How does Cranfield prepare me to be a Systems Engineer?

What is a systems engineer?

‘Systems engineering’ is not something that most people would think of when looking at how workplace cohesiveness is maintained, but in the last 30 years it has become an integral part in the way that some of the biggest companies and industries in the world have become more efficient, effective and successful.

It is commonly agreed that the term ‘systems engineering’ came out of the Bell Telephone Laboratories, the company and manufacturer set up in the 1800s, and after Alexander Graham Bell’s death in 1922 subsequently combined its research, development and testing facilities into its own subsidiary.

By the 1950s, ‘systems engineering’ evolved into a formal discipline to manage the intricate interplay of engineering, operations, and logistics across various domains. As technology advanced, systems engineering principles spread to other sectors such as transportation, healthcare, and information technology.

In today’s interconnected world, systems engineers play a crucial role in managing complexity.  – designing and overseeing large, integrated systems, ensuring they function seamlessly from conception to retirement. This makes systems engineers vital in industries like aerospace, automotive, energy, telecommunications, and defence.

Why is the role so important?

A systems engineer typically works at the intersection of engineering, management, and technical disciplines to ensure that complex systems are designed, implemented, and operated effectively. They have become an important part of ensuring best practice, efficiency and fluidity across the ‘system’ they are overseeing whether that be system—be it mechanical, electrical, software, or human aspects.

As the workplace has become more integrated with technology, cyberspace and the opening up of mass and expediated world-wide trade, logistics and communications having a role where you involve identifying customer needs, defining system requirements, managing risk, and ensuring that all components of a project align seamlessly to deliver a fully functional product or system can be critical to business success.

The need for systems engineers has grown exponentially. The future of the role is continually redefined and broadened to suit a growing area of cyberspace, technology and manufacturing amongst others.

Cranfield Defence and Security saw the increasing scope of the role of a systems engineer and in 2019 we modified our existing Systems Engineering for Defence Capability MSc into an all-encompassing Systems Engineering MSc.

This was bolstered by the introduction of the Level 7 Apprenticeship in Systems Engineering  – an excellent option for those seeking to combine education with practical experience while advancing their careers,  and especially beneficial for professionals aiming for senior or specialist roles without taking a career break.

The provision at Cranfield for systems engineering has  continued to grow and we constantly adapt and review all our teaching so that every student gets the most up-to-date and relevant experience once they walk through the doors at Cranfield

How can Cranfield make you an expert systems engineer?

The teaching team are experts in their field with many years of practical application, experience and research. Using this knowledge and the feedback from students we have been able to develop and demonstrate how to take the education learnt within engaging lectures, group sessions and practical study and immediately transfer that into workplace application.

We know that different systems engineers face different challenges. Therefore, to supplement the core modules within the course, students can study an elective module that suits their chosen career path. Systems engineering continues moving forward with the increasing demand for efficiency, compliance and strategy in the workplace likely to open up many more opportunities for a role that never existed until around 80 years ago.

This therefore begs the question – what will the next 80 years show us, and how will humans interacting with artificial intelligence lead the development of systems, systems engineering and strategic leadership?

It is our goal to explore that and work with our students to be the link between the current and the future, and how we both interpret and work around the ever growing and changing world, technologically, economically and socially.