UT Dallas 2025 Graduate Catalog

Naveen Jindal School of Management

Executive Education Programs

The Naveen Jindal School of Management, Executive Education Area combines the best of the school's nationally recognized faculty with a select group of executives to provide an innovative, relevant portfolio of programs. Designed to advance knowledge and skills that improve organizational performance, these programs include both MBA and Master of Science degree programs, as well as certificate programs. Courses are taught on campus, on site or online.

Students pursuing the Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree program at the Naveen Jindal School of Management (JSOM) are required to complete the prerequisites OPRE 6303 Quantitative Foundations of Business. For OPRE 6303, applicants may request a waiver if they have completed Calculus at the undergraduate or graduate level with a grade of "B" or better. These program prerequisites must be satisfied within the first semester of graduate study as a degree-seeking student. Degree credit is not earned for program prerequisites; however, the grade achieved in prerequisites will count toward the student's grade-point average (GPA).

Program in Systems Engineering and Management

The Systems Engineering and Management Executive Education MS is a joint program offered by the Naveen Jindal School of Management and the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. It is a unique program that offers a flexible choice of core courses in both engineering and management disciplines, with elective courses for concentrations in various industry sectors.

The Systems Engineering and Management Executive Education MS program offers two certificates: a Certificate in Systems Engineering and a Certificate in Systems Management, primarily intended for students who do not wish to pursue the complete MS degree. Each certificate requires 12 semester credit hours. See Course Descriptions for information on course content. These certificates allow students to fit their education into their busy schedules and pursue the track that best fits their career path. These flexible education programs provide students with outstanding opportunities to access UT Dallas world-class faculty and hands-on learning experiences.

Degrees

Executive Education MS in Systems Engineering and Management

Certificates

Certificate in Systems Engineering

Certificate in Systems Management

Special admission and fee requirements apply to the following programs and courses.

Executive Education Master of Science in Systems Engineering and Management

36 semester credit hours

JSOM Faculty

Professors: Alain Bensoussan, Gregory G. Dess, Mike W. Peng

Associate Professors: Surya N. Janakiraman, Robert L. Kieschnick Jr.

Associate Professor Emeritus: David J. Springate

Clinical Professors: Abhijit Biswas, Peter Lewin, Prakash Shrivastava

Clinical Associate Professor: Shawn Alborz, Carolyn Reichert, Avanti P. Sethi

Clinical Assistant Professors: Jeffery (Jeff) Hicks, Ravi Narayan

Professor of Practice: Rajiv Shah

ECS Faculty

Professors: Stephanie Adams, S.O. Reza Moheimani, Mark W. Spong, Steve Yurkovich

Associate Professor: Justin Ruths

Assistant Professor: Waseem Abbas

Chair Emeritus: Mathukumalli Vidyasagar

Professor of Instruction: Nhut Nguyen

Lecturers: Ramakrishna Koganti, Erik Reynolds, James Yurkovich

Admission Requirements

A student lacking undergraduate prerequisites for graduate courses must complete prerequisites or receive approval from the graduate advisor and the course instructor. Specific admission requirements for the Executive MS- SEM follow.

A student entering the Systems Engineering and Management Executive Education MS program should meet the following guidelines:

  • A minimum of a BS in engineering, mathematics, physics, chemistry, economics or finance (specifically, programs that provide adequate fundamental skills in mathematics).
  • A minimum of three years of work experience.
  • Submission of three letters of recommendation from individuals who are able to judge the candidate's probability of success in pursuing a program of study leading to the Systems Engineering and Management Executive Education MS degree.
  • Submission of an essay outlining the candidate's background, education, and professional goals.

Degree Requirements

The Systems Engineering and Management Executive Education MS program is designed to be flexible to accommodate different student backgrounds, allowing students to pick up areas in which they are deficient, while still guaranteeing core competency in systems engineering and systems management. This program has both a thesis and a non-thesis option. All part-time Systems Engineering and Management Executive Education MS students will be assigned initially to the non-thesis option. Those wishing to elect the thesis option may do so by obtaining the approval of a faculty thesis supervisor. Part-time students are encouraged to enroll in only one course during their first semester and in no more than two courses during any semester that they are also working full-time.

The Systems Engineering and Management Executive Education MS degree requires a total of 36 semester credit hours consisting of 12 courses in the nonthesis option or 10 courses plus six semester credit hours of thesis credit for the thesis option. All students must have an academic advisor and an approved degree plan. Courses taken without advisor approval will not count toward the 36-semester credit hour requirement. Successful completion of the approved course of studies leads to the Systems Engineering and Management Executive Education MS degree. Please note that the University's general degree requirements are discussed elsewhere in the graduate catalog.

Non-Thesis Option

This degree requires the completion of a minimum of 36 semester credit hours of graduate level lecture courses. For the four core courses, students must have a GPA of at least 3.0 and receive a grade of B- or better in each. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA overall to graduate with the Systems Engineering and Management Executive Education MS degree. With advisor approval, one 5000 level course may be used in the concentration (See Course Requirements).

