Course Descriptions

NCSC 6121 Programming Language Principles (3 sem. cr.)
This course will cover the central principles of designing and implementing programming languages. The four main paradigms of programming will be covered: imperative, object-oriented, functional, and logic programming.   Programming language specification (syntax and semantics) is emphasized, and special attention is given to the functional paradigm because of its usefulness in specifying the semantics of imperative languages. There will be a class project, in which students will implement portions of a programming language.

NMBA 6130 Leadership and Teamwork: Accomplishing Momentum Transfer Using Power, Influence, and Collaboration (3 sem. cr.)
With the advent of true globalization, the increasing prevalence of technology, the continued blurring of organizational boundaries, and the rapidly accelerating rate of change, leaders in the 21st century need to consider new frameworks and perspectives in order to be effective. Both engineers and scientists are familiar with the transfer of momentum from one body to another. Similarly, significant factors in business success revolve around techniques used by leaders to take organizations that are (a) “at rest” and move them into action, or (b) “in motion” and significantly change their direction and outcome. Proper understanding and utilization of power, influence, and collaboration by leaders, whether formally designated or not, can critically alter the success of an organization. This course provides an overview of leadership and teamwork with an emphasis on how leaders and teams manage change in a dynamic technology and business environment. The course is structured into four broad modules: Level-Three Leadership, Creating and Sustaining Collaboration, Leading in the New Workplace, and Leading Change. In each module, students consider various frameworks and perspectives, and apply them to case studies and other examples. By engaging with the class and its online learning community, students gain critical expertise in navigating this new leadership landscape.

NMBA 6170 Accounting and Finance: Measurement and Flow Control for the Economic Engine (3 sem. cr.)
This course is designed to give technical professionals an understanding of basic techniques and concepts of financial management and accounting. The course targets three broad subject areas: managerial accounting and control, financial accounting and reporting, and corporate finance. Students explore how managerial accounting can create value in a dynamic business environment by providing information for decision-making and planning, controlling operational activities, and measuring the performance of activities, sub-units, and managers within the organization. Students also examine the tools necessary to understand and analyze information in corporate financial statements, with emphasis on using the information in corporate management, security analysis, and consulting. This section incorporates many of the generally accepted accounting principles that provide a background for the accounting and auditing functions of a business. Students analyze each of the basic financial statements—the balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flow—in terms of external users of financial information. The corporate finance portion of the course is centered on the financial behavior of corporations and capital markets. Significant emphasis is placed on the notion of value creation and the importance of judgment in financial decisions. The basic concepts of cost of capital, capital budgeting, and pro forma statements are covered, along with such advanced topics as assessing merger and acquisition targets and financing investments.

NMBA 6313 Supply Chain Management (3 sem. cr.)
Achieving a strategic advantage requires effective design and integration of multiple players and activities throughout the supply chain. In this course, students gain an understanding of the definition and scope of supply chain management and an appreciation of the potential for businesses to improve bottom-line performance through an integrated, strategic approach to the management of their supply chains. The course is designed to provide students with a basic understanding of the roles of the various entities in managing the supply chain, the interrelatedness of critical activities, and a strategic view of the importance of supply chain management. The LINKS Supply Chain Management Simulation provides students with hands-on experience with the cross-functional impact of supply chain decision-making: analyzing complex data, evaluating the costs and benefits of cross-functional trade-offs, making critical supply chain decisions, evaluating the consequences of those decisions, and working to continuously improve based on experience.

NMBA 6336 Global Competitive Environment (3 sem. cr.)
This course examines the global business environment and its impact on an organization’s business strategy. Special attention is given to the complexities that arise due to highly diversified markets and business environments.

NMBA 6351 Legal Environment of Business (3 sem. cr.)
This course discusses the legal environment within which businesses must operate. Topics include the nature and source of laws, the operation of the judicial system, the operation of administrative agencies, selected constitutional provisions frequently involved in litigation of business problems, and selected substantive legal areas having a direct relationship with business operation and decision-making.

NMGT 6310 Introduction to Engineering Management (3 sem. cr.)
This course provides an overview of the techniques of applying management principles to professional positions held by Engineers and Engineering Technologists. The management functions of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling are discussed with their role in managing technology.

