Online Master of Science in Systems Engineering

Program Highlights
30 credit hours | In-state tuition: $782/credit hour | Out-of-state tuition: $782/credit hour
- Provided in an convenient, flexible and accessible 100% online format by UTEP’s College of Engineering
- One of only a few online systems engineering master’s degree programs in the nation
- Designed for engineers and other STEM professionals seeking technical and managerial skills and created to serve industry partners
- Hands-on curriculum takes into consideration the Systems Engineering Handbook of the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) and covers the full spectrum of Systems Engineering sub-disciplines
- Program culminates with a practicum and gives students an advantage in earning their Associate/Certified Systems Engineering Professional (ASEP/CSEP) certification
Gain Skills Specifically Needed by Industry Partners
Systems engineering is an essential part of the way the world works today. It combines several skill areas — people, facilities, policies, hardware, software and documents — into an integrated discipline that combines human factors, technology, process engineering and management. Opportunities in systems engineering are available in a wide range of industries including manufacturing, aerospace, defense, healthcare, electronics, automotive, education, software, government and other sectors that have a need for people who can understand and manage complex systems.
The College of Engineering created this degree to ensure that graduates had skills that industry partners like Lockheed Martin and Department of Defense contractors look for. Our students also have access to these partners and, because some of our faculty serve as corporate and industry consultants, UTEP's online systems engineering degree program brings that knowledge into the classroom to provide students with real-world skills. Faculty also prepare students to apply new engineering models to environments that are constantly changing.
Graduates will possess a degree that is recognized throughout the industry and gives them the skills to:
- Understand the modeling, creation and analysis of systems
- Integrate studies in human factors, technology, process engineering and management into one multi-faceted discipline
- Take a project from conception to completion by assessing a problem and providing the right solution for the customer’s need
- Manage teams throughout a system lifecycle
- Learn the concepts for the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) ASEP/CSEP certification and be better prepared to pass the exam
- Acquire the advanced interdisciplinary knowledge required for management-level positions
Earn Your ASEP/CSEP Certification For Greater Opportunity
Our students have a competitive advantage over others in the field: they have the opportunity to earn the ASEP/CSEP certification which opens the doors for widespread employment opportunities.

"I was able to get my degree in two years; upon receiving it [I] was promoted to Systems Engineer Level II at my job. Having the degree has allowed me to be viewed as a leader in the department and a reliable engineer. I have been given more authority and tasked as a lead systems engineer on multimillion dollar projects for our NASA customer. In essence, the degree has allowed me to move up in my position sooner than anticipated and is paying off with getting promotions at my job." - Miriam (Bustamante) Washington, Master of Science in Systems Engineering
MEET MORE STUDENTS
Positions that our graduates typically hold may include:

- Analyst
- Chief systems engineer
- Mission systems engineer
- Mission systems architect/developer
- New mission developer
- Principal systems engineer
- Product architect
- Project director
- Project manager
- Subsystem engineer
- Systems architect
- Systems engineer
- Technical director
The UTEP Career Center provides graduates with resources to help them pursue their career goals.

Partnership With AT&T
UTEP's College of Engineering has partnered with AT&T to offer qualified AT&T employees the opportunity to participate in the fully online Master of Science in Systems Engineering. Beginning in Summer 2019, AT&T employees have been able to enroll in the program and receive tuition reimbursement from AT&T. AT&T employees may go to AT&T University for details.
Course Overview
The online systems engineering degree requires a minimum of 30 credit hours. During this program, students can build on fundamentals by gaining practical experience in systems engineering management, service systems, systems integration, validation and the testing of complex systems.
Our challenging curriculum is designed to advance all of these skills, transforming graduates into effective leaders who know how to manage interdisciplinary teams throughout a system lifecycle.
Each student in the online systems engineering degree is expected to have core knowledge in key areas of systems engineering. All students are required to complete the following five core courses (15 SCH) with a B average or better and with no more than one C. A graduate certificate option is available for students who complete these 5 core courses.
SE 5341 | Systems Engineering Fundamentals | Study the key concepts, processes and process activities carried out by systems engineers including fundamentals of designing and engineering large and complex development projects. You will understand the architectural analysis and design, functional design alternatives and key architectural attributes of software tools. |
---|---|---|
SE 5342 | Systems Engineering Management | Practice techniques and tools for systems engineering management including technical management, organizational environments, technical team structures, time and cost estimates, cost control, resource allocation and resource management. Refine your skill by proposing project studies, approved by your professor, that you develop in phases as the course progresses. |
SE 5343 | Systems Requirements Analysis | Learn methodologies, approaches, and techniques associated with requirement analysis and definition; explore the process for defining requirements including feasibility studies, requirements elicitation, formal specification, modeling, validation, verification, and documentation. |
SE 5344 | Systems Integration, Verification & Validation | Learn verification planning, verification methods and validation methods during the development, launching and operations of a system; as well as integration tests and integration text data collection analysis and systems requirement validation. |
SE 5345 | Systems Engineering Project Practicum | Under a faculty member’s supervision, apply methodologies and processes to develop a real customer project from the conceptual phase to prototype definition. This course must be taken in the last term of the program. Prerequisite: Department Approval. |
SE 5346 | Systems Architecture and Design | Explore conceptual design of systems, considering the arrangements of components, and the relations among them, and the holistic attributes of the arrangements. You will become familiar with the Department of Defense Architectural Framework (DoDAF), Zachman Frameworks, and others and understand why top-level strategic design at the beginning of the life-cycle is important. You will review essential elements, decisions, rationales and behaviors and appreciate the need for broad engineering knowledge in the creation of architectural representations. Prerequisite: Departmental approval. |
---|---|---|
SE 5347 | Systems Engineering Process | Learn about the creation of systems engineering processes over a wide variety of complex systems and the models, methodologies and tools necessary to analyze and design system processes. Review ANSI/EIA 632 and learn to distinguish and identify process as different from product, process started in the middle, efficiency, cycle-shortening, process development, integrated process sensing & control, evolution, and drift correction. Prerequisite: Departmental approval. |
SE 5348 | Systems Modeling & Simulation | Study Systems Modeling Language (SysML) as a systems-oriented customization of the object-oriented software Unified Modeling Language (UML) and model-based descriptions of systems, and executable simulations of systems made possible by SysML supporting programs, currently Enterprise Architect. Prerequisite: Departmental approval. |
Electives
Completion of the online systems engineering degree also requires 6 credit hours of graduate courses from the Colleges of Engineering, Science or Business Administration.

"The intangible effects of acquiring my master's are difficult to quantify. I have received numerous congratulatory messages from friends, acquaintances and colleagues. I feel their level of admiration for me is greater. The observable effects are a substantial increase in my workload. This has a positive impact on how colleagues view my capabilities and places me in an excellent spot for accelerated career advancement." - Joe Contreras, Graduate
MEET MORE STUDENTS