Online Master of Science in Systems Engineering (MSSE)

The 100% online HyFlex Weber State University Master of Science in Systems Engineering (MSSE) provides students with a high-quality education, virtual class options, and the opportunity to succeed at school while working. 

Systems Engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering and management, combining traditional mechanical, electrical, civil, and industrial engineering and incorporating technology trends of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the data sciences. Systems Engineers design, develop and manage complex, global systems to ensure safety and success.

There is no end to the number of solutions or approaches to a wicked problem. That's why Weber State University's 100% online Master’s degree in Systems Engineering is HyFlex to meet your unique needs. HyFlex allows you to choose how to attend class – scheduled web conferencing or online instruction. Apply today, and engineer solutions to wicked problems!

Apply for the Master of Science in Systems Engineering

We also offer an Online Certificate in Systems Foundations & Practice

• What is Systems Thinking and What is Systems Engineering?

  Systems thinking is an approach that involves many modeling and analysis techniques that allow the system to view issues holistically and have a board perspective that includes seeing overall structure, patterns, and cycles in the system.
  Systems thinking is also a diagnostic tool.  It can be used for examining problems holistically and accurately before acting.  It allows engineers to ask better questions before formulating solutions.
  
  Systems Engineering is a transdisciplinary and integrative approach to enable the successful realization, use, and retirement of engineered systems, using systems principles and concepts, and scientific, technological, and management methods.

  Learn more about Systems Thinking

• Do I need a Masters degree in Systems Engineering?

  How much does a master's degree cost?

  Tuition tables for 100% online masters in Systems Engineering 

  How long does it typically take students to complete this master's degree in Systems Engineering?

  The average completion time is 2 years (4 semesters). Students are expected to complete all work within five years from the date of first enrollment in the master’s program. The WSU 100% online master's degree in Systems Engineering is pleased to offer courses year-round – Fall, Spring, & Summer

  What are the requirements for admission to this master's degree in Systems Engineering?

  Read more for requirements. 

  What networking opportunities does this master's degree in Systems Engineering provide?

  The WSU 100% online master's degree in Systems Engineering regularly hosts the INCOSE Wasatch Chapter meetings. 

  For more information visit: Welcome to the INCOSE Wasatch Chapter. 

  Students can meet with the systems community to enjoy presentations, conferences, training, scholarships, and networking. The Wasatch chapter supports Hill Air Force Base, the second largest U.S. Air Force Base in the country.

  The MSSE program also utilizes faculty from other engineering departments, industry adjuncts, and industry guest lecturers. This allows students to learn the content while engaging with a wide range of faculty to learn applications today, that you can apply tomorrow.

  Are there opportunities to improve communication and interview skills in this master's degree in Systems Engineering?

  Effective technical communication and interview skills are some of the most important skills that an engineer can develop and hone during their career.  Your concepts and solutions - no matter how great they may be – will not have an impact if you cannot communicate effectively and professionally.  That is why the WSU MSSE works with the Weber Writing Center to prepare graduates to craft their story and make their critical thinking visible.
   

• Why Pursue an Online Master’s in Systems Engineering at Weber State University?

  The 100% online Masters in Systems Engineering MSSE program is an industry-based program that will engineer better solutions for a better world. In this context, the program’s mission is to:

  • Provide students with a high-quality education, virtual/online class options, and the opportunity to succeed at school while working
  • Educate and mentor students to promote systems thinking and prosperity while protecting the planet
  • Create systems that build economic growth and address a range of social needs including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities, while tackling climate change and environmental quality
  • Incorporate industry needs and global megatrends of digital transformation, sustainability, and complexity growth
  • Incorporate technology trends such as advances in materials and manufacturing, advanced modeling and simulation, the data sciences, and digital transformation
  • Reflect the trends that shape stakeholder values, such as simple, timely, safe, secure, and stable systems

   

  The WSU MSSE program is 100% Online HyFlex

  HyFlex allows an individual student to choose how to attend class on any given day – online synchronously or online asynchronously.  HyFlex allows students that travel for work, who are sick, have busy work schedules or have growing families, to choose their learning modality.  HyFlex allows students to meet at set times to receive instruction via web conferencing, to have the option to watch the recorded online instruction, and to submit assignments via the online course webpage. Weber is continuously upgrading and fine-tuning technology being used in the classroom to ensure opportunities for success, today and tomorrow.

