Kruthi Srinivasa Raju’s curiosity and drive to understand the bigger picture led her to pursue a master’s degree in Systems Engineering and Design at the University of Michigan. With a background in chemical engineering, she sought a program that would allow her to bridge the gap between scientific principles and the complexities of industrial manufacturing.
That search led her to Michigan Engineering, where she found a program that provided exactly what she was looking for: systems thinking, design engineering, and a cross-disciplinary approach. The program’s flexibility allowed her to tailor her coursework to her interests. “The course curriculum was just really good,” she explains. “Not just generically—you can also specialize. There’s so much in terms of resources and facilities that help you build what you want to learn.”
While at Michigan Engineering, Kruthi participated in two courses that had a particularly profound impact: Systems Architecture and Requirements and Verification. Kruthi taught both courses as a graduate student instructor. “I ended up becoming the GSI for those courses, and I learned so much,” she says. “Pretty much what I use day to day in my life comes from those two courses.”
Today, Kruthi works at Intel Foundry where she specializes in semiconductor process fabrication. “Systems engineering has taught me to handle a complex manufacturing unit with so many teams, different specializations, and millions of people working—how to fit it all together,” she shares.
She credits her education for equipping her with the skills needed to navigate large-scale industrial challenges. She says, “My background in systems engineering helps me focus and cater to people and their needs. It helps me clearly define things before we actually get into the solving part of these complex issues.”
For those considering a similar path, Kruthi emphasizes the importance of exploration and proactive planning. “Explore as much as you can. Research the courses,” she advises. “You have a lot of courses that you can pick from. Really be intentional with how you want to design your curriculum.”
She also underscores the importance of early registration, particularly for high-demand courses. “Some of them are really, really in demand, like the data science course that I took, the machine learning course—it was a 400-student class. You need to be really quick. As soon as it opens, you need to register.”
Would she recommend the Systems Engineering and Design program at Michigan? Absolutely. “I came without experience, and I feel like the university itself had so many opportunities for me to pick from,” she says. “The curriculum is really good if you’re actually looking forward to progress at work or if you want to incorporate new things into your work.”
One of the standout features of the program, she notes, is the opportunity to work on cross-functional teams. “I ended up doing a project with the mechanical engineering department, and that was a very fruitful experience. That was my very first exposure to a cross-functional team. I got to meet a lot of people. I got to understand how the world works differently.”
For Kruthi, her time at Michigan Engineering was transformative, providing her with not only technical knowledge but also the ability to think holistically about engineering challenges. As she continues her journey at Intel, she carries with her the lessons learned from her time in Ann Arbor—lessons that have become integral to her success.
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