My doctorate is showing signs of progress! To recap, I am working towards a Doctorate of Engineering in Engineering Management through Southern Methodist University Engineering School‘s Department of Engineering Management and Information Science. (I am simultaneously enrolled in a Master of Science in Engineering Management, but this is only in case the doctorate falls through.)
On Friday, I passed my Preliminary Counseling Exam. This was a 30 minute chat with three EMIS department professors where they verified knowledge of basic concepts. I flubbed some precise definitions (e.g., couldn’t remember the exact words behind the abbreviation MARR), but I showed competence in the heuristics of the concepts. For most of the session, we chatted about my proposed praxis topic, which is on speed limits. This topic dovetails well with engineering management, especially with its economic implications.
My research advisor agrees that I have finished all advanced coursework, so I am formally cleared to begin the preliminary praxis steps of assembling my supervisory committee and passing a qualifying exam.
This degree requires 66 credit hours of coursework and a 12 hour praxis. To date, I have earned 52 hours. Fortunately, my Master of Science in Computer Science, which I earned in May 2003, satisfied all the elective credits for the doctorate, so I am really only doing twelve courses beyond that degree.
I have finished the following courses. (EMIS means Engineering Management and Information Sciencece (my department), CSE means Computer Science and Engineering, ENCE means Environmental and Civil Engineering, and CISB is for the Cox School of Businesses‘s Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship.)
- EMIS 7370 – Engineering Statistics
- EMIS 8360 – Operations Research
- EMIS 7362 – Production and Operations Management
- EMIS 8378 – Optimization Models for Decision Support
- ENCE 7391 – Urban Transportation Systems
- EMIS 8361 – Economic Decision Analysis
- EMIS 8363 – Engineering Finance
- CSE 8344 – Computer Networks
- CSE 7382 – Computer Graphics
- CSE 7348 – Internetworking Protocols
- CSE 8313 – Object-Oriented Analysis & Design
- CSE 8340 – Software Practicum
- CSE 8391 – Mobile Computing & Databases
- CSE 7350 – Algorithm Engineering
- CSE 8330 – Database Management Systems
- CSE 7381 – Computer Architecture
- CSE 7394 – XML & Java
- CSE 7192 – IP & Information Technology
This spring, I will take Experimental Statistics (STAT 5372) and Network Flows ( (EMIS 8374). I expect this spring to be the most difficult semester of my graduate career. I hope I get through it without too much bruising!
After this spring, I have three courses left:
- CISB 6210 – Essential Law For The Entrepreneur (this is an MBA course)
- EMIS 8362 – Engineering Accounting
- EMIS 8364 – Management for Engineers
…and that pesky praxis.