Admission to the graduate program in Systems 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 physical 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 580/237/92 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
        Systems Engineering Process Tools, Optimization & Statisitics - 12 credit hours
        Research Specialization Hours - 24 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. For more information, contact the department.    

    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 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.

    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.

     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).