If you ask one hundred people how they would define the word system you would get one
hundred unique responses. Throughout my time at the Colorado School of Mines, I defined for
myself what a system is and know that the Systems Engineering Masters at CSU will be the
place to foster and help grow a systems-thinking mindset.
I see systems as a grouping of individual parts. With that, systems also have defined flows in
order to reach some sort of goal. These systems are governed by laws and rules that affect how
it operates as a whole. A systems-thinking mindset should consider not only how to fix and
optimize these individual portions and flows, but also how any change affects other portions,
and the system’s overall output.
At Mines, I took courses primarily in computer science, statistics, and economics. These were
directly related to the development of my own systems mindset and taught me how to look at
the entirety of the process rather than just individual pieces. Computer science gave me the
tools to extract and process data. Statistics taught me how to properly clean data and see how
objectives are changed based off of adjusting variables. Economics ties these two skills
together to apply these techniques into a real business setting rather than coming up with
optimal, yet infeasible, solutions.
Having the ability to perform linear and nonlinear optimization and data analysis isn't useful if it
can't be realistically applied to a business setting. It can be easy to find the perfect, yet
hypothetical solution to a problem, but I want to look for solutions that are the best for a specific
company and their given personal constraints. All decisions to make changes in one part of the
system have an effect on the others and it's important to keep the big picture in mind when
tweaking seemingly unrelated parts within a system.
There are many reasons why I am interested in the Systems Engineering program at CSU. First,
I am looking forward to the size of the school and how expansive the Systems Engineering
program is. The size of a school is important because it affects what types of opportunities there
are for connecting with professors and students who have a different background than I have.
Because the program has courses across different disciplines, I will be able to take courses with
people that all have their own idea as to what a system is. An engineering system is going to
look different than cultural systems as well as economic systems, but they will all have the same
base parts. Knowing how to look at one form can offer a lot of insight into something specific
that the others will miss out on. At CSU, I will be able to take courses in engineering,
management, and business. Large systems are complex and someone designing or looking
over one needs to know how to analyze it in various manners.
The required course list ensures that I will get a strong background in various engineering
systems and how to optimize and view them, but I think the wide elective course list is what
rounds out the program. There are many elective courses that I’m interested in taking that can
help me realize those goals. Some classes I have in mind, “Business Economics for the Current
Market,” “Supply Chain Management,” “Environmental Economics,” and “Ethical, Legal, and
Regulatory Issues” each tackle different issues within a large scale system and will help me
keep in mind and remember the big picture when it comes to a systems-thinking mindset.
There are many other factors that are hiding within the market or governmental policies that
need to be accounted for. You also need to keep in mind the externalities and unintended
consequences of your actions in order to ensure that you aren’t contributing to excess waste.
Unifying these various concepts helps me look at the entire process through various lenses and
will help me see where various parts are connected when it isn’t obvious. The fusion between
business and engineering is pertinent for establishing a strong systems mindset and in making
more effective decisions without overlooking unintended consequences.
By bridging this gap between two generally separate fields, I know that the SE programat CSU
will help me establish a stronger systems mindset as well as learn how to make engineering
decisions and explain the "why" and "how" within business settings. I know that it’s extremely
important to be able to make a firm decision and also be able to back up why you’re making the
choice over another. The base idea behind systems is that the parts work together in order to
produce something that no individual part could have done by itself as easily. The idea behind a
strong systems-thinking mindset makes sure that the person behind the decision is conscious of
how changing one thing is affected or constrained by another.
Looking at other programs, I see ones that focus a lot more on either business or engineering.
Having a program that is just engineering or optimization focused would be just as weak as
having one that’s solely business focused. As systems are becoming increasingly complex due
to more parts or regulations, having a well-rounded education in as many fields as you can is
needed to perform and make decisions that impact the system you’re working on and others
affected by it. Due to the broad scope of the Systems Engineering program at CSU, I will be
able to develop the strong background needed to further develop and strengthen my
systems-thinking mindset.