Health Systems Engineering M.Eng. Pathway
Together with Weill Cornell Medicine, the Cornell Systems Engineering program has created a new Health Systems Engineering pathway in our M.Eng. degree, which can be completed either on campus or through distance learning. This new degree option is designed to help you develop as a leader who will create complete systems solutions that are sustainable, responsible, and socially achievable. With a broad range of stakeholders’ needs, technology, and societal impacts, healthcare is truly a systems problem. As a world leader in systems engineering professional education and research, Cornell is ready to stand with you to make a difference.
Why choose the Health Systems Engineering Pathway?
The human costs and complexities of diseases are extraordinarily high — and rising. The search for healthcare options for these diseases and pathways for health promotion requires contributions from multiple disciplines, transcending the boundaries of traditional educational structures at universities. The convergence of the fields of systems engineering and healthcare offers fertile ground for strong intellectual cross-fertilization and a foundation for educating students who thrive at the interface between these disciplines. To address these challenges head on, our trans-disciplinary educational program focuses on providing students with a deep understanding of healthcare systems, a strong quantitative engineering foundation, and extensive hands-on clinical experience.
The Health Systems Engineering pathway in our M.Eng. degree offers both depth through specialization-specific courses and flexibility with our broad, interdisciplinary Systems Engineering core courses and large number of pre-approved electives. All students in the pathway also take part in a healthcare-focused 6- to 8-credit Master of Engineering project. These projects are developed around real-world challenges with real-world stakeholders as a means for you to develop relevant and proven experience.
Degree Requirements
- A minimum of 30 credit hours are required.
- A minimum of 9 credit hours of healthcare elective courses are required (3 courses).
- The entire selection of courses for the degree must be approved by the student's advisor. Other courses could be accepted as electives if approved by the Director of M.Eng. Studies.
- You must receive a letter grade for all courses applied toward your degree.
Required Courses
| Course Number | Course Title | Semester | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| SYSEN 5100 | Model Based Systems Engineering | Fall | 4 |
| SYSEN 5200 | Systems Analysis Behavior and Optimization | Spring | 3 |
| SYSEN 5900 | Systems Engineering Project with an Health Related Topic | Spring and Fall | 6-8 |
Project Management and Leadership for Complex Systems | Fall | 4 | |
(DL only) | Systems Engineering Management for Virtual Teams* | Summer | 1 |
(DL only) | Creativity and Innovation within Systems Engineering* | Summer | 1 |
*International distance-learning students should contact Jessica Beebe, the Systems Engineering assistant director of graduate programs, with any visa questions or concerns pertaining to either (or both) of these residential courses.
Elective Courses
The electives are grouped into the following categories with the restrictions described:
Group | Restriction |
| Modeling and Analysis | At least one course must be taken from this group (3-4 credits) |
| Application | At least one course must be taken from this group (3-4 credits) |
| Management | No more than one course may be taken from this group |
| Seminar | No more than one course each semester may be taken from this group, for a maximum of two courses in total. |
Health Systems Engineering Pathway Elective Course Topics
- Introduction to U.S. Healthcare System
- Healthcare Data Management and Analysis
- Clinical Natural Language Processing
- AI for Healthcare Systems Engineering
Email us with questions or to inquire about applying.