Admission to the graduate program inSystems Engineering is limited to applicants with a BS degree in engineering and certain physical sciences, such as mathematics or computer science. Students must also have a superior academic record. Applicants are required to submit the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for admission evaluation. International applicants are also required to that the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam.

Admission standards for the Ph.D. in Systems Engineering include the following:            

•     BS in engineering or hard science and MS in Systems Engineering or related field with a 3.5 GPA.

•     Minimum three years of work experience

•     All students must submit GRE scores of at least Quantitative plus Verbal greater than 1150 and Analytical writing greater than 4.5
•     All international applicants must submit TOEFL scores of 237 or higher

•     All applicants must submit a Statement of Purpose
          

A candidate for the PhD in Systems Engineering must complete the equivalent of at least three years of full time work beyond the Bachelor's degree. The content of all PhD programs are individually structured by the student in consultation with and approved by the student's advisory committee. All requirements for the degree must normally be completed within an eight year period. At appropriate points in their program, PhD students must pass both a Qualifying Exam and Comprehensive Exam. Off-campus students are expected to complete all requirements listed in the Missouri S&T Graduate Catalog under the section entitled Doctor of Philosophy Degree and follow all procedures listed under the Procedures for PhD Candidates.  

The total credit requirements for graduation are a minimum of 60 credit hours after the successful completion of MS degree in Systems Engineering or a minimum of 90 credit hours after a BS degree. Actual courses taken will be determined by the candidate's committee and his/her plan of study. The student is expected to complete all requirements listed in the Missouri S&T Graduate Catalog.

Residency Requirement

The program will follow the residency requirements listed in the Missouri S&T Graduate Catalog under the section entitled Doctor of Philosophy Degrees. Distance students can satisfy the current two semester residence at Missouri S&T requirement by meeting the following:

• The qualifying exam must be taken on campus during the first year of enrollment.
• The student is expected to have at least two Internet video conferences per month with their advisor or committee member that they are registered in SysEng 490 with.
• The student's PhD committee must include one member from the student's professional work location. This individual must have a PhD degree and be familiar with the chosen research area of the student.
• The student will be expected to meet with his/her PhD committee on a regular basis as established by the committee through campus visits or Internet video conferencing with a minimum of two meetings per semester.
• During any one year period, the student is expected to be on campus for a minimum of 16 days spread of at least 4 visits while taking courses toward the PhD.
• The student is expected to participate in all graduate courses synchronously with the class sessions based on the communication technology available in the classroom. Full participation in class activities is expected within the limits of the communications technology.
• The PhD Comprehensive exam must be taken on campus.
• The student has the option of selecting a dissertation topic in an area directly related to and beneficial to his/her professional work, and carrying out research at the student's worksite. It is essential that the student's employer fully support the doctoral program.
• Defense of the dissertation must be on campus

Course Requirements

Core Curriculum - 24 Credit Hours
        SysEng 368: Systems Engineering Analysis I
        SysEng 468: Systems Engineering Analysis II
        SysEng 469: Systems Architecting
        SysEng 411: Systems Engineering Management
        SysEng 412: Complex Engineering Systems Project Management
        SysEng 413: Economic Analysis of Systems Engineering Projects
        SysEng 479: Architectures for Smart Engineering Systems
        SysEng/CpE 419: Network Centric Systems Architecting and Engineering
Electives: 36 Credit Hours
Research: 30 Credit Hours

Requirements for Thesis
Students will conduct original research demonstrated by journal or referred proceedings, publications under the supervision of the doctoral advisor, and communicate their findings, write a dissertation on research conducted, and provide satisfactory defense of their dissertation in a final oral exam.

Areas of Research Specialization
        (and Selected Research Topics)

• Network Centric Systems
      End-to-End System Security
      Information Assurance
      Vulnerability Assessments
      Reliability Analysis
      Sustainable Development of Network Centric Infrastructure Systems
• Systems Architecting
      Smart Systems Engineering
      Design for Flexibility
      System Architecture Evaluation
• Systems Engineering Process and Design
      Lean Systems Engineering
      Network-Centric Collaborative Design
      Meta-Systems Design Architecture
• Distributed Systems Modeling
      Distributed Object-Oriented System Modeling
• Structures
      Aero-Structure Interaction
      Finite Element Analysis
      Composite Materials and Structures
      Nano-Composites and Bio-Composites
      Fracture Mechanics
      Fatigue and Failure Analysis
      Micromechanics of Bio-material Interfaces
• Network Centric Manufacturing and Control
      Network Centric Manufacturing Systems
      Control Architectures
      Adaptive Inventory Models
      Process Planning and Manufacturing Execution System
      IPD (Integrated Product Development)
      Robust Supply Chain Networks
• Risk Modeling and Assessment
      Financial Engineering Applications for Reducing and Managing Financial Risk
      Developing Mathematical Models for Project Risk Management
• Modeling and Simulation
      Modeling and Simulation for Embedded Systems
      Modeling and Simulation for Micro/Nano-Electronics
      Simulation and Mathematical Optimization of Engineering Systems
      Performance and Cost Optimization of Embedded Systems
• Computational Intelligence
      Neural Networks and Fuzzy Logic as Evolutionary Program Computation
      Swarm Optimization for Intelligent Systems Design
      Interoperation Between Database Systems
      Integration of Ontologies into System Engineering
• Infrastructure Systems
      Health Mentoring of Infrastructure Systems
      Inter-operability
      Behavior of Infrastructure Systems under Extreme Condition