  Industry Relevant

  Other Systems Engineering programs focus on engineering disciplines such as: design, industrial, manufacturing, software, or management.  Weber’s view of Systems Engineering is in the global context, recognizing the systems viewpoint and landscape, while incorporating INCOSE standards and teachings.  At Weber, the required coursework includes the materials and knowledge necessary to prepare students for the Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP) exam offered by the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE). 
  
  Industry relevance translates to additional career advancement opportunities.
  
  WSU focuses on the life cycle management through the application of digital engineering.  Topics include:

  • Management of complex multi-disciplinary projects
    • Requirements, product lifecycle, process, task, and web document management
  • A single authoritative computer model for system design
  • Parametric digital connectivity of system requirements, data, and design content
  • Physics-based, optimization, and operational simulations
  • Integration of internal and external stakeholders
     

  Experienced Faculty

  Weber’s faculty bring years of industry experience to the academic setting, providing students with a real-world understanding of Systems Engineering, processes, and management of operations.  Weber’s faculty industry experience includes:

  • Aerospace and Defense
  • Manufacturing
  • Mechanical
  • Business Intelligence and the Data Sciences
  • Biomedical
  • Chemical
  • Advanced Design

  
  With professional certifications:

  • National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) , Professional Engineer (PE)
  • Project Management Institute (PMI) , Project Management Professional (PMP)
  • INCOSE Systems Engineering Professional (SEP)

  
  Team Collaborations

  Collaboration amongst students and faculty provide a high impact learning experience to explore and analyze challenges and solutions.  These high impact learning experiences prepare the graduates for gainful employment as a systems engineer.  Weber State University’s curriculum and experienced faculty gives each student an opportunity to collaboratively and cooperatively learn.

• Non-Resident Tuition Waivers

  Non-Resident Tuition Waivers are available to non-resident students who have an overall GPA of 3.25 upon entry into the program. Eligible students will receive a tuition waiver* for the non-resident portion of their tuition. Non-resident and international students must maintain a 3.25 GPA to continue to receive the waiver and must notify msse@weber.edu each semester to request the waiver be applied to their tuition. Terms may change due to funding availability. 

  *Tuition waivers do not include the cost of the graduate differential or student fees. 

• What will you learn in the online Master of Science in Systems Engineering?

  In 2021, Affordable Colleges Online (ACO) has ranked Weber State University as 19th nationally, on its list of low-cost colleges with graduates who earn high starting salaries.  This translates to a great education that lands a well-paying career.  WSU’s MSSE includes technical and management processes applied to design, implementation, and retirement of systems.

  
  These processes involve modeling and analyzing systems using: 

  • Digital Engineering
  • Model-based Systems Engineering (MBSE)
  • Systems optimization and simulation
  • Eliciting, developing, and managing requirements
  • Risk management and mitigation techniques
  • Verification/validation/evaluation approaches
  • Design sustainment and multigenerational technology

   

  Other Systems Engineering programs focus on engineering disciplines such as: design, industrial, software, management, physics or electrical.  Weber’s view of Systems Engineering is in the global context, recognizing the systems viewpoints and landscapes, while incorporating INCOSE standards and teachings.  At Weber, the required coursework includes the materials and knowledge necessary to prepare students for the Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP) exam offered by the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE).

• Career outlook and what systems engineering jobs are available?

  Per the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Systems Engineering job growth is expected to grow by at least 8% over the next 10 years.
  Systems Engineering jobs include:

  • Systems Engineer
  • Systems Integration Engineer
  • Technical Development Manager/Dir
  • Program Engineering Manager/Dir
  • Technical Project Manager/Dir
  • Solutions Architect / Systems Architect
  • Verification Engineer
  • Requirements Engineer
  • Cyber Systems Engineer
  • Model Based Systems Engineer

   

  In industries such as:

  • Manufacturing
  • Aerospace
  • Healthcare
  • Information Technology
  • Defense technology
  • Pharmaceutical
  • Medical devices

   

  Weber’s focus on INCOSE standards, teachings, and the Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP) exam, provides students with additional career advancement opportunities.
   

