Online systems engineering master’s from Purdue teaches looking at the big picture

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Applications are open for Purdue University’s new 100% online master’s degree in systems engineering, which focuses on using advanced methods and tools for applying systems engineering principles to design, analyze and optimize complex engineered systems throughout their life cycle.

The curriculum also covers cross-disciplinary leadership and communications skills necessary to lead diverse teams and communicate with a variety of stakeholders.

“The systems engineering curriculum emphasizes the convergence of knowledge from many different disciplines, which sets us apart from other universities,” said Robert Kenley, professor in Purdue’s School of Industrial Engineering. “Students who complete the curriculum will gain the competencies to address the economic, organizational, technological and environmental aspects of the complex systems challenges that must be tackled to move the world forward.”

Kenley said the program’s core courses cover a broad array of quantitative and qualitative methods and approaches from systems science, systems thinking and systems engineering. Additional coursework covers systems analysis and design; specialty engineering; engineering economics and decision-making; and program and project management.

For more information about Purdue’s online systems engineering master’s degree, visit the program website.

Purdue has a long history in systems engineering research and education. The university established a cross-disciplinary, campuswide Systems Collaboratory in 2015 to bring systems thinking to bear in areas ranging from major societal and economic issues to tiny motors for unclogging blood vessels and building 3-D nanostructures. The program forges collaborations among faculty and students in engineering; in the life, physical and social sciences; and in liberal arts — a recognition that tackling problems in dynamic complex systems requires a battery of expertise.

“The commitment that Purdue has to systems education is well represented in the presence of our Purdue Systems Collaboratory, which is an institution that very few other schools have, and which is literally focused on systems education,” said Joaquín Goñi Cortes, associate professor of Industrial Engineering. “Purdue has many research groups working on systems topics; we have a lot of experience in doing online, on-campus and hybrid courses tackling different aspects of systems; and we have a great cohort of faculty ready and eager to teach those topics.”

In addition to the online master’s, Purdue’s Robert H. Buckman College of Engineering Online Education Program offers other online systems education programs, such as a graduate certificate in systems and a series of modules covering Model-Based Systems Engineering Foundations and Applications to the Production Enterprise. Purdue also offers an academic equivalency course for International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) professional certification. Purdue is a member of the INCOSE Corporate Advisory Board.

The anytime, anywhere online format makes Purdue’s online engineering programs accessible for working professionals looking to expand their knowledge and boost their skills and careers in fields that are important today and likely to be even more so tomorrow.

The online courses are developed and taught by internationally known faculty from Purdue’s flagship campus, ranked as the No. 8 Public University in the U.S. by QS World University Rankings. Purdue’s online engineering graduate programs are ranked No. 3 nationally by U.S. News & World Report.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, including nearly 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.