Thesis Option

An alternative to 36 semester credit hours required for the Systems Engineering and Management Executive Education MS degree, would be the completion of a minimum of 30 semester credit hours of graduate level lecture courses, with a grade of B- or better in each of the required core courses (see Course Requirements), six semester credit hours of a combination of master's research (SYSM 6V70) and thesis (SYSM 6V90), submitted to the graduate school, and a formal public defense of the thesis.

Students enrolled in the thesis option should meet with individual faculty members to discuss research opportunities and to choose a research advisor during the first or second semester that the student is enrolled. After the second semester of study, course selection should be made in consultation with the research advisor.

Research and thesis semester credit hours cannot be counted in an Systems Engineering and Management Executive Education MS degree plan unless a thesis is written and successfully defended. A supervising committee, which must be chosen in consultation with the student's thesis advisor prior to enrolling for thesis credit, administers the defense. With advisor approval, the lecture courses may include some 5000 level courses. Full-time students at UT Dallas who receive financial assistance are required to enroll in nine semester credit hours each semester.

Executive Master's Degree Plan

In the professional format of the systems engineering and management master's degree, you will enjoy the flexibility this degree option affords as you go to school and still keep up with work and personal commitments. There is an entire staff at UT Dallas dedicated to guiding and advising you through the degree planning process. Speak to Dr. Rajiv Shah, P-SEM Program Director, about applying and getting started on your professional master's degree today.

Students

The program is designed to be a master's-level cross-disciplinary program to teach engineering and management of all aspects of large and complex systems. The typical SEM student is a high performer with at least a BS degree in engineering, math, physics, chemistry, economics, or finance (in order to ensure adequate math skills).

Rationale

Our industry partners tell us there is a large and growing unmet need for formalized engineering and management education in increasingly complex macro systems that have a large number of interdependent parts and a significant organizational and/or societal impact. This need exists at the intersection of engineering and management.

Business now requires that engineers be trained to be good managers and leaders, and to be good stewards of corporate or government resources. Conversely, business majors need a better appreciation and understanding of technology and how to manage large and complex engineering projects. They are all expected to be cognizant of the broader impact of their management and engineering activities on their future employers and on society at large.

The objective of the UT Dallas MS in SEM program is to produce graduates capable of undertaking challenging projects encompassing wide-ranging scientific, engineering and management disciplines. In other words, the objective of the program is to develop an "integrated systems engineering and systems management" skill set among the students who go through this program.

The curriculum will provide students with the knowledge and skills to engineer and manage complex projects that encompass wide-ranging scientific and management disciplines.

Course Requirements

Core Courses: 12 semester credit hours

Students are required to take four courses (a total of 12 semester credit hours) from the eight courses listed below. Two of the courses must be from the Engineering Core section and two from the Management Core section. The four required courses contribute a total of 12 semester credit hours toward the MS degree. All courses must follow the degree plan that was established for each student at enrollment.

Engineering Core Courses (two required)

Choose two courses from the following:

SYSM 6301 Systems Engineering, Architecture and Design

SYSM 6302 Dynamics of Complex Networks and Systems

SYSM 6303 Statistics and Data Analysis

SYSM 6305 Optimization Theory and Practice

Management Core Courses (two required)

Choose two courses from the following:

SYSM 6311 Systems Project Management in Engineering and Operations

SYSM 6318 Marketing Management

SYSM 6333 Systems Organizational Behavior

SYSM 6337 Accounting for Managers

Prescribed Electives: 12 semester credit hours

Students are required to take an additional four courses (a total of 12 semester credit hours) from the set of eight core courses listed above and/or the set of courses listed below. Two of these courses must be chosen from the two Engineering sections (core and elective), and two from the two Management sections (core and elective). Because a program objective is to maintain a high degree of flexibility, students are encouraged to work with an Systems Engineering and Management Executive Education MS program advisor to discuss possible (limited) exceptions and substitutions for the prescribed elective courses.

Engineering Elective Courses

SYSM 6304 Risk and Decision Analysis

SYSM 6306 Engineering Systems: Modeling and Simulation

SYSM 6307 Linear Systems

SYSM 6308 Software Maintenance, Evolution, and Re-Engineering

SYSM 6310 Software Testing, Validation and Verification

SYSM 6321 Financial Engineering

SYSM 6323 Functional Safety Systems

SYSM 6325 Requirements Design, Development, and Integration for Complex Systems

SYSM 6326 Systems Lifecycle Cost Analysis

SYSM 6327 Systems Reliability

SYSM 6328 Computer and Networks Systems Security

SYSM 6329 Quality Engineering

Management Elective Courses

SYSM 6312 Systems Financial Management

SYSM 6313 Systems Negotiation and Dispute Resolution

SYSM 6315 The Corporate Entrepreneurial Experience

SYSM 6316 Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship

SYSM 6319 Business Economics

SYSM 6320 Strategic Leadership

SYSM 6331 Digital Sales Strategy

SYSM 6332 Technology and New Product Development

SYSM 6334 Systems Operations Management

SYSM 6335 Organizing for Business Analytics Platforms

SYSM 6338 Database Foundations for Analytics

SYSM 6339 Robotic Process Automation

Free Electives: 12 semester credit hours

Working with an Systems Engineering and Management Executive Education MS program advisor, students are required to take four additional and distinct courses either from the remaining SYSM courses listed above or from other courses offered in management or engineering that form a "concentration" or "specialization" in systems-related, possibly industry-specific sectors.

