BKCASE:Body of Knowledge and Curriculum to

Advance Systems Engineering

An Overview

Presenter: Dave Olwell2010 EUSEC Academic Forum, Stockholm

What is BKCASE?• Project led by Stevens Institute

of Technology and Naval Postgraduate School who are creating two primary products:– Body of Knowledge in systems

engineering (SEBoK)

– Graduate Reference Curriculum in Systems Engineering (GRCSE)

• Started in September 2009 and will run through 2012

• Intended for world-wide use

• Not intended to be used directly for accreditation

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Our Partners

30-31 March 20103

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Author Organization SEBOK GRCSERick Adcock Cranfield University X X

Johann Amsenga Eclipse RDC X

Erik Aslaksen Sinclair Knight Merz X

John Baras University of Maryland

Barry Boehm University of California X

Edmund Conrow Management and Technology Associates X

Paul Croll CSC X

Cihan Dagli Missouri University of Science and Technology

X

Joseph J. Ekstrom Brigham Young University X

Marcia Enos Lockheed Martin X

Alain Faisandier Association Francaise d‘lingeniere Systeme

X

Tim Ferris University of South Australia X

Kevin Forsberg Center for Systems Management X

Richard Freeman Air Force Institute of Technology X

Sanford Friedenthal Lockheed Martin X

Richard Frost General Motors Corporation

Don Gelosh US Department of Defense X

Edward Ghafari ICES Corporation

Richard Grzybowski Corning Incorporated

Tom Hilburn Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University X

Scott Jackson University of Southern California X

Ken Kepchar Federal Communications Commissions X

Authors as of

May 2010

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Authors,cont. as of

May 2010

Author Organization SEBOK GRCSEMike Krueger ASE Consulting X

Harold “Bud” Lawson Lawson Konsult AB X

Yeaw lip “Alex” Lee Defence Science and Technology Agency

Ray Madachy Naval Postgraduate School X

Andrew McGettrick Association for Computing Machinery X

Ken NiDiffer Software Engineering Institute X

Dave Olwell Naval Postgraduate School X X

Daniel Prun Ecole Nationale de l’Aviation Civile (ENAC)

X

Art Pyster Stevens Institute of Technology X X

Garry Roedler Lockheed Martin X

Jean-Claude Roussel EADS X

Sven-Olaf Schulze Berner & Mattner

Hillary Sillitto Thales Group X

John Snoderly Defense Acquisition University X

Alice Squires Stevens Institute of Technology X X

Massood Towhidnejad Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University X

Guilherme Horta Travassos

Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)

X

Mary VanLeer Arkansas Scholarship Lottery X

Qing Wang Institute of Software Chinese Academy of Sciences

Brian Wells Raytheon X

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GRCSE

• A set of objectives to be fulfilled by a graduate who successfully completes a graduate program based on the curriculum

• A set of outcomes to be fulfilled by a student who successfully completes a graduate program based on the

• A set of student skills, knowledge, and experience assumed by the curriculum, not intended as entrance requirements for a specific program, but as the starting point for the curriculum’s outcomes

• An architectural framework to support implementation of the curriculum• A description of the fundamental or core skills, knowledge, and experience

to be taught in the curriculum to achieve the outcomes. This is termed a Core Body of Knowledge (CorBOK) and includes topic areas and the depth of development a student should achieve.

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Why?

• Systems engineering is a distinct discipline with a rich body of knowledge, practice, and theory.

• Systems engineering draws its foundations from a wide variety of disciplines, with deepening ties to software engineering, human factors and the various engineering specialties.

• There is no generally recognized graduate reference curriculum for SE and there is a wide variation in existing programs.

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Purpose and scope

• The principal purpose of GRCSE will be to provide a set of tailorable recommendations for developing and improving curricula that provide systems engineering education at the master’s degree level in systems engineering centric programs. It is not intended to be the basis for accreditation.

• The master’s degree described by GRCSE will be a professional degree targeting practicing systems engineers.

• GRCSE will be broadly based and international in scope.

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Schedule

• Version 0.25 Fall 2010• Version 0.50 Fall 2011• Version 1.0 Fall 2012

• After Version 1.0, responsibility for GRCSE will be transferred to the professional societies.

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Call for assistance

• Authors still needed (few)• Reviewers needed (many)

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www.BKCASE.org

bkcase@stevens.edu

Questions?

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