UCLA Master of Science in Engineering Online
ENGR-203 | System Architecture
2027 Course Topics
The course introduces the principles, methods, and analytical techniques used to formulate, describe, assess, and select system architectures for complex engineering systems.
UCLA Extension course page for ENGR 203
Course Topics
- Foundations of System ArchitectureArchitecture principles; the distinctions among architecture, architecting, and design; and applications across engineered, software, natural, and system-of-systems domains.
- Architecture Descriptions and StandardsCommunicating architectures through coherent descriptions; relationships to systems engineering life-cycle processes and relevant ISO/IEC/IEEE standards.
- Complex Systems and Architectural ComplexitySources and dimensions of complexity; structural, interface, behavioral, stakeholder, requirements, operational, and evolutionary complexity; qualitative and quantitative assessment methods.
- Role of the System ArchitectArchitectural responsibilities and deliverables; stakeholder needs and concerns; system context; functional and structural analysis; and architecture-level engineering judgment.
- System Architecture DevelopmentArchitecture life cycle; conceptual, functional, logical, and physical architectures; system interfaces; architecture analysis; and development of alternatives.
- Resilience and Resilient ArchitecturesThreats, hazards, faults, failures, uncertainty, and approaches for evaluating and improving resilience over the system life cycle.
- Decision Analysis and Architecture TradesDecision-making under uncertainty; analysis of alternatives; tradespace exploration; utility theory; and value-based evaluation of architecture options.
Course Application
Students apply course principles and techniques in a small-team case study emphasizing architecture reasoning, analysis, tradeoffs, and technical communication rather than specialized modeling tools.