When you earn a Master of Engineering from world-class University of Virginia, you'll be prepared for an excellent career tackling society's greatest challenges.
At UVA Engineering, our mission is to prepare engineers to be leaders in their fields.
And the need for engineering leaders to help solve society's greatest challenges could not be more urgent. Professionals with advanced degrees in systems engineering from the University of Virginia, one of the world's most respected universities for research and education, are in especially high demand.
Systems engineers apply their expertise to a wide variety of challenges in a large number of sectors. UVA systems engineers, for example, are working on:
Improving humans’ ability to work effectively in complex technical systems.
Machine learning and adaptive decision support systems for approaches to system-of-systems design for improving defense systems and manufacturing operations.
Thanks to UVA Engineering's extensive alumni network and connections with corporations, government agencies, other universities and consortia such as the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing, our graduate students have access to multiple pathways to develop their careers.
Employment opportunities abound in many sectors. Our graduates become professors at universities and colleges, researchers at institutes and laboratories, analysts at corporations, consulting firms and government agencies; and some become entrepreneurs — starting research, consulting, or service companies.
Master of Science (MS) is a graduate degree for those who desire not only to acquire fundamental knowledge but also to contribute to the advancement of knowledge through independent, original research. It is a research-based degree, with a culminating dissertation or thesis.
The Ph.D. is an advanced graduate degree for students wishing to contribute to knowledge creation through independent, original, cutting-edge research. The Ph.D. in Systems Engineering provides a springboard for careers as an academician, as a researcher, as a consultant or in management/leadership within a university, institute, industry or government setting.
The Ph.D. and M.S. degrees are research-based, with a culminating dissertation or thesis, respectively. The M.E. degree has a supervised research project. The Ph.D. and M.S. degrees have a residency requirement (one must be physically present to attend classes and conduct research). The M.E. program on-grounds has a residency requirement as well, but this is only one of three routes to the M.E. degree. The M.E. can be achieved on-grounds, through the highly successful distance learning program, VIRGINIA ENGINEERING ONLINE (VEO), or through our popular weekend-based, ACCELERATED MASTERS PROGRAM (AMP).
Financial Aid
Financial aid is available to outstanding students on a competitive basis in the form of:
Research Assistantships
Teaching Assistantships
Fellowships
Assistantships offer a stipend and cover tuition and health insurance.
Curriculum and Academic Requirements
Our dynamic education includes over 26 core and elective courses in Systems Engineering, and the ability to take graduate elective courses throughout the SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND APPLIED SCIENCE, and other schools across the university, including the SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, School of Education and Human Development, SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, and the GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. These electives may be tied to collaborative research between SIE and these other schools. The department also partners with SEAS to offer competitive PhD teaching fellowships so students can experience crafting and co-teaching a course with a supervising member of the faculty. Students also have access to the resources of the CENTER FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE to enhance their teaching skills.
Engineering Systems & Environment Degree Program Handbook. The handbook contains specific courses and requirements for each degree plan in Systems Engineering.
You can earn your Master of Engineering degree on your schedule through our highly ranked Virginia Engineering Online program or in person on the beautiful Grounds of the University of Virginia. And thanks to our consortium with other Virginia universities, students can accelerate their degrees.
Did you know that professional engineers who hold master's degrees make as much as 13% more than those with bachelor's degrees? With highly competitive tuition rates through Virginia Engineering Online, earning a UVA Master of Engineering degree is an investment that will pay excellent...
If you are interested in talking to an advisor about your qualifications for the UVA Master of Engineering program in systems engineering, please fill out our pre-application form so we can walk you through the process. GRE scores are not required.
If you are ready to apply for the UVA Master of Engineering program, please click here to fill out an official application. We have rolling admissions for our Master of Engineering programs in civil and systems engineering, so apply as soon as possible for an upcoming semester.
The graduate certificate in cyber-physical systems (CPS) is designed to recognize the acquisition of CPS knowledge and skills through the completion of targeted courses. The graduate certificate in CPS is available to current graduate students in UVA's School of Engineering and Applied Science and will be awarded at the time of degree conferral.
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).
Three projects -- Printers 4 Kids, Virginia Baja Racing and the first UVA Construction Engineering and Management Competition – received Jefferson Trust funding in the 2022-2023 cycle.
