SSE Master's & PhD Programs

The School of Systems and Enterprises offers Master of Engineering degrees in Systems Engineering (SE), Engineering Management (EM), Space Systems Engineering, and Master of Science degrees in Financial Engineering (FE) and Enterprise Systems (ES) through a wide variety of delivery formats including traditional 15-week format semesters, online via Stevens WebCampus, and in the modular format through the Systems Design and Operational Effectiveness (SDOE) program. The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is offered in Systems Engineering, Engineering Management, and Enterprise Systems.

The SDOE program is an international leader in engineering education providing a flexible delivery format tailored to practitioners and industry professionals. The program objective is to provide an innovative view of the landscape of system design to practitioners from different engineering disciplines, to enhance their practice of engineering today, and to position them for career growth in the global economy. The delivery mechanism of courses in the SDOE program is unique.  All courses in our program are offered in weeklong modular format or offered in a completely web-based format.  Modes of instruction of the SDOE program have been structured to allow flexibility.  The week-long modular format minimizes time away from “home base” while live and intensive weeklong courses, and associated group exercises, ensure development of team building skills, leadership development, and the real-time negotiation and tradeoffs that characterize reality. Students are given reading assignments prior to the instructional week.  Further, participants pursing a degree or graduate certificate have ten weeks subsequent to the instructional week to complete their homework assignments and projects.  Homework assignments and projects are not required for those students taking SDOE classes for continuing education units (CEUs) credit.

The school’s programs in Systems Engineering, Engineering Management and Enterprise Systems take a multidisciplinary approach to engineering education by providing a blend of engineering, systems, and management subjects. The traditional engineer and scientist often lacks preparation in the human, financial, and systems integration skills necessary to make project teams more productive, improve system and service quality, and promote the advancement of high technology for complex systems. Our Masters' programs are unique in that we strive to produce a graduate who is well prepared for a future in the management of engineering and technology and can address systems integration, life cycle issues, and systems thinking at the system, system of system, and enterprise levels.

Our Master of Science in Financial Engineering focuses on the financial services industry.  This industry has an increasing need for graduates who are trained in the mathematical methods that are now used to solve problems in finance. In our Financial Engineering program, you learn how to use relevant techniques from applied mathematics, statistics, and economics develop, analyze, and implement financial products involving securities valuation, risk management, portfolio structuring, and regulatory concerns. Training in quantitative analysis, modeling, optimization, simulation techniques, and technology interface is emphasized.  Financial Engineering serves the financial services industries that are home to some of the most complex systems and enterprises in our society.

Master’s Programs

These programs require a minimum of 30 credit hours of course work. A thesis and or project is required for the Systems Engineering and Enterprise Systems degrees.  For the Engineering Management and Financial Engineering degrees a thesis is optional and may be substituted for up to six credit hours of course work. The thesis option is strongly recommended for full-time students receiving financial support in the form of research assistantships or those students planning to pursue doctoral studies.

An undergraduate degree in engineering or related disciplines with a "B" average or better from an accredited college or university is generally required for graduate study in our Master of Engineering and Master of Science programs. Outstanding applicants in other areas may be conditionally admitted subject to the satisfactory completion of several ramp courses or introductory courses within the specific program.  Student applying to the Master of Science in Enterprise Systems program should have an undergraduate education or significant industry experience that has a significant quantitative component.  The Master of Science in Financial Engineering requires a strong mathematics background to include some elements of calculus.   The specific requirements will be determined on an individual basis depending upon the student’s background. It is required that any applicants requesting research assistantship appointments and applicants to the Ph.D. program provide evidence of the ability to carry out independent research. Examples of such evidence include the master's degree thesis work and/or completed work-related projects. Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores are not required, but may be submitted in support of the application. International students must demonstrate their proficiency in the English language prior to admission by scoring at least 550 (210 for computer based) on the TOEFL examination. Applications for admission from qualified students are accepted at any time. Each student should meet with his/her advisor to develop a study plan that matches the student’s background, experience, and interests while satisfying the requirements for any of the school’s programs.