Cost Estimating and Analysis Certificate (DL) - Curriculum 289

Program Officer

Kevin Maher

Glasgow Hall, Room 272

[phone], DSN 756-2691

[e-mail]

Program Manager

Gregory K. Mislick, Senior Lecturer

Glasgow Hall, Room 202

[phone], DSN 756-3113

[e-mail]

Brief Overview

The Cost Estimating and Analysis certificate program is a distance learning, graduate-level, non-degree program designed to provide cost estimating and analysis training to Navy and other DoD personnel. The program consists of four courses delivered one per quarter via distance learning over a one-year period.

Requirements for Entry

A baccalaureate degree is required. Recent completion (within five years) of mathematics through single variable differential and integral calculus is considered minimal preparation. Prior course work in probability and statistics, including regression is essential for successful completion of the certificate.

Convenes

Summer

Program Length

12 months

Subspecialty

5300 L

Graduate Certificate Requirements

Requirements for the graduate-level certificate in Cost Estimating and Analysis are met by successful completion of all four required courses.

Required Courses

Course Number	Title	Credits	Lecture Hours	Lab Hours
OS3701	Cost Estimation I: Methods and Techniques		3	0
	-or-
OA4702	Cost Estimation		4	0
OS4702	Cost Estimation II: Advanced Concepts in Cost Estimating		3	0
OS4013	Cost Estimation VI: Decision Analysis for Cost Estimators		3	0
OS4012	Cost Estimation III: Risk and Uncertainty Analysis		3	0

Educational Skills Requirements

Cost Analysis: The graduate will understand the methods and practice of cost analysis including various cost models, with particular emphasis in the relationship of effectiveness models and measures to cost, and applications in cost-benefit analysis.

Rates Development:  The graduate will be able to construct a rate-set for direct labor, overhead, general and administrative costs, and inflation.  The graduate will also be able to construct costs for various contract types, such as cost-plus, fixed-fee plus incentive, etc. 

Cost-Benefit Analysis: The graduate will be able to apply the principles of probabilistic cost assessment in the context of resource allocation problems. This includes a framework for balancing costs and benefits, and analysis under conditions of large financial and technological uncertainties.

Software Cost Estimation: The graduate will understand software cost estimation, and be able to distinguish between development paradigms (e.g., waterfall, agile, incremental). The graduate will also be able to develop software cost estimates for both development and maintenance efforts

Scheduling: The graduate will understand how schedule networks rely on logic and the critical path method as well as other top-level schedule methods. The graduate will also learn Schedule Risk Analysis and how to update and baseline a schedule using industry best practices.

Data Analytics: The graduate will understand how to obtain, normalize, analyze and then visualize data using various methods. The graduate will know how to assess the data to determine its reliability and applicability to cost estimating to support informed decision making.