Master of Science in Systems Engineering and Management
The University of Texas at Dallas
Key Information
Campus location
Richardson, USA
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
2 years
Pace
Full time, Part time
Tuition fees
USD 18,276 / per semester
Application deadline
Request Info
Earliest start date
May 2024
Introduction
Systems engineering and management (S.E.M.) is an essential ingredient in high-tech industries. There is a growing need for engineering and management training in complex systems that have many interdependent parts and significant organizational and/or societal impact. Increasingly, business requires that engineers be trained to be good managers and leaders. Likewise, business managers need a better understanding of technology and how to run large, multifaceted engineering projects.
As a joint program between the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and the Naveen Jindal School of Management, S.E.M. features both technical and human-centred courses. The curriculum provides knowledge and skills to design, develop, and manage complex projects requiring wide-ranging scientific and business competencies.
The program offers flexibility in its concentrations and in its format. Students can choose between a master’s degree earned the traditional way, during regular weekday classes, or one earned in an executive format, during classes on Fridays and Saturdays. A certificate in systems engineering or in systems management is yet another option for those seeking advanced training.
Admissions
Curriculum
Program Information
The program is offered jointly by the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and the Naveen Jindal School of Management.
Certificates: Certificate in Systems Engineering (SE) and Certificate in Systems Management (SM).
Degree Requirements
The MS-S.E.M. program is designed to be flexible to accommodate different student backgrounds, allowing students to pick up areas in which they are deficient, while still guaranteeing core competency in systems engineering and systems management. This program has both a thesis and a non-thesis option. All part-time MS-S.E.M. students will be assigned initially to the non-thesis option. Those wishing to elect the thesis option may do so by obtaining the approval of a faculty thesis supervisor. Part-time students are encouraged to enrol in only one course during their first semester and in no more than two courses during any semester that they are also working full-time.
The MS-S.E.M. degree requires a total of 36 semester credit hours consisting of 12 courses in the non-thesis option or 10 courses plus six semester credit hours of thesis credit for the thesis option. All students must have an academic advisor and an approved degree plan. Courses taken without advisor approval will not count toward the 36 semester credit hour requirement. Successful completion of the approved course of studies leads to the MS-S.E.M. degree. Please note that the University's general degree requirements are discussed elsewhere in the graduate catalogue.
This degree requires the completion of a minimum of 36 semester credit hours of graduate-level lecture courses. For the four core courses, students must have a GPA of at least 3.0 and receive a grade of B- or better in each. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA overall to graduate with the MS-S.E.M. degree. With advisor approval, one 5000 level courses may be used in the concentration (see Course Requirements).
An alternative to 36 semester credit hours required for the MS-S.E.M. degree would be the completion of a minimum of 30 semester credit hours of graduate-level lecture courses, with a grade of B- or better in each of the required core courses (see Course Requirements), six semester credit hours of a combination of master's research (SYSM 6V70) and thesis (SYSM 6V90), submitted to the graduate school, and a formal public defence of the thesis.
Students enrolled in the thesis option should meet with individual faculty members to discuss research opportunities and to choose a research advisor during the first or second semester that the student is enrolled in. After the second semester of study, course selection should be made in consultation with the research advisor.
Research and thesis semester credit hours cannot be counted in an MS-S.E.M. degree plan unless a thesis is written and successfully defended. A supervising committee, which must be chosen in consultation with the student's thesis advisor prior to enrolling for thesis credit, administers the defence. With advisor approval, the lecture courses may include some 5000 level courses. Full-time students at UT Dallas who receive financial assistance are required to enrol in nine semester credit hours each semester.
Course Requirements
Core Courses: 12 semester credit hours
Students are required to take four courses (a total of 12 semester credit hours) from the eight courses listed below. Two of the courses must be from the Engineering Core section and two from the Management Core section. The four required courses contribute a total of 12 semester credit hours toward the MS degree.
Engineering Core Courses
- Choose two courses from the following:
- SYSM 6301 Systems Engineering, Architecture and Design
- SYSM 6302 Dynamics of Complex Networks and Systems
- SYSM 6303 Statistics and Data Analysis
- SYSM 6305 Optimization Theory and Practice
Management Core Courses
- Choose two courses from the following:
- SYSM 6311 Systems Project Management in Engineering and Operations
- SYSM 6318 Marketing Management
- SYSM 6333 Systems Organizational Behavior
- SYSM 6337 Accounting for Managers
Prescribed Electives: 12 semester credit hours
Students are required to take an additional four courses (a total of 12 semester credit hours) from the set of eight core courses listed above and/or the set of courses listed below. Two of these courses must be chosen from the two Engineering sections (core and elective), and two from the two Management sections (core and elective). Because a program objective is to maintain a high degree of flexibility, students are encouraged to work with an MS-S.E.M. program advisor to discuss possible (limited) exceptions and substitutions for the prescribed elective courses.
Engineering Elective Courses
- SYSM 6304 Risk and Decision Analysis
- SYSM 6306 Engineering Systems: Modeling and Simulation
- SYSM 6307 Linear Systems
- SYSM 6308 Software Maintenance, Evolution, and Re-Engineering
- SYSM 6309 Advanced Requirements Engineering
- SYSM 6310 Software Testing, Validation and Verification
- SYSM 6325 Requirements Design, Development, and Integration for Complex Systems
- SYSM 6326 Systems Lifecycle Cost Analysis
- SYSM 6327 Systems Reliability
- SYSM 6328 Computer and Network Systems Security
Management Elective Courses
- SYSM 6312 Systems Financial Management
- SYSM 6313 Systems Negotiation and Dispute Resolution
- SYSM 6315 The Entrepreneurial Experience
- SYSM 6316 Managing Innovation within the Corporation
- SYSM 6319 Business Economics
- SYSM 6320 Strategic Leadership
- SYSM 6332 Technology and New Product Development
- SYSM 6334 Systems Operations Management
- SYSM 6335 Organizing for Business Analytics Platforms
Free Electives: 12 semester credit hours
Working with an MS-S.E.M. program advisor, students are required to take four additional and distinct courses either from the remaining SYSM courses listed above or from other courses offered in management or engineering that form a "concentration" or "specialization" in systems-related, possibly industry-specific sectors.
The concentration area consists of four courses (12 semester credit hours) in the degree program; examples include Aerospace and Defense Systems; Business and Data Analytics; Control and Mechatronic Systems, Cybersecurity and Information Assurance, Energy and Infrastructure Systems, Enterprise and Data Management Systems; Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management; Global Supply Chain Management; Healthcare Systems; Optimization and Operations Research; Telecom, IT and Multimedia Networks, and Transportation Systems.
Finally, because of the flexible nature of the MS-S.E.M. degree program, students may request a "personalized" concentration area that focuses on aspects of systems engineering and may combine elements of other concentration areas on a focused theme.
Career Opportunities
Graduates of the program seek such positions as: manager/director of systems engineering and management, chief technology officer (CTO), chief strategy officer, chief information officer (CIO), chief security officer, vice president of research and development, vice president of systems engineering, vice president of engineering, director of systems engineering, systems program manager and systems project manager.
English Language Requirements
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