Systems Science, MS

Location(s): Main Campus

The Master of Science in Systems Science (MS SS) degree is offered through the School of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering (SSIE). The MS SS degree provides students with concepts, principles, and methods for understanding, modeling, analyzing, optimizing, and improving various forms of complex systems. Such systems thinking and problem-solving skills will be invaluable assets when students blaze new trails in any scientific, engineering, business, or management professions in today’s increasingly complex world.

Important Information:

Many of the graduate courses in the School of SSIE are also offered through EngiNet (Watson College Distance Learning Program).
All of the School of SSIE graduate programs (including all available concentrations) are available fully online in addition to the traditional on-campus offerings.
Any graduate student who may have taken an undergraduate course that is cross-listed with a graduate course will already have earned the credit for the undergraduate course. Note that the student will not be eligible to earn graduate-level credit for the cross-listed graduate course at a later date and will not be eligible to take the course again at the graduate level.

Admission Requirements

Applicants who have already earned a baccalaureate degree in any field are invited to apply for admission to this program.

Applications are considered for both spring and fall semesters and are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Recommended submission dates for fall semester admission: Apply before Feb. 1 for funding consideration or April 1 for regular admission.
Recommended submission dates for spring semester admission: Apply before Oct. 15 for funding consideration or Nov. 15 for regular admission.

Graduate students who are well qualified may receive assistantships, such as teaching assistantships (TA), research project assistantships (RPA), or graduate assistantships (GA). Funding decisions are decided among the admitted pool of applicants during the spring semester for fall admissions and as needed for spring admissions.

Applications to degree programs should include:

Official transcript(s), although unofficial transcripts are acceptable for initial application
Two letters of recommendation
A personal statement including mention of interests
Official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (this requirement may be waived at the discretion of the graduate director)
International applicants should also include:
- Proof of English proficiency (such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), PTE academic scores, or Duolingo)
- Immigration and financial documentation (i.e., the International Student Financial Statement and statement of financial support/bank statement)

Program Requirements

Subject to the approval of the director of graduate studies, the student may elect to substitute up to two graduate-level elective courses from a non-SSIE school or department, including those graduate-level courses the candidate may wish to transfer, pending approval, from another institution. However, credits transferred from another institution would not count toward the 24-credit residency requirement.

To complete the MS in Systems Science, students must maintain at least a B average in all graduate coursework.

MS in Systems Science

Required Courses (12 credits)

For students with adequate backgrounds, the required courses may be substituted with electives with consent from the director of graduate studies and/or the chair of the school.

Elective Courses and Degree Completion Option

Thesis Option

Four additional graduate-level courses from the school, at least one of which must be at the 600-level (12 credits)

SSIE 599 - Thesis - Oral presentation and defense of the thesis are required (Minimum 6 credits)

Project Option

Five additional graduate-level courses from the school, at least one of which must be at the 600-level (15 credits)

SSIE 598 - MS Termination Project - Oral presentation and defense of the termination project are required (Minimum 3 credits)

Coursework-only Option

Five additional graduate-level courses from the school (15 credits)
Complete one of the following 600-level courses that includes project-based coursework to serve as a capstone for the termination requirement of the program (3 credits):

MS SS Health Systems Concentration

This option aims to prepare students for professional or leadership roles in healthcare, including hospital operations management, health systems engineering, health information technology, healthcare analytics, consulting, medical supply chain, insurance, operations within the pharmaceutical industry, organ procurement networks, and other not-for-profit health organizations.

Additional Requirements

In addition to the required courses of all students in the MS SS program, students pursuing this concentration must complete the following requirements:

Take one additional required core course: SSIE 537 - Industrial and Systems Engineering in Healthcare (Note: This reduces the number of electives by one course).
Take at least one of the approved healthcare-related courses (see below) as one of their chosen electives, in consultation with either the advisor or the director of graduate studies.
The thesis or project option must be healthcare-related, chosen in consultation with the advisor.
Coursework-only option students must complete SSIE 637 - Advanced Topics in Health Systems.

Approved Healthcare-Related Courses

MS SS Executive Health Systems Concentration - Manhattan

This 12-month program is designed to provide working professionals who already have a bachelor’s degree an opportunity to gain sufficient knowledge and skills for modeling, analyzing and/or designing healthcare delivery systems and processes. The systems science discipline plays a significant role in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare systems. Over the years, systems science has helped healthcare facilities improve total quality management, scheduling and sequencing in outpatient clinics, and operational control, such as medical record management and patient turnaround time in emergency rooms to name a few. With the ultimate goal being continuous process improvement, the research methodology looks at current workflow, identifies bottlenecks and, finally, proposes solutions and recommendations using a number of tools, such as modeling and simulation, problem-solving, statistical analysis, operations research, human factors engineering, and data mining.

Classes are scheduled on weekends with hours generally every Saturday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., with intermittent days off, at a convenient Midtown Manhattan location. During each class, the student experiences lectures, group activities, projects, and open discussions with a great deal of class participation. At the onset of the program, there is a required orientation weekend at Binghamton University’s main campus.

Plan of Study (30 credits)

Alternate courses may be applied in select cases with the approval of the program director.

Double-Degree Graduate Programs

The systems science program offers two double-degree opportunities that allow the student to pursue two master’s degrees concurrently:

Master of Science in Systems Science (MS SS) and Master of Public Administration (MPA)
Master of Science in Systems Science (MS SS) and Master of Science in Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention (MS GMAP)

Systems Science and Public Administration

The Master of Science in Systems Science (MS SS) program is housed in the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science at Binghamton University and the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program is housed within the College of Community and Public Affairs at Binghamton University. Both are considered professional degrees. By carefully structuring the sequence of courses and using courses in one program to count as electives in the other, the MS SS/MPA double-degree program will allow students to complete both degrees in two and a half years of full-time study, without compromising the professional standards of either program.

The MS SS/MPA double-degree program prepares students for administrative positions that focus on understanding, modeling, analyzing, optimizing, and improving various forms of complex systems. Topics students learn about in the MS SS program include systems thinking and problem-solving methodologies, while the MPA program provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary for management.

Students interested in pursuing the MS SS/MPA double-degree program should contact the Systems Science graduate director for additional information.

Systems Science and Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention

The Master of Science in Systems Science (MS SS) program is housed in the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science at Binghamton University and the Master of Science in Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention (MS GMAP) is housed within the University-wide Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention at Binghamton University. By carefully structuring the sequence of courses and using courses in one program to count as electives in the other, the MS SS/MS GMAP double-degree program will allow students to complete both degrees in three years of full-time study, without compromising the professional standards of either program.

The MS SS/MS GMAP double-degree program will prepare students for positions that focus on understanding, modeling, analyzing, optimizing, and improving various forms of complex systems for atrocity prevention. The MS SS provides students with knowledge and skills to enact systems thinking and problem solving methodologies. Topics students learn about in the MS GMAP program include analyzing risk factors, formulating strategies, and implementing policies and practices to reduce the occurrence, severity, and potential for recurrence of genocides and other mass atrocities around the world.

Students interested in pursuing the MS SS/MS GMAP double-degree program should contact the Systems Science graduate director for additional information.

Additional Information about the Program

For more information on the Systems Science MS program, please refer to the Systems Science and Industrial Engineering Graduate Programs website. To apply to the Systems Science MS program, please visit the University Graduate Admissions website.