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Systems Engineering + Design MEng Online & On Campus

Contact Systems Engineering + Design MEng Admissions

photo of Robert Bordley
Robert Bordley

Program Director

Matt Hancock (SE+D)

Graduate Coordinator

Systems Engineering and Design at Michigan Statistics

#6

Best Online Graduate Engineering Programs (by US News and World Report, 2020)

Top 10

Top 10 engineering and business school on the same campus

19%

female, 13% underrepresented minorities, 31% international students

14:1

student-to-faculty ratio

3

cutting edge areas of excellence

Our program provides students with:

  • Excellent career prospects. 100% of our graduates are employed within six months after graduation. The average salary of our graduates with a Systems Engineering MEng is $87,000.

  • Flexibility in schedule and location. Students can choose to be either full time or part-time. Most classes are taught as a hybrid, so students can take courses on-campus, remote, or fully online each semester.

  • Multidisciplinary training and integrative thinking. The program couples creative synthesis (design domain) and systems analysis (systems engineering domain) in a multidisciplinary approach that prepares students to lead and discover innovative solutions in complex engineered systems. It blends design and engineering with human factors, organizational strategy, and social science thinking.  There is a strong emphasis on risk management and lean thinking throughout the program.

  • Professional certification. Completion of the core courses in the program qualifies students to receive certification as an Associate Systems Engineering Professional by the International Council of Systems Engineering. This certification can be upgraded to the Systems Engineering Professional certification once students have had the required number of years of experience.  

  • Education by world-class researchers and industry leaders. Students take courses that are taught by world-renowned researchers in systems engineering and industry leaders who have made outstanding impacts in systems engineering.

  • Immersive practicum opportunities. Students get to practice their learnings through industry-relevant capstone projects with industry, research, and non-profit organizations, integrating across traditional engineering disciplines like mechanical, industrial, and aerospace engineering, as well as non-engineering disciplines like human factors, to create real-world solutions.

  • World-class resources and infrastructure. Students can benefit from resources like the Center for Entrepreneurship and the Center for Socially Engaged Design. In addition, the University hosts a wide range of research institutes and core facilities from which students can benefit.

  • student programming in CSE
    ONLINE BY DESIGN
    This degree is designed for online delivery, offering students the opportunity to pursue a high-quality graduate engineering education that is flexible and convenient. As an online student, you will have access to the same expert faculty, rigorous coursework, and breadth of resources as those studying on campus. You will also earn the same world-class Michigan Engineering degree.

What can you do with an MEng in Systems Engineering + Design?

This degree enhances careers in requirements management, systems integration, systems architecting, systems engineering management, technical project management, risk management, and related specialties. Skills and knowledge learned can be applied in fields such as aerospace, biomedical, defense, transportation, healthcare, infrastructure, software development, and more. 

Align your Interest

The Systems Engineering + Design degree program accelerates the learning curve for engineers in design and systems fields with an emphasis on the following areas:

Design Engineering

Design engineering is the iterative development of models and prototypes to ensure that the final product functions, performs, and is fit for the purposes of its intended users. Design engineering involves collaboration with other engineers, marketers, and customer representatives.

Related Courses

+
  • analytical product design
  • integrated product development, and benchmarking
  • productivity analysis
  • performance measurement

Engineering Project Management

Engineering project management is the initiation, planning, execution, control, and completion of an engineering team’s work based on project goals and resource/time constraints. 

Related Courses

+
  • project management
  • decision tree analysis
  • design team management

Lean and Agile Engineering

Lean and agile engineering are engineering techniques and procedures designed to minimize wasted effort. Sources of wasted effort are unnecessary meetings, documentation, over-engineering, faulty requirements, and defective work products that must be repaired. 

Related Courses

+
  • quality engineering principles and practices
  • (including design for six sigma)
  • decision analysis
  • design optimization
  • needs assessment
  • usability analysis

Courses Offered

Individualized plans of study will be developed by students in consultation with an advisor. The curriculum includes a capstone project that provides students with an industry-relevant team project experience. Click on the Bulletin link for a description of each course.

Sequential Undergraduate/Graduate Studies Program (SUGS)

Current University of Michigan engineering students can complete both your bachelor’s and master’s degrees in only five years with SUGS by taking some graduate-level classes during your undergraduate years, so you can save yourself one semester and complete a master’s with only two additional semesters.

