News

Registration is now open for the online version of the first course in our Certificate in Systems Engineering and Complex Project Management. Once exclusively offered to Irving Shipbuilding, we have now opened up to the public to help advance anyone’s career in systems engineering. 

In April 2023, Dalhousie’s Faculty of Open Learning & Career Development announced its partnership with Irving Shipbuilding to develop the specialized certificate, pledging industry support and more than $176,000 in funding.

Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary field focused on designing, integrating, and managing complex projects and systems throughout their life cycle. Most people are familiar with systems engineering through its wide use in the automotive and aerospace industries. However, the principles are now applied widely in healthcare, IT, telecommunications, oil and gas, energy, defence and many more sectors.

Systems engineering goes hand-in-hand with project management, and both the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the International Council of Systems Engineering (INCOSE) promote the belief that project managers and systems engineers need to adopt a collaborative approach to understand the interrelationships, requirements, sub-system interfaces, optimizing of system performance, safety, and reliability for project success.  

The first course, Systems Engineering Fundamentals is a seven-hour asynchronous course, and is designed to be flexible, self-paced, and ideal for working professionals.  It explains the fundamentals of systems engineering and how the ability to think holistically about complex projects is becoming a critical competency in many industries. The course will prepare you for the remaining three courses in the certificate.

After an overview of systems engineering, some topics covered in the first course include: 

• The System Development Process and Systems Engineering Method
• The System Lifecycle
• Requirements Management
• Agile and Lean Systems Engineering
• System Testing and Evaluation

The remaining three courses in the certificate will be offered in a blended format where learners will complete work asynchronously and with others in the online Learning Management System. The three courses are currently in development and are planned to launch over the next year.

Ray Jonkers, PhD, PEng, PMP, is the lead instructor and architect of the certificate. He is an award-winning author in complex decision-support systems, and has over 40 years of experience in systems engineering, working with companies such as Irving, IMP, and Canadian Forces.

Don't wait, register today for the first course - Systems Engineering Fundamentals.