The Zaven & Sonia Akian College of Sciences and Engineering (CSE) is one of the founding Colleges of AUA, with Master’s degree programs in Computer & Information Science (CIS) and Industrial Engineering & Systems Management (IESM) and Bachelor’s degree programs in Computer Science (CS) and Engineering Sciences (ES) and Data Science (DS). The College (originally named the College of Engineering) welcomed its first students as part of AUA opening its doors on Sept 21, 1991 with programs in Earthquake Engineering and IESM. A decade later, a few years after the Earthquake Engineering program had been suspended, the CIS program was founded.
The IESM program is designed to provide a broad-based education in the areas of industrial and operations management, production systems, information technologies, and communication. Through a set of core courses, students learn the basic methods of formulating and solving problems. Attention is given to the changing nature of demands and capacities, principles of decision-making under uncertainty, effective use of information technologies, modeling and analysis of large systems, and techniques for finding optimal solutions applicable to businesses today.
The CIS program is an applied program to help students gain the necessary skills required to be productive and innovative leaders in the computing and related industries. As such, the graduates gain broad training in the technical areas of the field, as well as in the supplemental areas of business, management and entrepreneurship.
The Engineering Research Center (ERC) conducts innovative engineering research on topics that are relevant to the economic development of Armenia and its regions. It brings together AUA scientists and engineers, visiting faculty, and AUA students to collaborate on projects that are generated internally or are funded by external sponsors. Qualified students are employed as research assistants, and gain valuable experience working alongside experts on projects related to their fields of study.
ERC has collaborated with companies and foundations in France, Germany, and local industry in Armenia, as well as with academicians worldwide, including in the USA, New Zealand, and India.