SJTU-JI Accelerated Master’s Degree Program (AMDP)

Students who receive an undergraduate BSE degree from the U-M – Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Joint Institute (SJTU-JI) can also pursue an Integrative Systems + Design Engineering master’s degree at U-M through the U-M-SJTU Accelerated Master’s Degree Program (AMDP).

Setting Ideas into Action

Make an impact by applying the knowledge and skills acquired through your MEng degree in the Systems Engineering and Design program to solve relevant problems in the industry, research, and non-profit organizations in our community.

Capstone Project

An important element of the program is a capstone project which offers students the opportunity to solve a real-world problem with their new knowledge. The culminating project can be completed individually or on a team, virtually or locally, and in close interaction with faculty and industry leaders.

Practice your passion through projects in:

  • Research in cutting-edge labs
  • Onsite work in top-ranked companies
  • Field-work with meaningful non-profits

Graduate Student Involvement

Graduate Student Advisory Committee (GSAC)

Graduate Student Advisory Committee (GSAC)

Learn More — >

Professional Development

Engineering Career Resource Center (ECRC)

Engineering Career Resource Center (ECRC)

Learn More — >
Society of Women Engineers (SWE)

Society of Women Engineers (SWE)

Learn More — >
Career fair
Sigma Theta Mu

Sigma Theta Mu

Learn More — >
National Society of Black Engineers group photo
National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)

National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)

Learn More — >

Videos

Alumni Bios

Each of these alumni were once in your shoes, deciding on a master’s degree. Explore their educational path and how it set their life in motion.

Image of Anthony Nguyen

Anthony Nguyen

MEng Systems Engineering + Design, 2017

Biotechnology Consultant (PhD Candidate)

Genentech

Image of Natalie Dostie

Natalie Dostie

MEng Systems Engineering and Design, 2020

Ford Motor Company

ADAS Feature Systems Engineer

Image of Dieon Roger

Dieon Roger

MEng Systems Engineering and Design, 2017; MSE Mechanical Engineering, 2018

Google LLC

Product Quality Engineer

Elio Morillo

MEng Systems Engineering and Design, 2017

NASA-JPL

Mars 2020 System Testbed Engineer

Image of Anthony Nguyen

Anthony Nguyen

University of California, San Diego, BS Bioengineering, 2016

University of Michigan, MEng Systems Engineering + Design, 2017

University of Southern California, PhD Industrial and Systems Engineering, In progress

Biotechnology Consultant (PhD Candidate)

Genentech

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Career Summary

My path has been non-linear, but it was the pivots I made that allow me to conduct my research and assist biotech companies with a unique perspective. My B.S was in bioengineering, but my goals were original to become a medical doctor. As I explored both spaces, I grew to realize the impact I could have as a bioengineer could be far more reaching than as a physician. I committed to the engineering path and engaged in various internships, but instead of choosing to go straight to work, I decided I wanted to learn more and gain a broader design perspective. This brought me to Michigan where I pursued Systems Engineering and Design. I wanted to better understand how to think and design at a system level as opposed to technical component level. Projects in this field were drastically different from what I was familiar with, but the challenges I faced had substantial impact in my ability to lead and communicate with employees at all levels ranging from floor technicians to directors of global technology. After working for a year with my Masters degree, I began my PhD at USC in Industrial and Systems Engineering. My focus is on health care decision making, which can range from clinical and operational level decisions to policy level decisions. The design thinking mindset I developed through my masters degree enables me to generate unique research questions and methodologies that are more application focused and better translatable from academia to practice. While I pursue my PhD, I also work as a biotech consultant and am co-founder of a medical device startup. My journey has had a lot of twists and turns, but my central focus has always been improving health and quality of patient care. Projects across the three disciplines I have studied provide me with a broad perspective that enables me to be an effective leader and communicator in multi-disciplinary teams.

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

Based on my work experience after getting my Master’s degree and being part of a PhD where most other students have also obtained a Master’s degree in a different field of study, what differentiates me is my way of thinking. Systems and design thinking can be applied in any context and I have found that it is not something that has been learned by my colleagues, regardless of education level. This mindset has given me an abundance of opportunities in terms of expanding my network, job prospects, and visibility with executive level management.

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

Don’t be afraid to pivot in your path. Every experience has taught you something that you can translate to wherever you are headed next. Also, don’t let your academics and professional goals be an excuse to stop doing your hobbies. It’s a long road ahead, make sure you are enjoying it.

