Systems Science, MS, Exclusively Online

Location(s): Exclusively Online Program

The Master of Science in Systems Science (MS SS) degree is offered in the exclusively online format 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 Watson Online (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.

The Exclusively Online option must be selected at the time of application to the program.

All policies and procedures regarding Exclusively Online Programs, including information on international student eligibility,maybe found within the University’s Exclusively Online Programs webpage.

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

Recommended submission dates for fall semester admission: Apply by April 1 for regular admission.
Recommended submission dates for spring semester admission: Apply by Nov. 15 for regular admission.

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 (optional)
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. Please keep in mind that any non-SSIE, graduate-level courses must be courses with a “Z” in the course number to be taken by students in the MS in Systems Science, Exclusively Online program.

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

MS in Systems Science, Exclusively Online

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 director of the school.

SSIE Z500 - Computational Tools
SSIE Z501 - Intro to Systems Science
SSIE Z505 - Applied Probability & Statist.
SSIE Z520 - Modeling And Simulation
OR SSIE Z523 - Collective Dyn of Complex Syst

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 Z599 - 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 Z598 - 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):
SSIE Z605 - Appl’d Multivar. Data Analysis
SSIE Z613 - Adv Stats Method for Dat Analy
SSIE Z615 - Advanced Supply Chains
SSIE Z616 - Adv Topics Applied Soft Compu
SSIE Z617 - Fuz. Sets, Fuz.Logic & Fuz.Sys
SSIE Z621 - Advanced Simulation
SSIE Z631 - Foundations Of Neural Networks
SSIE Z633 - Advanced Human Factors
SSIE Z637 - Advanced Topics in Health Syst
SSIE Z641 - Adv Topics in Network Science
SSIE Z643 - Advanced Engineering Analytics
SSIE Z644 - Found Of Adaptive Optimization
SSIE Z650 - Systems Optimization
SSIE Z660 - Stochastic Systems
SSIE Z664 - Advanced Eng Management
SSIE Z665X - Adv Topics Energy Syst Opt
SSIE Z671 - Integer Programming

MS SS, Exclusively Online, 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 (including machine learning and artificial intelligence), consulting, medical supply chain, insurance, operations within the pharmaceutical industry, organ procurement networks, public health, healthcare policy, and other not-for-profit health organizations.

Additional Requirements

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

Take one additional required core course: SSIE Z537 - 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 Z637 - Advanced Topics in Health Systems. This course can also be replaced with another 600-level elective with approval of the graduate director or school director.

Approved Healthcare-Related Courses

SSIE Z530 - Healthcare Policy Analysis
SSIE Z534 - Fundamentals of Health Systems
SSIE Z538 - Healthcare Financial Eng
SSIE Z539 - Human Factors Eng Healthcare
SSIE Z548 - Healthcare Data Sci&Analytics
SSIE Z637 - Advanced Topics in Health Syst

Additional Information about the Program

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