The concentration area consists of four courses (12 semester credit hours) in the degree program; examples include: Aerospace and Defense Systems; Business and Data Analytics; Control and Mechatronic Systems, Cybersecurity and Information Assurance, Energy and Infrastructure Systems,

Enterprise and Data Management Systems; Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management; Global Supply Chain Management; Healthcare Systems; Optimization and Operations Research; Telecom, IT and Multimedia Networks , and Transportation Systems.

Finally, because of the flexible nature of the Systems Engineering and Management Executive Education MS degree program, students may submit for approval a "personalized" concentration area that focuses on aspects systems engineering and may combine elements of other concentration areas on a focused theme.

Graduate Certificate in Systems Engineering

12 semester credit hours

Faculty

Please see the Systems Engineering and Management Executive Education MS listing for faculty and lecturers in this program.

Academic Certificate Application and Completion Requirements

Students interested in pursuing an academic certificate must formally apply and be admitted to the certificate program at least one semester prior to completing all coursework in the certificate program. Currently enrolled graduate students apply via the Student Center in Orion under "Apply to a Certificate Program." Prospective students who have not yet matriculated must submit a certificate application using the UT Dallas Graduate Application Portal prior to enrolling in certificate coursework. Furthermore, all students pursuing a certificate must submit an application to graduate from the certificate program in the semester in which they complete their certificate coursework. Contact the certificate program for instructions on how to submit the graduation application. Failing to apply to graduate from a certificate program in the semester in which all certificate coursework is completed may result in the assessment of additional fees and delay in receiving the certificate.

Course Requirements

Students are required to complete SYSM 6301 and SYSM 6311 and any two courses from the set of engineering courses listed below.

SYSM 6301 Systems Engineering, Architecture and Design

SYSM 6311 Systems Project Management in Engineering and Operations

Systems Engineering Courses

SYSM 6302 Dynamics of Complex Networks and Systems

SYSM 6303 Statistics and Data Analysis

SYSM 6304 Risk and Decision Analysis

SYSM 6305 Optimization Theory and Practice

SYSM 6306 Engineering Systems: Modeling and Simulation

SYSM 6307 Linear Systems

SYSM 6308 Software Maintenance, Evolution, and Re-Engineering

SYSM 6310 Software Testing, Validation and Verification

SYSM 6323 Functional Safety Systems

SYSM 6325 Requirements Design, Development, and Integration for Complex Systems

SYSM 6326 Systems Lifecycle Cost Analysis

SYSM 6327 Systems Reliability

SYSM 6328 Computer and Networks Systems Security

SYSM 6329 Quality Engineering

Graduate Certificate in Systems Management

12 semester credit hours

Faculty

Please see the Systems Engineering and Management Executive Education MS listing for faculty and lecturers in this program.

Academic Certificate Application and Completion Requirements

Students interested in pursuing an academic certificate must formally apply and be admitted to the certificate program at least one semester prior to completing all coursework in the certificate program. Currently enrolled graduate students apply via the Student Center in Orion under "Apply to a Certificate Program." Prospective students who have not yet matriculated must submit a certificate application using the UT Dallas Graduate Application Portal prior to enrolling in certificate coursework. Furthermore, all students pursuing a certificate must submit an application to graduate from the certificate program in the semester in which they complete their certificate coursework. Contact the certificate program for instructions on how to submit the graduation application. Failing to apply to graduate from a certificate program in the semester in which all certificate coursework is completed may result in the assessment of additional fees and delay in receiving the certificate.

Course Requirements

Students are required to complete SYSM 6301 and SYSM 6311 and any two courses from the set of management courses listed below.

SYSM 6301 Systems Engineering, Architecture and Design

SYSM 6311 Systems Project Management in Engineering and Operations

Systems Management Courses

SYSM 6312 Systems Financial Management

SYSM 6313 Systems Negotiation and Dispute Resolution

SYSM 6315 The Corporate Entrepreneurial Experience

SYSM 6316 Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship

SYSM 6318 Marketing Management

SYSM 6319 Business Economics

SYSM 6320 Strategic Leadership

SYSM 6331 Digital Sales Strategy

SYSM 6332 Technology and New Product Development

SYSM 6333 Systems Organizational Behavior

SYSM 6334 Systems Operations Management

SYSM 6335 Organizing for Business Analytics Platforms

SYSM 6337 Accounting for Managers

SYSM 6338 Database Foundations for Analytics

SYSM 6339 Robotic Process Automation

Updated: 2025-05-27 21:24:49 v8.2fa04a