Georgia Tech is launching the new Master of Science in Systems Engineering Online that will prepare professionals to solve complex challenges that increasingly span technologies, disciplines, and industries. The fully online format gives students the flexibility to earn their degree on their own schedule.

Beginning in fall 2027, the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) and the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering will offer the 30-credit-hour program jointly. The degree brings together Georgia Tech’s No. 1-ranked graduate program in industrial and systems engineering and No. 2-ranked graduate program in aerospace engineering, according to U.S. News & World Report. ISyE has held the No. 1 ranking for 36 consecutive years.  

Students will learn to solve complex challenges across industries, from aircraft and space systems to manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare.

“Our industry partners design and operate systems that no single discipline can handle alone," said Mitchell Walker, dean of the College of Engineering and Southern Company Chair. “By bringing together two of the nation’s top-ranked engineering schools in one degree program, Georgia Tech is providing working engineers the full set of skills those systems require.” 

Addressing Growing Systems Complexity

As systems become more interconnected, engineers increasingly need to understand how decisions made in one part of a system affect the whole. Yet in many organizations, the teams responsible for designing system architecture and analyzing performance work separately, often using tools and models that do not connect. That disconnect can lead to inconsistent assumptions, duplicated work, and design choices made without a complete picture.

The new degree will bridge that gap. Graduates will have both the systems-level perspective and quantitative skills to evaluate, operate, and improve complex systems over time, working across disciplines.

“Today’s most consequential challenges arise in complex, engineered, organizational, and societal settings,” said Pinar Keskinocak, the H. Milton and Carolyn J. Stewart School Chair and Professor in the Stewart School. “Addressing them requires us to understand the interdependencies involved, anticipate how decisions in one area influence outcomes elsewhere, and make better decisions overall. This program brings together systems thinking and analytical tools to design, improve, and transform complex systems.” 

A Curriculum Focused on Systems Thinking and Analytics

The program curriculum centers on three core areas of systems engineering: quantitative methods and tools, systems applications, and system qualities and capabilities. Coursework includes systems design and integration, model-based systems engineering, data science and statistics, operations research, optimization, and emerging technologies.  

The curriculum also integrates artificial intelligence for decision-making and machine learning, giving students the skills to use advanced analytics and emerging tools to evaluate complex problems, make informed decisions, and design effective systems.

“Aerospace engineers have long relied on systems engineering to manage the complexity of aircraft and spacecraft,” said Stephen M. Ruffin, interim chair of the School of Aerospace Engineering. “This program brings that systems perspective together with the analytical tools engineers need to evaluate design decisions, with applications extending well beyond aerospace.”

Georgia Tech faculty, who bring the same expertise to the online program as to the Institute’s on-campus graduate offerings, will teach the courses. The 10-class program culminates in a capstone project that gives students the opportunity to apply what they have learned to a complex, real-world systems engineering challenge.

The standard application deadline is March 1, 2027, with a final application deadline of April 15, 2027. Classes begin in August 2027.

For more information about the Master of Science in Systems Engineering Online, including curriculum, admissions requirements, and application details, visit the program’s webpage.