Tag Archives: electives

3 QUEST Electives You Might Not Have Considered

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In addition to the three core classes, QUEST students are required to take two electives to enrich our learning experience. With a long and growing list of electives, the decision to decide on what elective to take may seem daunting. Last year, I interviewed three QUEST students about electives they enjoyed taking other than the popular QUEST-only electives (like mentoring, scoping, and study abroad trips). One year later, I have asked three more QUEST students about their opinions on worthwhile electives.

ENME466: Lean Six Sigma with Dr. David Bigio

In 190H, we are introduced to the concepts of Lean Six Sigma and the DMAIC (Define – Measure – Analyze – Improve – Control) process. This course applies these specific concepts on a deeper level for a semester-long corporate consulting project, much like the capstone 490H course. As a business student, Laura Bell (Q24) found that she learned how to troubleshoot and problem-solve in a different way – with an engineering mindset.

 Laura Bell (Q24), Senior in Supply Chain Management and International Business

I would definitely recommend this class because you learn skills that are applicable outside the classroom. You even get the opportunity to earn your Lean Six Sigma greenbelt, which is attractive to many employers. My advice is to prepare yourself for a more rigorous course load, but know that in the end the learning experience will be worth it!

BMGT452: Marketing Research Methods with Dr. Bobby Zhou

This course focuses on marketing decision-making and market research. Coursework involved designing market research studies, data collection, and statistical analysis. This course also has similar themes to 190H emphasizing how to ask the right questions.

Sydney Tommins (Q24), Senior in Marketing and Operations Management

In my 490H project, we had to conduct market research and contact our client’s customers with questions. Through my experience with BMGT452, I was able to determine how to ask questions that are very qualitative in a manner that allows us to quantify the data in order to analyze it… I can’t stress enough how important it is to know how to ask the right questions… This class really helps develop a foundation so that you can generate the results you need to back up your claims.

CMSC320: Introduction to Data Science with Professor John Dickerson

CMSC320 is a computer science course that focuses on data analysis and data analytics, similar to Kylie King’s QUEST-only BMGT438A/ENES 478A course on applied quantitative analysis. The course assignments are group-based. You get to learn about R to collect data from websites and how to analyze those very data sets.

Andrew Dicken (Q23), Senior in Computer Science

My biggest recommendation is to take CMSC320 with some other friends (aka other QUEST people) because there is a ton of group work and you need a good group to succeed.

Which QUEST Elective is Right for You?

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Although spring semester classes may be the last things on our minds in the midst of studying for exams and preparing for interviews, class registration will be here before you know it. Registration appointments for Spring 2016 have already been released on Testudo, so it’s a good time to start thinking ahead!

In addition to the three required courses (190H, 390H, and 490H), all QUEST students are required to take two electives to successfully complete the program curriculum. You can find a list of electives here. QUEST students are also required to submit an updated course plan each semester, outlining the classes they plan to take in upcoming semesters.

It may seem a bit overwhelming to decide which QUEST electives are right for you. We all know about the QUEST-only electives: the mentoring class (BMGT/ENES397: Mentoring Design and Quality Teams), the study abroad opportunity in Asia (BMGT438Q Saigon and Hong Kong: From Emergent to Developed – A Mix of Markets), the Silicon Valley trip (BMGT438G/ENES489Q: Special Topics in Operations Management: Design and Innovation in Silicon Valley), and the Scoping class (BMGT/ENES491: Defining Consulting and Innovation Projects), but there are many other electives that can even fulfill major requirements that I’d suggest looking into.

I asked three QUEST students about electives they have taken or are currently taking that they found enjoyable. Read on to gain some insight on their experiences!

BMGT332: Operations Research for Management Decisions with Dr. Bruce Golden

The course is about introducing students to operations and operations research and getting students to think critically and analytically about news and decisions made in the future. For instance, the class analyzes the Berwyn Bank case study, a conceptually difficult case that is the baseline of operations research. Techniques learned in the class include linear programming, transportation and assignment models, Markov processes, and queuing models. It integrates operations research with managerial decision making.

Ananth Srivatsan (Q23), Computer Engineering, Junior

“I really like the analytical part of this class. Because its so math-based and the scientific method is a huge part of the way he runs the class, even when something seems open-ended, there’s typically a specific and understandable answer. I think I am learning a lot more about making systematic and statically based analysis and decisions, which is probably a useful skill to have.”

ENCE320: Introduction to Project Management with Professor Scott Macrae

Although there is a business version of this course, engineering students may be interested in taking the engineering version, where students will learn the fundamentals of project management and gain analytical skills for the management component in engineering projects. Some of these skills include economic analysis, budgeting, life cycle costing, and project control. Students will gain applicable insight as project managers, as the course culminates in a hands-on project assignment.

Ben Seibert (Q24), Civil Engineering, Junior

“My favorite part about the course was that I got to work with a type on an actual project. It took a lot of coordination and project management techniques which were very useful.”

CMSC434: Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction with Professor Jon Froehlich

This interesting course focuses on the human component of technology. It examines the way technology is perceived, used, and adopted by people. It applies design processes, guidelines, and research to develop interfaces that focus on the voice of the customer and user experience. In terms of the class, students will build both low-fidelity and high-fidelity prototypes using graphic editors and programming environments such as Visual Basic and Java.

Enoch Hsiao (Q21), Computer Science, Senior

“My favorite part about the course was really how it focused not on computers and technology, but on people. Computer science courses traditionally focus heavily on concepts and the implementation of those concepts, but in CMSC434 we focused an incredible amount of time and energy into figuring out how people think and how they react to technology. The prototyping and testing practices we learned aligned perfectly with QUEST principles.”