PH.D. PROGRAM IN SYSTEMS ENGINEERING PROPOSED FOR A&M-KINGSVILLE

(KINGSVILLE, December 13, 1996) -- Texas A&M University-Kingsville was given authority Friday by the Texas A&M University System Regents to seek approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to offer a Ph.D. in systems engineering, the first of its kind in South Texas.

Estimated cost of the program over five years is $4,574,000 which will cover such things as program administration, faculty salaries, equipment, facilities, clerical and support personnel and library costs.

A&M-Kingsville officials said there is a need for the program in South Texas, a region with a rapidly developing industrial base brought on by burgeoning expansion of competitive manufacturing and service related industries.

Officials said program graduates would be trained for a variety of professional careers in industry, government and education.

The program will be offered in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. It will be administered by the College of Engineering.

"The college has worked very hard to develop the graduate program at the master's and research level to be able to get to a place where we could offer a Ph.D. program in engineering," said Dr. Phil Compton, dean of the College of Engineering.

"Needs for engineering are national and international. One of the things a Ph.D. program does is bring a technical transfer so that research done in systems engineering would be applicable to Hoechst Celanese, for example," he said.

Faculty who have expertise in intelligent systems, control systems and relevant areas will groom future engineers for leadership roles in industries which require expertise in intelligent systems and information management. Educational program objectives also include enhancing the skills and intelligence needed to deal with complexity and interdisciplinarity, developing versatility in analysis and synthesis/design, and acquiring knowledge of systems tools/techniques and their usage.

The content of the proposed systems engineering curriculum will cover behavioral, management and socio-economic knowledge, methodological knowledge and integrative problem solving, mastery of specific tools and techniques, and substantive knowledge.

"I am extremely gratified that the Board of Regents has approved this new program," said A&M-Kingsville President Dr. Manuel L. Ibáñez. "Rapid expansion of industry in the Valley and the promising development of industry expansion in the Corpus Christi area underscores the need for professional degrees such as the Ph.D. in systems engineering to serve the citizens of South Texas."

-TAMUK-