Systems Engineering Undergraduate Program

The undergraduate degree in Systems Engineering is designed for students interested in bringing people and technologies together to improve the productivity and effectiveness of organizations and address complex, multidimensional problems in society and industry. Students receive exposure to a wide range of topics, including the economic, political, managerial, environmental, and technical aspects of large-scale systems design and implementation. Students are provided with diverse opportunities for hands-on experience with real-world situations and problems.

The Systems Engineering curriculum is more flexible than many traditional engineering programs. It requires a minimum of 129 credit hours to graduate. In addition to the courses specifically required in the curriculum, students are able to take nine credits of unrestricted electives, nine credits of electives tailored to an application area, and six credits of technical electives.

The curriculum allows students to pursue a specific area of interest within the broad framework of systems engineering. The following areas are available as application sequences: chemical and biomedical systems; electrical and computer engineering systems; software and information systems; data analytics; design integration; control and mechanical systems; economic systems; civil, environmental, and infrastructure systems; human factors; and mathematical systems. Appropriate ROTC courses may be counted as an application sequence in military systems. Students wishing to design their own application sequence must submit their proposal to the Systems Undergraduate Studies Committee (UGSC) by December 15th of their third year, no proposals will be accepted after this time. Students are highly encouraged to consult with their faculty advisors prior to submitting their application to the UGSC.

The program culminates in a capstone design project, spanning both the fall and spring semesters of the fourth year. Students working in small teams under the direction of a faculty mentor are matched with a client from the public or private sector. Each team is assigned an open-ended design problem, and they apply the perspectives, methods, and tools of systems engineering that they learn in the classroom to the resolution of a problem for a client.

Current UVA undergraduate students can apply to a Master of Engineering (M.E.) degree program in the third year of their undergraduate studies through the UVACCELERATE program. The M.E. program is 30 credits of course work as part of an approved plan of study, and with the right planning, a current UVA undergradatue may be able to get a head start on taking graduate-level courses while finishing their bachelor’s degree.

Policies

  • The following policies apply to all Systems Engineering students (both majors and minors):

    • “D” Policy: A grade of C- or higher must be earned in core systems, computer science, and mathematics courses. The Systems' elective must be a passing grade. The specific list of courses is the below table by year standing.

    • If you earn below a C- in any of the following courses, you will need to retake that course(s) to graduate.

    • Courses with an asterisk (*) are also prerequisites for later SYS classes, and you need a C- or higher for the prerequisites to be considered satisfied.

    • 4th Year Standing Policy: A student must have fourth year standing to participate in the capstone experience.

  • The following policy applies to transfer students:

    • A GPA of 2.0 or higher must be maintained for at least one year to remain in the Systems Engineering program.

2nd Year

3rd Year

4th Year

SYS 2001*

SYS 3021*

SYS 3034

SYS 4021

SYS 2202

SYS 3023

SYS 3060*

SYS 4053 & 54

CS 2110*

SYS 3055

SYS 3062

SYS 4055

APMA 3080

APMA 3120*

 

 

APMA 3100*

 

 

 

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).

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