Wang Institute of Graduate Studies
Encyclopedia
The Wang Institute of Graduate Studies was an independent educational institution founded in 1979 by computer entrepreneur An Wang
. Its purpose was to provide professional and continuing studies in the nascent field of Software Engineering
. It was accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges
in 1983.
The Institute acquired its 200 acre (0.809372 km²) campus from the Marist Brothers
who had operated a seminary
on the site since 1924. Located in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts
, it housed two divisions: The School of Information Technology
and a fellowship program in East Asian studies
.
The Institute never grew beyond a dozen or so faculty. As a result of declining business fortunes Dr. Wang closed the Institute, graduating the last class on August 27, 1988McKeeman, William, "Graduation Talk at Wang Institute," Computer, vol. 22, no. 5, pp. 78-80 (1989). The campus was transferred to Boston University
where it serves as a corporate education center today.
The original six core courses were:
! Course
! Topics>
Computing systems architecture
Applications of formal methods
Abstraction techniques
Analytical models of software
Operational and definitional specifications
Verification techniques
State-oriented and applicative models of computation
Management concepts
Structure of organizations
Planning and finance
Software contracts
Business psychology
Group motivation and leadership styles
Business tools
Project management
Tools and techniques for planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling software projects
Managerial structures, policies, and procedures
Quantitative tools for project scheduling, cost estimation, and software metrics
Work breakdown structures, milestones, and reporting mechanisms
Social and psychological aspects of project management
Structure of programming teams
Programming methodology
Fundamental principles of design, implementation, testing, and maintenance of software products
Automated tools and analytic techniques for software development and maintenance
Software design methodologies
Testing techniques
Maintenance considerations
Software engineering
Planning and defining a software product
Software lifecycle models
Documentation and validation of project phases
Languages and automated tools for requirements specification
Software product acquisition
Reuseability of software
Project notebooks and program support libraries
Configuration management
The curriculum was later modified to include an optional operating systems course instead of the architecture course.Ardis, Mark. "The Evolution of Wang Institute's Master of Software Engineering Program," IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering 13(11), 1149-1155, November (1987).
An Wang
Dr. An Wang was a Chinese American computer engineer and inventor, and co-founder of computer company Wang Laboratories.-Early life and career:...
. Its purpose was to provide professional and continuing studies in the nascent field of Software Engineering
Software engineering
Software Engineering is the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the study of these approaches; that is, the application of engineering to software...
. It was accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. is the U.S. regional accreditation association providing educational accreditation for all levels of education, from pre-kindergarten to the doctoral level, in the six-state New England region. It also provides accreditation for some...
in 1983.
The Institute acquired its 200 acre (0.809372 km²) campus from the Marist Brothers
Marist Brothers
The Marist Brothers, or Little Brothers of Mary, are a Catholic religious order of brothers and affiliated lay people. The order was founded in France, at La Valla-en-Gier near Lyon in 1817 by Saint Marcellin Champagnat, a young French priest of the Society of Mary...
who had operated a seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
on the site since 1924. Located in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts
Tyngsborough, Massachusetts
Tyngsborough is a town located in the northwest section of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Composed of of land and surface water, Tyngsborough borders the towns of Dunstable, Groton, Westford, Chelmsford, Dracut, and the City of Lowell, as well as the New Hampshire communities of Hudson,...
, it housed two divisions: The School of Information Technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
and a fellowship program in East Asian studies
East Asian studies
East Asian Studies is a distinct multidisciplinary field of scholarly enquiry and education that promotes a broad humanistic understanding of East Asia past and present...
.
The Institute never grew beyond a dozen or so faculty. As a result of declining business fortunes Dr. Wang closed the Institute, graduating the last class on August 27, 1988McKeeman, William, "Graduation Talk at Wang Institute," Computer, vol. 22, no. 5, pp. 78-80 (1989). The campus was transferred to Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
where it serves as a corporate education center today.
Software engineering curriculum
The Institute graduated seven classes between 1982 and 1988 in its Master of Software Engineering program, requiring study in eleven three-credit courses. Two project courses involved students in team-based analysis, specification, design, implementation, testing, and integration of software products.Fairley, Richard and Martin, Nancy. "Software engineering programs at the Wang Institute of Graduate Studies," Proceedings of the 1983 annual conference on Computers (1983)The original six core courses were:
! Topics>
- Logical design of computing systems
- Interaction of major system components
- Software levels: microcode to operating system
- Architectural features pertinent to specific design goals
- Current issues and trends
Formal methods
In computer science and software engineering, formal methods are a particular kind of mathematically-based techniques for the specification, development and verification of software and hardware systems...
Requirements specification
Requirements specification in systems engineering and software engineering is the direct result of a requirement analysis and can refer to*Software Requirements Specification*Hardware Requirements Specificationor both.-See also:*Design specification...
Configuration management
Configuration management is a field of management that focuses on establishing and maintaining consistency of a system or product's performance and its functional and physical attributes with its requirements, design, and operational information throughout its life.For information assurance, CM...
The curriculum was later modified to include an optional operating systems course instead of the architecture course.Ardis, Mark. "The Evolution of Wang Institute's Master of Software Engineering Program," IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering 13(11), 1149-1155, November (1987).
Elective courses covered a wide spectrum of computer science and management topics, including: compiler construction, database management systems, decision support systems, expert system technology, principles of computer networks, programming environments, requirements analysis, software marketing, technical communication, transaction processing systems, user interface design, and validation and verification.