At the turn of hte millenium, the School of Engineering created the Engineering Systems Division (ESD), consisting of faculty from nearly all of the School of Engineering (SoE) departments and the Sloan School of Management. The ESD was formed with a primary objective of creating undergraduate and graduate curricula in the integrative aspects of engineering. As technology becomes ever more pervasive in society, there is an increasing need for engineering students and leaders to develop an appreciation of the sociological framework in which this technology will be used.

Norm Augustine, former Chairman of Lockheed-Martin Corporation, a current member of the MIT Corporation, and the Chairman of the ESD Visiting Committee, has called the present time the Age of Socio-engineering. Today, more than ever, engineers must understand the context in which engineering is practiced (economics, history, manufacturing, customer needs and the like) and must be able to communicate these issues to those who are both technologically literate and technologically illiterate. As Augustine notes, the application of new technology is more often limited by non-technical factors. In addition, as the premier technological Institute in the nation, many people look to MIT for objective evaluation of technology and answers to how technology will change the future.

"Essentials of Engineering" is a second-term freshmen elective subject. This subject helps develop an appreciation of systems architecture, engineering, and management, as well as to illustrate the overall context in which the specifics of engineering is practiced. The subject involves case studies of major engineering systems development (possibilities include the space shuttle, the personal computer, the cellular phone system, overnight parcel delivery). The cases are designed to permit freshmen to investigate several different engineering disciplines and to study the interrelationships between the MIT Schools of Engineering, Science, and Management. The students will be involved in small-scale projects, managed and evaluated by faculty from specific departments. For the departments, this subject can be a recruiting tool for undergraduate majors. For the students, this subject will provide an opportunity to study a broad range of problems in several engineering disciplines and get a "flavor" of different departments, thereby helping them select potential departments in which to major.

This subject develops quantitative engineering skills in the areas of estimation, design or product development balanced by appreciation for engineering as practiced "in the whole." It presents large scale complex problems (which the ESD was created to address) and links each student back to two or three specific departments and faculty.

The subject is intended to address many of the goals for an undergraduate education as articulated by the Task Force on Student Life and Learning. Clearly, such a subject cannot provide all the necessary education, but it can provide a solid background in some areas and sensitize students to begin the development of appreciation in a number of others. Maybe most importantly, the subject will bring the students to understand how their engineering profession is practiced and in what context the specifics they learn within their departments are utilized. This can provide a key motivation for learning in their subsequent undergraduate career at the Institute as well as a tie that departments can make to this background.

This subject will attempt to sensitize the students (teach is too strong a word for such a broad subject) to the skills necessary to be an effective engineer, communicator and leader.