From its modest beginnings more than a half-century ago, Systems Engineering is now gaining international recognition as an effective technologically based interdisciplinary process for bringing human-made systems into being, and for improving systems already in being. Certain desirable academic and professional attributes are coming into clear view. Others require further study, development, testing, and implementation. This paper summarizes the heritage from which Systems Engineering entered the 21st century. Several emerging attributes of Systems Engineering education and professional practice are addressed. These include the necessary but not sufficient academic and professional activities of technical societies, degree programs and program accreditation, certification and licensing, knowledge generation and publications, recognition and honors, and considerations regarding maturity. Special attention is directed to those attributes that should be developed further to enable Systems Engineering to serve society well in this century.
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