NMGT 6761 Advanced Project Management (3 sem. cr.)
Worldwide, project management continues to gain acceptance in most industry sectors at a phenomenal rate. However, there is an interesting paradox embedded in the rapid growth of interest in project management. On the one hand, we note a growing interest in using different elements of project management in virtually every segment of every industry. On the other hand, we repeatedly see figures that report significant problems with projects (eg. over 30% of projects end up being cancelled in midstream and over half of all projects run as high as 190% over budget and 220% over the original time estimate (see for example KPMG, 1997; Standish Group, 1995, 1999, 2004). Clearly, the project management being practiced today does not meet the needs of the organizations in which it is used or there is more to it than is taught in introductory texts and courses.
 
This course builds on the material covered in NMGT760 by expanding the topics covered at the overview level in that course and introducing other topic areas relevant to the advanced practice of Project Management. Increasingly, the “soft” skills of project management are recognized as the keys to improving its practice. Particular emphasis is placed on reviewing both current best practice and research results on how best to practice project management in today’s organizations. Topics relating to Strategic Project Management are introduced in this course. Detailed coverage of these topics is left for NMGT762.

NMGT 8510 Operations Research Models (3 sem. cr.)
This survey course is designed to introduce students to both deterministic and stochastic models used to help managers make more informed decisions. It provides the foundations for more intensive study in such fields as industrial engineering, transportation, computer science, and business. The scope is broad, and because the material is introductory in nature, it is suitable for graduate students with varied technical backgrounds.

NMGT 8735 Marketing of Advanced Technologies (3 sem. cr.)
The technology-based company presents a unique set of challenges for the marketing function, particularly the management of high levels of risk and uncertainty about both the technology itself and the markets it does or could address. Almost every aspect of the traditional marketing mix must be reconsidered and adjusted to account for the risk and uncertainty accompanying products, services, and technologies at the earliest stages of the technology life cycle. Technology Marketing considers each of these stages in the marketing process, bringing to bear insights from a variety of technology management-related fields and introduces the theory, tools, and specialized techniques used in the marketing of technology.
 
Two themes permeate the course. The first is that the extreme uncertainties surrounding such marketing issues as segmentation, demand forecasting, product design decisions, pricing, and positioning can be mitigated through a process of understanding the prospective user's business environment, determining precisely how the product will add value to the business, and developing a value proposition targeted to that customer group. The second theme is that traditional market analysis techniques (surveys, focus groups, etc.) are not sufficiently effective at reducing market uncertainty to an acceptable level when the potential market has yet to be established. This qualitatively different level of uncertainty can be more effectively addressed through more proactive involvement of the user at every stage of product conceptualization and development, using prototypes and product "probes," working with early adopters, and building in extensive user feedback loops.

NMGT 8750 Total Quality Management and Improvement (3 sem. cr.)
This course covers the broad field of modern total quality management. It provides the student with a historical overview and with a fundamental understanding of the subject, including statistical thinking, the seven basic tools, quality systems, managing operations for quality, product quality, process quality, customer satisfaction, the role of quality as a competitive tool, critical elements that differentiate high-performing organizations from their competitors, the quality improvement process, and delivering ever-improving value to customers. It also covers Poka-Yoke, policy deployment, daily work management, quality function deployment, Six Sigma, the psychology of quality, and the management of people in a quality environment. The formalism of ISO 9000, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, and the major quality awards are discussed.

NMTH 6701 Probability and Statistics for Scientists and Scientists and Engineers (3 sem. cr.)
The use of probability models and statistical methods for analyzing data has become common practice in virtually all scientific disciplines. This course provides a comprehensive introduction to those models and methods most likely to be encountered and used by students in their careers in engineering and the natural sciences.

NSEN 6001 Software Engineering (3 sem. cr.)
This is a graduate-level introductory survey of the concepts and principles that underlie current and emerging methods, tools, and techniques for software development, validation, and maintenance. The class is not project-oriented, but instead concentrates on reading and individual practice of the techniques presented. Topics include life-cycle process models, system requirements capture, prototyping, formal and informal specification, program validation, object-oriented and functional design, testing, and software project management.

