Program Description

Systems Engineering is an interdisciplinary approach and means to enable the realization of successful systems by defining customer needs and required functionality early in the development cycle. Systems engineers are responsible for the design and management of complex systems guided by systems requirements. There is a growing need for engineers who are concerned with the whole system and can take an interdisciplinary and top down approach. Systems engineers need to be problem definers, not just problem solvers, and be involved with a system through its life cycle, from development through production, deployment, training support, operation, and disposal.

As a student in the program, you will conduct original research under the supervision of an advisor and committee, write, and successfully defend a dissertation.

Recent research dissertation titles have included:

• A Bayesian Inference Based Complex Systems Approach in Precision Medicine, Md Asad Rahman, July 2024
• Deep Learning and Adaptive Clustering Approaches for Flood Prediction and Efficient Sensor Placement in Missouri, Fahimeh Sharafkhani, January 2025 
• Complex Systems Approach in Data Analysis: Unraveling Interactions and Emergent Behavior in Material Science and Human Health, Yasaman Jamalipour Soofi, March 2025 
  

For more information on areas of research specialization and selected research topics: Systems Engineering Specialization Areas

Ph.D. Course Requirements

(After B.S. Degree in Engineering or Physical Science)

Core Curriculum (12 Credit Hours)
Sys Eng 5101 - Systems Engineering and Analysis
Sys Eng 6102 - Information Based Design
Sys Eng 6103 - Systems Life Cycle Costing
Sys Eng 6104 - Systems Architecting
Systems Engineering Electives (18 Credit Hours)
Specialization Electives (24 Credit Hours)
Research (30 Credit Hours)
Program TOTAL (84 Credit Hours)

A condition of the oral Ph.D. qualifying exam is that students must have a GPA of 3.5 for the core curriculum courses.

Program Requirements

• Qualifying Exam
• Comprehensive Exam
• Dissertation Defense

Distance Student Residency Requirements

To complete the Ph.D. in systems engineering program, you must normally spend at least two sequential semesters in full-time residence at the university.

As an off-campus, working professional, you can meet the two-year residency requirement by doing the following:

• The qualifying exam must be taken within the first 5 semesters of enrollment;
• Conduct minimum one virtual conference per month with his/her research advisor;
• The Ph.D. comprehensive exam is recommended to be taken on campus
• He/She has the option of conducting research that is beneficial to the his/her professional work
• The defense of dissertation is recommended to take place on campus

Please refer to the graduate catalog for the program process and time limit, etc.

Department Admission Requirements

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