Degree Requirements
The Master of Science in Systems Engineering is a ten course (30 credit-hour) degree with an emphasis on systems engineering, leadership, and management supplemented with a technology focus. Table 1 lists the program degree requirements.
Table 1: Credit distribution for the M.S. in Systems Engineering
| Component | Credits |
| Core Requirement | 12 |
| Leadership/Management Requirement | 3 |
| Depth Requirement | 6 |
| Elective Courses | 6 |
| Capstone Experience | 3 |
| Total | 30 |
Core Requirement (12 credits)
Each student must complete the core of the Systems Engineering degree program which consists of the following four 3-credit graduate systems engineering courses:
Leadership/Management Requirement (3 credits)
Systems engineers need to be aware of, and trained in, leadership and managerial methods and practices. Accordingly, each student must also complete one of the following 3-credit graduate courses:
Another leadership/management course may be substituted with the approval of the student’s academic advisor.
Depth Requirement (6 credits)
To ensure sufficient depth of knowledge in Systems Engineering, each student must complete two additional 3-credit Systems Engineering graduate courses from those listed in Table 2.
Table 2: Current Systems Engineering Graduate Courses Available to Fulfill Depth Requirement
Elective Courses (6 credits)
Each student must complete 6 credit hours of elective graduate courses to meet the specific needs of students and organizations. All elective courses must be approved by the student’s faculty advisor and can be selected from graduate courses offered by the following departments and programs: Computer Science (CS), Systems Dynamics (SD), Systems Engineering (SYS), any WPI engineering department or program (such as AI, ECE, BME, ME, ChE, EnvE and RBE), the School of Business, and Mathematics (MA).
Capstone Experience (3 credits minimum)
The capstone experience requirement may be satisfied by an instructor-led systems engineering project (SYS 585 Systems Engineering Capstone Experience), an individual directed research project (SYS 598 Directed Research), or a Master’s Thesis (SYS 599 Thesis). The capstone experience must not exceed a total of 9 credits. Students may not transfer credit to satisfy the required capstone experience. The capstone cannot be taken until the student has successfully completed at least 24 credits, including all Core Requirements.