NSEN 6011 Formal Methods in Software Engineering (3 sem. cr.)
In this course, students consider the use of logic as an aid to program design. They discuss the formal semantics of programming languages, theorems about programs concerning transformations and state theorems, partial and total correctness, and formal models and model checking.

NSEN 6061 Software Measurement (3 sem. cr.)
This course includes topics such as measurement theory; development, validation, and use of software measures; software measures in the life cycle, including cost estimation; design measures; software complexity; programmer productivity; test coverage; software reuse; and software reliability.

NSEN 6111 Software Architectures (3 sem. cr.)
This course examines the top-level design or architecture of software systems. Students learn about various architectural styles and the types of applications for which they are most suited. They also consider different formalisms or architectural description languages for specifying software architectures and study frameworks and patterns. Also examined is the role of architecture in the overall software development life cycle.

NSEN 6251 Software Specification (3 sem. cr.)
This is a graduate-level survey of concepts, principles, and techniques related to software and systems specification. Topics include system modeling, requirements elicitation, analysis and documentation techniques, validation and prototyping, and formal methods. Students practice the techniques presented in class via individual and/or group exercises and a term project.

NSEN 6301 Object-Oriented Analysis and Design (3 sem. cr.)
This course is a study of object-oriented analysis and design. Students compare the different object-oriented software engineering methodologies and explore the object-model-to-database mapping process.

NSEN 6305 Object-Oriented Programming (3 sem cr.)
This course focuses on the C++ and Java programming languages, including classes, inheritance, encapsulation, polymorphism, class derivation, abstract classes, interfaces, static class members, object construction and destruction, namespaces, exception handling, function overloading and overriding, function name overload resolution, container classes, template classes, Unified Modeling Language (UML), graphical user interfaces (GUIs), multithreading, networking, and database programming.

NSEN 6331 Embedded Systems Software Development (3 sem. cr.)
Embedded systems are involved in almost every facet of modern life, including cell phones, pagers, answering machines, microwave ovens, televisions, VCRs, CD and DVD players, video game consoles, remote controls, fax machines, and digital cameras. Modern automobiles may contain as many as 65 embedded microprocessors, controlling such tasks as antilock braking, climate control, engine control, audio system control, and airbag deployment. Embedded processor sales far outweigh any other type of microprocessor. This tremendous growth in embedded computing has given rise to demand for engineers with experience in designing and implementing embedded systems. This course is aimed at practicing embedded software engineers as well as those engineers planning to enter the embedded field. The course presents practical lessons and techniques for use in designing, implementing, integrating, and testing software for modern embedded systems. It describes what an embedded system is, what makes these systems different, and what embedded systems designers need to know to develop embedded systems. The course provides students with a life-cycle view for designing multi-objective, multi-discipline embedded systems.

NSEN 6411 Software Unit and Integration Testing and Verification (3 sem. cr.) 
Intended primarily for programmers, this is a graduate-level survey of the concepts, principles, and techniques related to software unit/component-level testing, integration testing, and formal program verification. Topics include black-box and white-box test case design strategies, incremental integration testing techniques, inspections and reviews, axiomatic verification techniques, predicate transforms, and function-based verification. Students practice the techniques presented in class via individual and/or group exercises.

NSEN 6414 Object-Oriented Testing (3 sem. cr.)
The focus of this course is on object-oriented and component-based software testing techniques, but many of the techniques discussed in this course can be used regardless of the development paradigm. The course describes what to test in object-oriented development efforts and techniques for how to test object-oriented software. It discusses real-world issues that arise in planning and implementing effective testing for object-oriented and component-based software development. The course explores how testing object-oriented software differs from testing procedural software and highlights the challenges and opportunities inherent in object-oriented software testing. The course also covers integration testing in each stage of development and describes what to test at each stage. This process, as well as specific testing techniques, is supported by comprehensive examples.

NSEN 6421 Software System-Level Testing (3 sem. cr.)
In this second graduate course on topics related to software testing and verification, topics include design-of-experiment approaches to test construction, statistical analysis of test results, proof of correctness, fault injection, and automated software testing. Students acquaint themselves with current papers in testing literature and practice the techniques presented in class via individual and/or group exercises.

