■ Systems Engineering and Operations Research

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Phone: 703-993-1670
Web: seor.gmu.edu

School: Volgenau School of Engineering

Faculty

Professors: Adelman, Chang, Chen, Hoffman, Nash, Polyak, Sage, Schum, Sofer (chair)

Associate professors: Brouse, Ganesan, Laskey, Loerch, Sherry, Shortle

Assistant professors: Xu

Affiliated faculty members: Houck

Research and term professors: Costa, Wagner, Wolman

Adjunct professors: Alexander, Bailey, Barry, Camp, Carley, Charboneau, Ferreiro, Humphrey, Killam, Laveson, McDevitt, Morris, Ness, Rothwell, Soller, Stanojevic, Stephenson, Stevens, Wagner, Wieland, Yost

Emeritus faculty: Donohue, Palmer

The Systems Engineering and Operations Research (SEOR) Department offers a bachelor’s degree in systems engineering, a minor in systems engineering and operations research, a master’s degree in systems engineering, a master’s degree in operations research, and a doctoral degree in systems engineering and operations research. In addition, the department offers seven certificate programs at the master’s level: architecture-based systems integration; command, control, communications, computing, and intelligence (C4I); discovery, design and innovation; military operations research; computational modeling; systems engineering analysis and architecture; and systems engineering of software-intensive systems. The Department also offers a dual degree MS in Operations Research and Statistical Science jointly with the Statistics Department.

Systems engineers determine the most effective ways to use all of a system’s components: people, machines, materials, information, and energy. The engineers plan, design, implement, and manage integrated systems, working to ensure performance, safety, reliability, and maintainability. They also work to ensure that systems are delivered on time at a reasonable cost. Examples of systems are computer networks, the national airspace system, automobiles, intelligent robots, the electric grid, the Metro, and Mason. Whereas other engineering disciplines concentrate on individual aspects of a system, such as electronics, ergonomics, or software, systems engineers focus on the system as a whole. Systems engineering, perhaps more than any other engineering discipline, is involved with the human and organizational aspects of developing the desired system. Systems engineering is the people-oriented engineering profession. Systems engineering was rated as the number one job in 2009 by Money and PayScale.com, the top among top 100 careers with great pay and superior growth prospects.

Operations research is the professional field that uses analytical methods in engineering to support management decision making, often focusing on how best to allocate limited resources. Operations researchers do for organizations what physicists do for the physical world: they try to find order in apparent chaos by identifying the structure in complex situations and understanding how the components of organizations interact. The goal is to explain and predict the effects of actions taken on these systems. Much of this work is developing and manipulating mathematical and computer models of organizational systems composed of people, machines, information, and procedures. The overall purpose is to provide a rational basis for decision-making.

Mason’s program in operations research focuses on quantitative modeling and analysis of complex-systems operating under uncertain conditions.

There is much overlap between systems engineering and operations research. The department encourages students of either discipline to elect courses in the other. For more information, go to seor.gmu.edu.