M.E. in Systems Engineering

Our program is designed to provide a blend of fundamental knowledge and professional skills needed by practicing engineers.

It is an intensive, non-thesis program that may be completed on-Grounds as a full-time student; in our weekend Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP); or online as a student in Virginia Engineering Online (VEO).

See below for information on the Systems Engineering ME program, or download the SIE Graduate Student Handbook.

Pre-Application Form

Are you are interested in the University of Virginia Master of Engineering program in systems engineering?

Please complete this Pre-Application Form so we may give you guidance regarding your eligibility and the next steps in the application process. Information you provide through this form is secure.

We will send you an individual response, and we will not add you to a general mailing list. (Note: People who have substantial experience and have been out of school for a while may not remember exact dates or grades earned in courses. It is permissible to omit questions or list your best guess. We will follow up with you.) 

Admissions Criteria and Scholarships

The deadlines for ME applications for U.S. citizens and permanent residents are August 1st for the fall semester and January 6th for spring semester. The deadlines for non-U.S. citizens are April 1st for fall semester and September 30th for spring semester. The deadline for the Accelerated Master's Program (AMP) M.E. for summer 2025 is May 16th. We seek motivated students from diverse backgrounds who are eager to partner with us in education and discovery. Information about academic eligibility and the admissions process is available on the UVA Engineering School's Graduate  webpage. All applications are submitted online. The application fee for UVA Engineering graduate programs is $85; however, we are thrilled to share that a fee waiver for the $85 application fee will be automatically applied to your application if you are applying for 2025 admission.

Through the generosity of our friends and alumni, our department is pleased to award scholarships to select exceptionally qualified ME candidates. Recipients receive $5,000 per academic year. All candidates are evaluated by the graduate program directors on academic performance, and at their discretion, the recipients are selected. The selected recipients are notified with a letter from the department.

Accepted ME students are also eligible to serve as graders for SIE undergraduate and graduate courses. Students interested in serving as a grader should contact the SIE Graduate Program Director and ME Program Director directly. The hourly rate for ME student graders is $21/hour for up to 20 hours per week.

Program Requirements 

A candidate for the ME degree must fulfill the general requirements of the Engineering School and complete an approved plan of study consisting of at least 30 credit hours. The plan of study must be prepared under the guidance of the faculty advisor by the end of the first semester of study. It then must be approved by the graduate program directors.

The approved plan of study may be revised if necessary but must be submitted for approval.

Transfer Credits 

Up to 12 credit hours of graduate courses may be transferred. Only courses with a grade of B or better that have not been applied toward another degree may be transferred. The request for credit transfer must include the following documents: a completed Request Approval of Transfer Credits Form, a description of course content and level, and an official transcript. The documents are provided to the SIE Student Services Coordinator to facilitate processing of the request. If the student is already admitted into a UVA program, then the request for credit transfer must be pre-approved before the course is taken. All transfer credits are subject to the approval of the student's advisor and the Engineering School dean’s office.

VEO students may transfer up to 15 credits from other schools participating in the VEO program toward their UVA ME degree. The other VEO institutions are George Mason University, Old Dominion University, Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). Students in the on-Grounds ME program may register for up to 12 credit hours of courses offered through VEO.

Time limit: All requirements for the ME/AMP/VEO degree must be completed within seven years after matriculation to the graduate program.

Plan of Study 

The ME degree in SE program is built of two components:

• Core courses, supplying the fundamentals of systems engineering
• Elective courses, focusing on techniques of analysis and application of fundamentals to a problem area
   

The plan of study must include at least 30 credit hours of graduate-level work and satisfy the following requirements. In addition, the plan of study should be approved by the student’s graduate advisor and SE graduate program director.

• Nine credit hours of core courses: SYS 6001, plus six credit hours from SYS 6003, SYS 6005, SYS 6007 and SYS 6021.
• At least 21 credit hours of elective courses distributed thusly:
  • At least 12 credit hours of graduate-level systems engineering courses. (These credit hours cannot be earned through Independent Study SYS 6993 and SYS 7993; Supervised Project Research SYS 6995 and SYS 8995; Graduate Teaching Instruction SYS 8997 and SYS 9997; Thesis SYS 8999; and Dissertation SYS 9999.)
  • No more than three credit hours of Independent Study SYS 6993 or SYS 7993.
  • No more than three credit hours of Supervised Project Research SYS 8995.
  • No more than 3 credit hours at the 5000-level from the School of Engineering and Applied Science. (The 5000-level courses in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are nominally equivalent to 6000-level courses in the School of Engineering and Applied Science.)

Special Circumstances 

Prerequisites: The student who does not have the prerequisites (e.g., calculus, linear algebra, probability and statistics, computer programming) should take articulation courses. The SE ME program advisor will work with the student to identify the required articulation courses. These courses cannot be used to satisfy the degree requirements.

Equivalent Courses: The student who, prior to enrolling in the SE ME program, has already taken a course equivalent to a core course may petition the ME program advisor for the substitution of the core course by an elective course.

Advising and Professional Development 

Upon admission to the program, the student is assigned to the ME program faculty advisor. The student should meet with ME program advisor to plan their course selection and career objectives before the start of each semester.

Seminars: Students are expected to attend and participate actively in scheduled SIE and UVA seminars.

Administrative Forms 

It is important that graduate students submit administrative forms related to degree requirements in a timely manner to the SIE student services coordinator. These forms can be found on the Engineering School’s webpage for current engineering graduate students.

Licensure Disclosure

• As a member of the State Authorizations Reciprocity Agreement, the University of Virginia (UVA) is authorized to provide curriculum in a distance learning environment to students located in all states in the United States except for California. (34 CFR 668.43(a)(6)& 34 CFR 668.72(n)).
• Upon completion of an engineering degree program which prepares graduates for licensure or certification, graduates may be eligible for initial professional licensure in another U.S. state by applying to the licensing board or agency in that state. Please visit the University’s state authorization web pages to make an informed decision regarding which states’ educational requirements for initial licensure are met by this program. (668.43(a)(5) (v)(A) - (C))
• Enrolled students who change their current (or mailing) address to a state other than Virginia should update this information immediately in the Student Information System as it may impact their ability to complete internship, practicum, or clinical hours, use Title IV funds, or meet licensure or certification requirements in the new state. (34 CFR 668.402).

The information contained on this website is for informational purposes only.  The Undergraduate Record and Graduate Record represent the official repository for academic program requirements. These publications may be found here.