    Qualifying Exam
    The objective of the Systems Engineering Ph.D. Qualifying Exam is to test the knowledge and understanding of the graduate student     on systems engineering fundamentals and assess the student's level of knowledge in engineering statistics and optimization. The     qualifying exam is a two day exam consisting of a written and oral part.

    The written exam is an open book, open notes exam. On the first day of the qualifying exam, the written test will be started at a time     determined by the program director. The exam consist of three questions, one on statistics, one on optimizations and one     on Systems Engineering.

    The statistics and optimization portion of the exam is an assessment test to determine the level of understanding of statistics and    optimization by the student. It provides input to the student's Ph.D. Committee in selecting courses for the student's plan of study in     these areas.

    The systems engineering portion of the exam is based on the integration of the systems engineering fundamentals that are covered in     the core courses, namely; SysEng 368, Systems Engineering and Analysis I, SysEng 468 Systems Engineering and Analysis II,     SysEng 469 Systems Architecting, SysEng 411 Systems Engineering Management, SysEng 412 Complex Engineering Systems     Project Management, and SysEng 413, Economic Analysis of Systems Engineering Projects. The question for this part of the exam     test the graduate student's ability to integrate and synthesize systems engineering thinking and understanding the system interfaces     at all systems levels. Systems engineering or hard science is a must for this portion of the exam.

    The oral exam is scheduled for day two of the qualifying exam. It is conducted in the presence of the Systems Engineering Core     Faculty. The oral exam assesses the graduate student's research interest in at least one of the ten systems engineering research     specialization areas, namely; Systems Architecting, Network Centric Systems, Systems Engineering Process and Design,     Distributed Systems Modeling, Modeling and Simulation, Risk Modeling and Assessment, Computational Intelligence, Network     Centric Manufacturing and Control, Structures, and Infrastructure Systems.

    It is expected that the graduate student has a clear understanding of the research issues in the student's area of interest, its     implications in industrial applications (primarily in the industrial domain the student is working), possible impact of successful     research contributions to systems engineering research and literature and should be able to identify up to five journals in this area.

    Prior to the oral exam, copies of the written exams prepared by the Systems Engineering Faculty will be provided to all Systems     Engineering Core Faculty for each student. The oral exam is restricted to the areas of research specialization selected by each     student and will continue until there is a consensus not to ask further questions by the faculty.

    After the completion of the oral exam of students completing the qualifying exam, the core faculty will commence the deliberations for     each student. The results of the deliberations are emailed to each student by the program director at the end of the meetings. All     exams are based on pass/fail and do not receive grades.

    Comprehensive Exam
    The student's advisory committee will administer the comprehensive examination after the student has completed the coursework for     the Ph.D. program. The examination is written and oral. Upon successful completion of the written examination, the student will be     orally examined by the advisory committee. It is recommended that these exams be completed within a 30 day period.

    A report of the comprehensive exam will be sent to the Vice Provost of Graduate Affairs. A candidate will be considered to have     passed if all or all but one of the advisory committee vote that the student pass. The comprehensive exam must be completed at     least 12 weeks before the oral defense of the dissertation.

    If failure is reported, the advisory committee will recommend suggested work or other remedial measures to the student. A second     comprehensive exam may not be scheduled until after the lapse of 12 weeks. Failure of the second exam will automatically terminate     the candidacy of the student.

    Dissertation
    The dissertation, embodying the results of an original investigation, must be written upon a subject mutually agreed upon between the     student and the advisor(s).

    The advisory committee will examine the dissertation closely for both scientific content and format, and deem it worthy of acceptance     by the graduate faculty as meeting the requirements for the Ph.D. The Vice Provost of Graduate Affairs will authorize the student's     advisory committee to administer the final examination. It may not be scheduled sooner than 12 weeks after the completion of the     comprehensive examination.

    The final examination will be an oral defense of the dissertation and may be attended by all interested person, who may question the     candidate with permission of the chair of the advisory committee. A report of final examination will be sent to the office of Graduate     Affairs. A student will be considered passed if all or all but one of the advisory committee vote for passing.

    When a student has completed all requirements for the Ph.D., the Office of Graduate Affairs will forward a copy of the student's     approved dissertation to the Missouri University of Science and Technology Library.