NSEN 6471 Software Quality Management (3 sem. cr.)
In this course, students explore the plans and actions necessary to provide confidence that a software product conforms to established technical requirements. Topics include strategies for quality engineering, product review, development of test plans and procedures, testing, audits, and configuration management. Also covered are the concept of software quality, software metrics, Total Quality Management, and implementation of a software quality assurance process.

NSEN 6511 Software Project Management (3 sem. cr.)
This course covers techniques for planning, organizing, scheduling, and controlling complex software system development and support projects.

NSPP 6325 Integrated Design and Manufacturing (3 sem. cr.)
This course introduces students to a process approach to engineering design, manufacturing, and service applications. Models, modeling tools, solution approaches, and methodologies for analysis and improvement of processes, including the product development and manufacturing processes, are discussed. The science of process modeling and analysis is illustrated with case studies.

NSPP 6410 Modeling Manufacturing Systems (3 sem. cr.)
This course examines general problems in the design, planning, and control of manufacturing systems. Emphasis is placed on system analysis using a variety of modeling techniques such as simple probability, linear programming, queuing theory, Markov chains, and discrete event simulation, with the objective of improving system performance. The course is self-contained so that no previous knowledge of these types of models is required. Although the course is targeted toward manufacturing industries, much of the material is directly applicable to a variety of service industries.

NSYS 6120 Systems Engineering and Analysis (3 sem. cr.)
This course introduces students to an organized multidisciplinary approach to designing and developing systems. Students explore concepts, principles, and practices of systems engineering as applied to large integrated systems. Discussion topics include requirements development, life-cycle costing, scheduling, risk management, functional analysis, conceptual and preliminary design, testing and evaluation, optimization, and modeling.

NSYS 6140 Systems Optimization and Analysis (3 sem. cr.)
This course introduces students to the theory and practice of optimal system design as an element of the engineering design process. The use of optimization as a tool in the various stages of product realization and management of engineering and manufacturing activities is stressed. The course stresses the application of nonlinear programming methods. Topics may include optimality criteria, gradient- and nongradient-based unconstrained methods, and modern nonlinear programming methods such as penalty functions, method of multipliers, generalized reduced gradient, and successive quadratic programming. Special attention is given to large structured problems that naturally occur in engineering practice. Students are exposed to modern optimization software (e.g., OPTLIB, OPT, BIAS) and extensive comparative results. Examples are cited from mechanical, electrical, civil, and chemical engineering, as well as from engineering management.

NSYS 6152 Systems Testing and Reliability (3 sem. cr.)
Students learn about the classical techniques and concepts needed for evaluating the long-term and short-term reliability of engineering systems. Students also explore strategies for integrating, testing, and validating products and systems. This course provides an in-depth coverage of tasks, processes, methods, and techniques for achieving, testing, and maintaining the required level of system reliability, taking into consideration operational performance, customer satisfaction, and affordability. Specific topics include the integration of established system requirements, establishing system reliability requirements, reliability program planning, system reliability modeling and analysis, system reliability design guidelines and analysis, system reliability test and evaluation, verification and validation of a system, and the maintenance of inherent system reliability during production and operation.

NSYS 6160 Systems Engineering Management (3 sem. cr.)
This course provides the necessary techniques for planning and controlling systems, including evaluating the schedule and operational effectiveness of systems management strategies. Performance measurement, work breakdown structures, cost estimating, and quality management are discussed. Also covered are configuration management, standards, and case studies of systems from different applications areas.

NSYS 6163 Integrated Risk Management (3 sem. cr.)
This course provides a graduate-level introduction to the theory and methodology of risk management in the context of systems engineering. It addresses topics including risk identification, risk ranking and filtering, performance metrics, event and fault trees, theory of extreme values, decisions on extreme events, combinatorial optimization, systems configuration, network modeling, and system interdependencies. Some knowledge of probability and statistics is assumed.

NSYS 6180 Systems Engineering Design (3 sem. cr.)
Students are introduced to system design of hardware and software systems. Specific topics include design concept, design characterization, design elements, reviews, verification and validation, threads and incremental design, unknowns, performance, management of design, design metrics, and teams. The class centers on the development of real-world examples.