Master’s degree in Space Systems Engineering Vs. Systems Engineering

Starting this fall, Dr. Joseph J. Suter, Program Chair at Johns Hopkins will be unveiling a new Masters in Space Systems Engineering.

The program promises to teach students what they will need to know to enter and thrive in the space systems field. The program’s capstone project to build a spacecraft will surely pique the interests of many engineers.

Dr. Joseph Suter is the program chair for the Johns Hopkins’ Masters in Space Systems program.

 “Several faculty including myself are in the spacecraft development business,” explained Dr. Suter. “There are not many curriculums available to teach how to make spacecraft and the industry needs young engineers in this field.”

For those wondering how this program will differ from a traditional systems engineering program, Dr. Suter mentions that this program will be very targeted to the space field. “I’m very familiar with Systems Engineering. I taught it for many years,” said Dr. Suter. “This program is a lot more specific for a targeted industry.”

Many of the students taking the degree are looking to reinvent their careers. With many big name companies like Google getting into the space race, the “final frontier” will need to pull a lot of technical talent.

The Growing Popularity of Space Systems Engineering

SpaceX, Galaxy Express and other commercial space ventures are demonstrating that the time is ripe to begin the commercialization of space travel.

“It used to be that the DOD (Department of Defense) and NASA were on top. Now the commercial industry has a backlog of about 80 spacecraft, so business is good. With these advancements and big names like Google looking to get in the industry, people are starting to say ‘hey I should get into this,” explained Dr. Suter.

He wasn’t kidding. Before even promoting the Space Systems Engineering Master’s Program, Johns Hopkins had already committed half their acceptance for the first term.

Many students are applying to the degree with little to no experience in the Space Systems field. Instead they typically have a bachelors’ degree in an engineering field and a few years of experience in industry. “Students with no experience in space systems shouldn’t be discouraged.  The industry and our program are looking for lots of talent,” explained Suter.

Advantages of Online and On-Campus Learning

Online students are typically able to learn asynchronously at their leisure. However, some courses will offer Johns Hopkin’s Virtual live program. “Students miss the professor and peer interactions in a classroom. As such we have been experimenting with the Virtual Live program. It allows you to be in the classroom synchronously from home thanks to an HD video link. All lectures are recorded and can also be played back. Our initial surveys for the program have been very promising,” explained Dr. Suter.

Not all of the space systems classes are available online or through Virtual Live. However, Johns Hopkins Spacecraft capstone project should more than make up for the inconvenience of coming on-campus.

The program is also very interactive. Students schedule meeting times with professors on a regular basis. These student will then meet at the discussion board during the scheduled time to interact and view presentations. Everything is recorded using Adobe Connect if you miss the meeting or wish to go back over the content.

Engineering Education with a Personal Touch

Many students might be scared to start a program to study a field in which they have little experience, if they have been out of school for many years. To those students, Dr. Suter stresses the personal care that goes into a Johns Hopkins Education, “We pay attention when students are struggling. Our Mentors will call you up and make sure everything is okay. We make sure we have large graduations rates. We also offer an introductory course so students not in the space systems engineering field can catch up.”

Dr. Suter also suggested that students take their first course on-campus. It is sometimes easier for a student restarting after 5-6 years to be able to see and interact with the professor live. Once the student regains their confidence, then the next course might be best taken online for all the conveniences that asynchronous study can offer.

This personal touch of the school also extends to small class sizes. The typical class is 8 students and is capped at 20 students. Dr. Suter believes this allows for a better learning experience, “Some of these classes are going well beyond the bare minimum of what needs to be learned. With small classes we are able to go a little faster and learn a lot more. And these instructors and professors are highly qualified engineers and technical managers. They give a real world perspective and the students love that. And with our experimental course to make a mock-up spacecraft means you won’t just be learning from lectures and textbooks.”

The courses offered in the Masters of Space Systems engineering follow a strict academic calendar. Though there are some elective courses, many of the core courses will build upon each other. Of the 10 courses the students will take, half will be online while the others will be on-campus.

Why wouldn’t you get a Masters in Space Systems Engineering from Johns Hopkins:

• You want to learn fully online
• You want to take a program that has been around for a longer time
• You don’t want to build a spaceship (Which rules out nobody!)

Johns Hopkins has sponsored promotion of their Master’s in Space Systems Engineering on ENGINEERING.com. They have no editorial input to this post - all opinions are mine.  Shawn Wasserman