The software and systems engineering masters program at Texas Tech University: A computer science and industrial engineering collaborative effort

This paper has provided an overview of the integrated systems and software engineering MSSE degree program at Texas Tech University. The program became effective in the Fall of 2011 and we are just in the beginning stages of program assessment and revision. There are currently 16 students enrolled in the program, with five students on campus and 11 distance students. Several of these students are still carry-overs from the previous curriculum, although numerous students have been admitted under the new curriculum over the Summer-Fall 2011 timeframe. Our goal is to at least double enrollment over the next five years through advertisement of the program within the defense industry as well as energy, communication, and manufacturing industries that have an understanding of the interdisciplinary skill set that is offered through the program. We expect the curriculum to evolve over the next few years as faculty from each discipline gain a better understanding of the pedagogical aspects of interdisciplinary instruction and as we recruit greater participation from industry in review of the curriculum and participation in course projects. We also see the MSSE degree as a pathway to the online Systems and Engineering Management Ph.D. program offered by the Department of Industrial Engineering, which provides a computing area of emphasis.