Related Courses

The Engineering Systems curriculum at MIT includes many courses that fall within the area of Systems Engineering. The following are selected examples of courses related to systems engineering at MIT.

IDS.045[J] System Safety (New)

Same subject as 16.63[J]
Prereq: None
Acad Year 2018-2019: Not offered
Acad Year 2019-2020: U (Fall)
3-0-9 units. REST

Introduces the concepts of system safety and how to analyze and design safer systems. Topics include the causes of accidents in general, and recent major accidents in particular; hazard analysis, safety-driven design techniques; design of human-automation interaction; integrating safety into the system engineering process; and managing and operating safety-critical systems.

N. Leveson

IDS.330 Real Options for Product and Systems Design

Prereq: IDS.333 or permission of instructor
G (Spring; second half of term)
3-0-3 units

Focuses on implementation of flexibility (real options) in the design of products and systems. Applies the methods presented in IDS.333: recognition of uncertainty, identification of best opportunities for flexibility, and valuation of these options and their effective implementation. Students' work culminates in a dynamic business plan for design and deployment of products, start-ups, ongoing management of operations, or policy plans. Students bring their own project concept, which they will analyze during the class. Useful complement to thesis or research projects.

R. de Neufville

IDS.332 Engineering Systems Analysis for Design

Engineering School-Wide Elective Subject.
Offered under: 1.146, 16.861, IDS.332
Prereq: Permission of instructor
G (Fall)
3-0-9 units
Credit cannot also be received for IDS.333

Covers theory and methods to identify, value, and implement flexibility in design, also known as "real options." Topics include definition of uncertainties, simulation of performance for scenarios, screening models to identify desirable flexibility, decision and lattice analysis, and multidimensional economic evaluation. Students demonstrate proficiency through an extended application to a systems design of their choice. Provides a complement to research or thesis projects. Meets with IDS.333 first half of term. Enrollment limited.

R. de Neufville

IDS.333 Risk and Decision Analysis

Prereq: None
G (Fall; first half of term)
3-0-3 units
Credit cannot also be received for 1.146, 16.861, IDS.332

Focuses on design choices and decisions under uncertainty. Topics include identification and description of uncertainties using probability distributions; the calculation of commensurate measures of value, such as expected net present values; Monte Carlo simulation and risk analysis; and the use of decision analysis to explore alternative strategies and identify optimal initial choices. Presents applied analysis of practical examples from a variety of engineering systems using spreadsheet and decision analysis software. Meets with IDS.332 first half of term.

R. de Neufville

IDS.336[J] Systems Architecting Applied to Enterprises

Same subject as 16.855[J]
Prereq: Permission of instructor
G (Spring)
3-0-9 units

Focuses on principles and practices for architecting new and evolving sociotechnical enterprises. Includes reading and discussions of enterprise theory, contemporary challenges, and case studies of evolving enterprises. Covers frameworks and methods for ecosystem analysis, stakeholder analysis, architecture design and evaluation, and implementation strategies. Students work in small teams on projects to design a future architecture for a selected real-world enterprise.

D. Rhodes

IDS.338[J] Multidisciplinary System Design Optimization

Same subject as 16.888[J]
Prereq: 18.085 or permission of instructor
Acad Year 2018-2019: Not offered
Acad Year 2019-2020: G (Spring)
3-1-8 units

Engineering systems modeling for design and optimization. Selection of design variables, objective functions and constraints. Overview of principles, methods and tools in multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO). Subsystem identification, development and interface design. Review of linear and non-linear constrained optimization formulations. Scalar versus vector optimization problems from systems engineering and architecting of complex systems. Heuristic search methods: Tabu search, simulated annealing, genetic algorithms. Sensitivity, tradeoff analysis and isoperformance. Multiobjective optimization and pareto optimality. Surrogate and multifidelity optimization strategies. System design for value. Specific applications from aerospace, mechanical, civil engineering and system architecture.

O. de Weck, K. E. Willcox

IDS.339[J] Space Systems Engineering

Same subject as 16.89[J]
Prereq: 16.851 or permission of instructor
Acad Year 2018-2019: Not offered
Acad Year 2019-2020: G (Spring)
4-2-6 units

Focus on developing space system architectures. Applies subsystem knowledge gained in 16.851 to examine interactions between subsystems in the context of a space system design. Principles and processes of systems engineering including developing space architectures, developing and writing requirements, and concepts of risk are explored and applied to the project. Subject develops, documents, and presents a conceptual design of a space system including a preliminary spacecraft design.

E. F. Crawley, J. A. Hoffman

IDS.340[J] System Safety Concepts

Same subject as 16.863[J]
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Acad Year 2018-2019: Not offered
Acad Year 2019-2020: G (Fall)
3-0-9 units

Covers important concepts and techniques in designing and operating safety-critical systems. Topics include the nature of risk, formal accident and human error models, causes of accidents, fundamental concepts of system safety engineering, system and software hazard analysis, designing for safety, fault tolerance, safety issues in the design of human-machine interaction, verification of safety, creating a safety culture, and management of safety-critical projects. Includes a class project involving the high-level system design and analysis of a safety-critical system.

N. G. Leveson