• When should systems thinking be used?

  Systems thinking can used for challenges that have the following characteristics:

  • Addressing complex, global challenges
  • There is a need for a new solution or the current system is deficient
  • The challenge not a one-time event
  • These challenges cannot be solved by any one party, nor understood from only one perspective
• Examples of systems include:

  Systems are continually evolving and exhibit emergent behavior.  Some examples include:

  • A lean manufacturing cell – Infrastructure, machine tools, automation robots, human interactions, material flow, and work-in-process
  • A hospital – Infrastructure, diagnostic and treatment equipment, electronic health records software, mediation dispensing software, doctors, nurses, and medical billing agents
  • Municipal water supply – Infrastructure for storage, treatment, and distribution of water for homes, industry, irrigation, and firefighting needs, EPA requirements, and sustainability management
  • Anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system – Hardware / software to detect and monitor possible threats, satellite sensors, ground and sea-based tracking radar, the ICBM, and underground missile silo, and all staff associated with the System of Systems (SoS)
  • Automated prescription filling devices – Hardware / software to identify, count/measure, fill, and label bottle, ability to handle tablets and capsules of all shapes and sizes, ability to fill with no cross contamination, safety measures, provide a proper environment for storage and handling of medicines, and tracking of controlled substances
     
• Systems Engineering in the global context.

  Systems Engineering is shaped by the global environment, human and societal needs, policy and business challenges, and evolving technologies – which give rise to complex engineering challenges.  These complex challenges impose new demands on the types of systems needed and are unsolvable by any one area of engineering.

  For example, how does the increasing stress on the sustainability of natural resources impose new demands on the types of systems needed?  A Systems Engineering solution may bring together manufacturing, financial, and materials science engineering along with operations management and economics.  
   

• How is Systems Engineering management integrated into business solutions?
  • Systems engineer managers are the primary interface between management, customers, suppliers and specialty engineers in the system’s life cycle.  Responsibilities of a systems engineer manager includes:
  • Managing system engineering teams to support new product development
  • Striving for technical excellence in meeting the system’s needs, constraints, and performance
  • Driving system platform adoption and usage
  • Managing, measuring, and assessing continuous improvement projects to increase system efficiency
• Stand out from the crowd with industry recognized certifications and foundations
  Weber’s view of Systems Engineering is in the global context, recognizing the systems viewpoint and landscape, while incorporating industry standards and teachings.  Weber's curriculum will prepare students to take professional certifications such as:
   

  • INCOSE Systems Engineering Professional Certification
  • OMG Certifications
  • OMG SysML Certification
  • Certified Professional for Requirements Engineering (CPRE) by IREB
  • Project Management Professional (PMP) by PMI
• Are you returning to school or a non-traditional student and interested in the Systems Foundations & Practice?
   A 100% online graduate level certificate in Systems Foundations & Practice is offered.  This certificate allows students an entry point into a systems career while juggling work, family, and life.

   

  In addition to the program being 100% online, students never have to step foot on campus.  This certificate allows students an entry point into a Systems Career while providing a high-quality education that is industry driven.  The 2 semester, 12 credit graduate level certificate
  focuses on Systems Foundations & Practice and offers the opportunity to become INCOSE SEP Certified.
   
  By meeting the transfer requirements and upon acceptance into the masters program, all 12 credits can be transferred to the masters degree - which is nearly 40% of the masters degree complete

   
• Why Weber?  Why Systems Engineering?

  Josh Mayhew

  I earned my undergraduate degree at Weber State in December 2019 in Manufacturing Engineering Technology. I decided that I wanted to pursue a graduate degree so I looked into multiple universities and ultimately decided on another local university to pursue a Masters of Electrical Engineering. While I was attending classes I learned about Systems Engineering and fell in love with it. The only problem was the university's online program did not offer the flexibility I required to succeed.

  Between full-time employment and family responsibilities, I needed a program that allowed me to determine when to dedicate time to my coursework. I have three kids and my wife is currently enrolled in Weber State's nursing program. It didn't take me long to realize the program was going to offer me the much-needed flexibility I required to thrive. After a year and a half of attending the program, I am so grateful for my decision to transfer as I have found success while maintaining my school/life balance.