Graduate certificate in systems engineering

Engineering, manufacturing, and service corporations need technical leadership to survive in the global market. As labor markets become increasingly lean, job seekers and the currently employed must focus on improving their value-added skills to an organization.

The Wayne State University College of Engineering offers a 12-credit systems engineering graduate certificate program, which is designed for technical professionals with work experience and an engineering degree. The certificate can be completed on campus or online and can serve as a bridge to the M.S. degree in engineering management or industrial engineering.

Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary approach and means to enable the realization of successful systems. It focuses on defining customer needs and required functionality early in the development cycle, documenting requirements, then proceeding with design synthesis and system validation while considering the complete problem:

  • Operations
  • Cost and schedule
  • Performance
  • Training and support
  • Test
  • Manufacturing
  • Disposal

Systems engineering integrates all the disciplines and specialty groups into a team effort forming a structured development process that proceeds from concept to production to operation. Systems engineering considers both the business and the technical needs of all customers with the goal of providing a quality product that meets the user needs.

Admission requirements

Applicants must meet the requirements for admission to the Graduate School and either the M.S. program in industrial engineering or in engineering management. Specific requirements include:

  • Baccalaureate degree in engineering or other technical field from an institution accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). Applicants from non-ABET institutions and international applicants must submit GRE scores.
  • At least one year of full-time work experience as a practicing engineer or technical leader.
  • Honor point average of 3.0 in the upper division of their undergraduate program.

Applicants whose undergraduate education is deficient in prerequisites for graduate classes may be required to take background courses that will not count toward the 18-credit degree requirement.

Applicants with less than 3.0 honor point average may be considered for admission under special circumstances.