, hardware engineering or a logistician or software development or leadership roles such a technical director and / or systems engineering program manager. We offer the ability for students to tailor a specific program that provides that provides them with coursework to ascertains those skills. We also continually update and revise our program based on feedback and needs of our systems engineering advisory board, industry partners and the INCOSE society. We take a systems engineering approach to continually revise, upgrade and keep our program current in order to meet the needs of industry.

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Q9. What is your advice for universities or institutes considering applying for academic equivalency?
» Be patient as it is a tedious process. Be sure to adhere to the INCOSE guidelines and principles for courses related to academic equivalency. Consider being a CAB and Academic member and stay active with INCOSE as they are connected to the systems engineering industry.

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Q10. How can we reach out to you?

» You can reach me at : https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-grandrino-57814a4

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Know more on academic equivalency here. 

Here is an interview with David Mason of dlMason Enterprise which talks about his experience and perspective as a trainer on the SEP Certification. Happy SEPtember!



 This interview was done in 2022.

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Q1. What is your current role/position?

» I am a Consultant at dlMason Enterprise

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Q2. What is one of your proudest professional achievements?

» My proudest professional achievement is leading the Assembly Integration, and Test team of the NASA sponsored James Webb Space Telescope NIRCam Instrument. 

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Q3. What skills do you think a systems engineer best learns through training?
» The first skill is systems thinking and how this leads to incorporating the Life Cycle processes across all stage of the development of a successful system and the soft skills required to enable direct communication across all stakeholders.

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Q4. What guidance/training do you provide students regarding systems engineering and SEP certification?
» We provide trainings on identifying the interconnection and dependencies between the life cycle processes and the cross cutting tools and specialty engineers with the system engineering team along with their roles and the significance of these interactions.

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Q5. What motivated you to provide these trainings?
» My motivation to provide these training is my past experiences of developing products which did not meet the product goals and objectives. This triggered my curiosity of how these failures can be eliminated and the process of comprehending the order of activities. Now I share this not occurring on today's products across all domains.

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Q6. What methods do you use to provide these trainings effectively?
» These are the training methods used:  a combination of lectures from pre-developed presentations, interactive work shops where students interact to formulate responses, illustrate interdependencies, sample test questions, and debates amongst other students.

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Q7. How do you continue to learn about Systems engineering? What developmental activities do you do?
» I continue to learn about Systems engineering through teaching. Teaching is my primary motivator which demands additional research into methodologies to execute efficient trade studies and solution development.

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Q8. How can we reach out to you?
» You can reach me at : https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mason-esep-msba-9111503a/ 

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