Systems Ph.D. Degree Requirements

Requirements for admission to Ph.D. candidacy

Each student must take:

Systems PhD required courses (PDF)
Course numberCourse nameSemesterCredits
SYSEN 6000Foundations of Complex SystemsFall3
SYSEN 6150Model Based Systems EngineeringFall3
SYSEN 8000Systems Doctoral ColloquiumFall1
SYSEN 8100Systems Seminar Series - Ph.D.Fall & Spring1

Furthermore, before graduating a Ph.D. student shall obtain some appropriate background in each of the following four areas, either from prior study or by taking some of the suggested classes in the areas below. The exact subset of courses required is at the discretion of the student's Special Committee as it depends on the specific needs of each student.

Human-Centered Modeling

Human-Centered Modeling
Course NumberCourse TitleSemesterCredit
AEM 6140Behavioral Economics and Managerial DecisionsFall3
AEM 6440Consumer BehaviorSpring3
AEM 6120Applied EconometricsFall3
CEE 6640Microeconometrics of Discrete ChoiceSpring3
ECON 7260Econometrics of Network AnalysisFall4
HADM 6470Consumer BehaviorFall3
NBA 6390Data Driven MarketingFall1.5
NBA 6630Managerial Decision MakingFall3
MSE/CHEME/MAE 7070Professional Product Design StudioFall3
PSYCH 6050PerceptionFall4
SYSEN 5740Design Thinking for Complex SystemsSpring2

Risk, Uncertainty, Stochastic Modeling and Learning

Risk, Uncertainty, Stochastic Modeling and Learning
Course NumberCourse TitleSemesterCredit
AEM 6061Risk Simulation & Monte Carlo MethodsSpring3
CEE 6970Risk Analysis and ManagementSpring3
COMM 6860Risk CommunicationSpring3
ECON 7120Decision Making Uncertainty: EmpiricsSpring4
ORIE 6500Applied Stochastic ProcessesFall4
ORIE 6510ProbabilitySpring4
ORIE 6540Advanced Stochastic ProcessesFall3
ORIE 6570Stochastic Dynamic ProgrammingSpring3
ORIE 6580SimulationSpring3
ORIE 6630Risk MeasuresFall2
ORIE 6700Statistical PrinciplesFall4
ORIE 6741Bayesian Machine LearningFall3
ORIE 6750Optimal LearningFall3
ORIE 6780Bayesian Statistics and Data AnalysisFall3
SYSEN 5300Systems Engineering and Six Sigma for the Design and Operation of Reliable SystemsFall3-4
SYSEN 6880Industrial Big Data Analytics and Machine LearningSpring3

System Architecture, Design and Optimization

System Architecture, Design and Optimization
Course NumberCourse NameSemesterCredit
SYSEN 5200Systems Analysis Behavior and OptimizationSpring3
SYSEN 5350Multidisciplinary Design OptimizationSpring4
SYSEN 6400Theory and Practice of Systems ArchitectureSpring3
SYSEN 6800Computational OptimizationFall4
ORIE 6300Mathematical Programming IFall4
ORIE 6310Mathematical Programming IISpring4
ORIE 6320Nonlinear ProgrammingFall3
ORIE 6328Convex AnalysisSpring3
ORIE 6334Combinatorial OptimizationSpring3
ORIE 6350Foundations of Game Theory and Mechanical DesignSpring3

Complex Systems Science

Complex Systems Science
Course NumberCourse NameSemesterCredit
CS 6810Theory of ComputingSpring4
MAE 6840Asymptotics and Perturbation MethodsFall3
MATH 4210Nonlinear Dynamics and ChaosSpring4
MATH 6270Applied Dynamical SystemsSpring4
MATH 6280Complex Dynamical SystemsFall or Spring4

In addition to these courses, each Ph.D. student will be required to complete two minors in either engineering, business, or the sciences (including social sciences) or other appropriate courses relating to areas such as health care, agriculture, etc. The criteria for how many and what courses must be taken in each minor are at the discretion of the committee members, although some fields may recommend their faculty to enforce specific guidelines.

Requirements for the Ph.D. and M.S. Graduate Minors

A Ph.D. student majoring in another graduate field can obtain a minor in Systems by successfully completing four courses, including SYSEN 6000 and SYSEN 6150. The four courses must be approved by a member of the Field of Systems who is a member of the student's special committee. Any course used to satisfy requirements of the student's major field of doctoral study may not be used to satisfy the minor in Systems.

An M.S. student majoring in another graduate field can obtain a minor in Systems by successfully completing two Systems courses, including SYSEN 6150 and one more course, preferably SYSEN 6000. The other systems-related course must be approved by a member of the Field of Systems who is a member of the student's special committee. Any course used to satisfy requirements of the student's major field of Masters study may not be used to satisfy the minor in Systems.