Image of Natalie Dostie

Natalie Dostie

MIT, BS Mechanical Engineering, 2014

University of Michigan, MEng Systems Engineering and Design, 2020

Ford Motor Company

ADAS Feature Systems Engineer

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Career Summary

Since I completed my undergraduate degree I have been working at Ford, and had the opportunity to do their rotational program before I started working in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) for the last four years. My work so far has primarily involved validation testing for driver assist features at the vehicle system level just before they launched on a product. Now I’m more interested in working on newer features and making decisions earlier in the process to help define exactly what the feature should do and how it should do it. 

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

I think the SE&D program has given me the foundation I need to be able to break down complex projects into manageable pieces to make sure we are delivering the content our customers want, and implementing it right the first time.

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

Two courses really stood out to me in this program. System Architecting, Concept Development and Embodiment Design gave us the chance to practice using tools that help in making important tradeoff decisions if multiple solutions exist when implementing an idea. Risk Analysis taught me how to quantify and communicate risk, and how to handle uncertainty when making decisions.

Image of Dieon Roger

Dieon Roger

Mahatma Gandhi University, B.Tech Mechanical Engineering, 2016

University of Michigan, MEng Systems Engineering and Design, 2017

University of Michigan, MSE Mechanical Engineering, 2018

Google LLC

Product Quality Engineer

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Career Summary

I came to Michigan to pursue my Masters in Systems Engineering, since I was interested to learn more about designing complex products. However, Michigan’s quality of education and resources made available to students overwhelmed me to the extent that I had to pursue a dual degree in Mechanical engineering to make the best out of this opportunity. I got myself involved in various course related and hobby projects in addition to entrepreneurial activities. The courses and resources I had access to, across various schools at Michigan (Ross, CoE, Rackham, Stamps), helped me develop a broader understanding of product design and problem solving. Towards the end of my graduation, I had acquired a unique set of experiences and skills, which helped me land a job from Google.

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

Besides the technical knowledge, I was also able to acquire a lot of soft skills by pursuing a variety of courses. This helped me acquire an end-to-end perspective of problem solving, and helped me stand out in situations where soft skills had a more important role to play.

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

My advice to students would be to make the best out of Michigan by getting involved in orgs/clubs or other activities where you are able to test and grow your passion while acquiring real-world experience. Healthy hustle through your college time will set you up for the future!

Elio Morillo

University of Michigan, Bachelor’s Mechanical Engineering, 2015

University of Michigan, MEng Systems Engineering and Design, 2017

NASA-JPL

Mars 2020 System Testbed Engineer

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Career Summary

I aspire to become an exemplary embodiment of the legacy of leaders and best of the University of Michigan’s System Engineering and Design program. My undergraduate internship work at GE Aviation, SpaceX, and Boeing, focused on the engineering design process and the subsequent integration of subsystems. The Master’s program in Systems Engineering and Design has a curriculum that provided deeper educational background to design system architectures, develop and manage specifications, verify and validate systems, and ultimately deliver complex products. I will leverage my degree to transition from engineering design to engineering management, and later to an executive role at an aerospace firm.

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

The experiences that come with graduate school are incomparable. From leading a design team, to teaching a course, to pursuing some of the most difficult projects. Most importantly, a thorough understanding of the “Systems Vee” has helped me see the problems we encounter daily from a broader perspective. 

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

I highly recommend taking an applied programming course. In particular, the Applied Data Science certificate is a great compliment to an ISD degree. Also, don’t miss out on Football Saturdays! 

Industries & Occupations

  • Computer hardware
  • Automotive OEM
  • Scientific and Commercial Services
  • Aerospace & Defense
  • Aerospace Lab
  • Space Systems
  • Retail and logistics
  • Biotechnology
  • Mobility Solutions
  • Data Analytics
  • Healthcare
  • Electronics
  • Motion control systems
  • Manufacturing
  • Software Systems integration
  • Systems architecting
  • Design supply chain management
  • Supplier Management
  • Systems engineering management
  • Technical project management
  • Risk and safety management

Companies

  • Northrup Grumman
  • Nexteer Automotive
  • Deloitte
  • Jet Propulsion Lab
  • Genentech
  • Lockheed Martin
  • Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

Salaries

Discover the value of a master’s degree!

On average, U-M graduates with a master’s degree in an engineering field can earn 15-25% more than those with a bachelor’s degree in engineering. Use the links below to research average salaries based on a U-M engineering master’s degree, experience level, and desired work location.