Duke University Launches Systems Engineering Master’s Program
Duke University has announced a new Master of Engineering in Systems Engineering program for engineering professionals looking to build on their technical disciplinary background and gain the skills needed to design complex, multidisciplinary systems in their field.
“Our Systems Engineering master’s program provides our graduates with the skills and insights essential for the design and control of robust systems spanning across the physical, cyber and social domains,” said Vinik Dean of Engineering Jerome P. Lynch. “Our graduates will be intrepid problem solvers capable of tackling ever more complex societal problems where thorough understanding of system dynamics is the key to developing successful solutions.”
Offered through the Duke Pratt School of Engineering’s Institute for Enterprise Engineering, the forward-looking degree offering will teach modern approaches to systems engineering with an emphasis on intelligent and autonomous systems, which are increasingly at the center for every major industry.
“The systems of our world today look very different than they did even five or 10 years ago,” said Jon Reifschneider, executive director of the new program. “They’re cyber-physical in nature and increasingly intelligent and autonomous.”
“Building a program from the ground up to be a systems engineering program for the future and to equip our students to handle these emerging challenges versus trying to retrofit a more traditional program that’s been around for 20 or 30 years is a really unique thing,” Reifschneider added.
The program’s curriculum prioritizes hands-on, project-based learning with core coursework topics spanning systems engineering fundamentals, system modeling, and simulation and emerging technologies. Students can also opt to align their elective choices with specialized industry tracks to orient their learning toward the systems in a particular field while building interdisciplinary systems thinking that defines strong engineering leadership.
Building a program from the ground up to be a systems engineering program for the future, versus trying to retrofit a program that’s been around for 20 or 30 years, is a really unique thing.
Jon Reifschneider, Executive Director, AI for Product Innovation and Systems Engineering Master’s Programs
“Systems engineering principles are common across industries, but the context and challenges can look very different,” said Reifschneider. “A systems engineer in the space industry is going to look a lot different than a systems engineer in energy or health care. The industry tracks give students an opportunity to develop depth in an area while still learning the systems engineering methods that apply across sectors.”
Initial industry track offerings include Cyber Systems, with elective options drawn from Duke’s AI for Product Innovation and Cybersecurity master’s programs, and Space Systems, developed in close collaboration with the Duke SPACE (Science and Policy to Advance Cosmic Exploration) Initiative.
“Working with Jon on the new Space Systems track has been a natural extension of our goal to grow space-related teaching and research while preparing students to connect technical depth with real-world impact,” said Dan Scolnic, co-director of the the Duke SPACE Initiative.
“We wanted to build in plenty of flexibility into the curriculum to allow students to focus in on their specific domain,” Reifschneider added.