Title: Georgetown, Stevens Create New Master’s in Systems Engineering

Georgetown and the Stevens Institute of Technology have partnered to create a new master’s program in systems engineering management that will launch in fall 2014.

The new program features an applied, practice-oriented curriculum focused on the implementation and management of complex systems. Systems engineering management is an interdisciplinary field that has experienced tremendous growth in the last decade.

In 2011 alone, the industry added more than 6,000 new jobs to the Washington, D.C., area at firms such as General Dynamics and Northrup Grumman, according to jobs data experts.

“We are pleased to expand and strengthen Georgetown’s presence in the critical STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) space,” said Georgetown Provost Robert Groves. “Our new graduate curriculum prepares students to be leaders in industry who can effectively and ethically manage the complex systems that run our world.”

Respective Strengths

Collaboration between Georgetown’s School of Continuing Studies (SCS) and Stevens’ School of Systems and Enterprises (SSE) over the last two years resulted in the creation of the new master’s program.

The partnership harnesses the respective strengths of each institution to answer today’s need for management-ready engineers.

Stevens, a top-ranked private research university located in Hoboken, N.J.. offers undergraduate and graduate programs in STEM disciplines, with an emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship.

Honored to Partner

“We’re honored to partner with Georgetown to offer this graduate program,” said Dinesh Verma, a professor and SSE dean at Stevens. “Our faculty are excited to engage with the students in this innovative graduate program, underpinned by robust systems research and scholarship.”

Students in the program will be taught by top faculty drawn from Stevens and Georgetown as well as practitioners from leading organizations in the D.C. area.

In keeping with SCS’s practice of offering educational programs that tie to industry, the program will engage with leading industry organizations, subject matter experts and government officials.

Practice-Oriented Curriculum

The new master’s program provides students with a complete systems management tool set, including methodological approaches and leadership skills for designing and managing complex systems.

Systems engineering management realizes the successful design, implementation and integration of systems. Its engineers consider a client’s complete problem and builds cross-functional teams to integrate various disciplines and specialty groups into the process.

“Our new master’s program in systems engineering management builds upon our strong portfolio of programs, including technology management and urban and regional planning, to educate well-rounded leaders prepared to solve the most complex issues of their respective industries,” said Walter Rankin, SCS interim dean at Georgetown. “And our new downtown campus’ proximity to industry and government organizations gives our students the opportunity to make critical connections between the classroom and workplace through hands-on experiences.”

Graduates of the program will receive a Master of Professional Studies (MPS) degree awarded by Georgetown.

Advancing Research

The two institutions have been collaborators in advancing research on systems engineering since 2010.

Georgetown is a member of the Stevens-led Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC), a 23-member University Affiliated Research Center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. Since 2008, more than 300 researchers have worked on more than 30 research activities within the SERC, for which Verma also serves as executive director.

“The new master’s program further expands Georgetown’s research capabilities in the applied and integrative research space,” said Spiros Dimolitsas, the university’s senior vice president for research and chief technology officer. “I look forward to continuing to collaborate with Stevens and expanding opportunities to bring engineering to Georgetown.”

Georgetown also offers a 3-2 and 4-2 combined plan joint degree in partnership with theFu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Scienceat Columbia University. The joint degree is designed to provide undergraduate students with the opportunity to receive both a bachelor of arts degree from Georgetown and a bachelor of science degree from Columbia in five or six years.