Industrial Engineering - Systems Engineering Master's Degree

Degree required for admission: Students admitted to the program must possess a bachelor's degree in engineering, science, mathematics, statistics, or other related fields from an accredited academic institution. Applicants should have a strong undergraduate record to be competitive for admission. 

GRE requirements: General test required 

Other application requirements: 3 recommendation letters, transcripts, resume, and a personal-professional statement are required. If you have not earned a degree from an undergraduate or graduate institution in which the instructional language was English, you may be required to take the TOEFL/IELTS. All application requirements in the Graduate Application must be completed as specified in the application. For answers to your most common admissions questions, please review our FAQ page here.

We accept applications on a rolling basis, which means there are no deadlines to apply.  Please submit your degree applications no later than 4 - 6 weeks before the semester you wish to enroll. 

Students must complete all required courses for a total of 30 graduate points of academic work via CVN with an academic average of 2.5 or better. All degree requirements must be completed within 5 years of the beginning of the first course credited toward the degree.

Students must complete all required courses for a total of 30 graduate points of academic work via CVN with an academic average of 2.67 or better. All degree requirements must be completed within 5 years of the beginning of the first course credited toward the degree. This includes courses taken in the non-degree program.

Core Courses (15 points)

The core courses provide a student with a foundation in the fundamentals of Systems Engineering. The core courses contribute 15 points of graduate credit toward the degree. Students must complete all five classes:

• IEOR E4150: Probability and Statistics
• IEOR E4520: Applied Systems Engineering
• IEOR E4521: Systems Engineering: Tools and Methods
• IEOR E4004: Optimization Models and Methods
• IEOR E4106: Stochastic Models

Students are suggested to take either one or two courses during their first four semesters. Students should take one core course per term. Students who wish to take additional courses, these courses would be drawn from the elective menus below.

Elective Courses (15 points)

In addition to the required core courses, students must select five elective courses, three or four from Group I and one or two from Group II, for a total of 15 points of graduate credit. Please note that elective courses can be mixed and matched from the various menus below upon consultation with the program advisor.

Group I: Choose three or four courses

Note: Please review departmental course listings and consult with your program advisor.

Infrastructure and Sustainability Electives

• APPH E4130: Physics of Solar Energy
• CHAP E4120: Statistical Mechanics
• CIEE E4252: Environmental Engineering
• CIEN E4111: Uncertainty and Risk in Infrastructure Systems
• CIEN E4129: Managing Engineering and Construction Processes
• CIEN E4130: Design of Construction Systems
• CIEN E4210: Forensic Structural Engineering
• CIEN E6131: Managing Civil Infrastructure Systems
• EAEE E4150: Air Pollution Prevention and Control
• EAEE E4160: Solid and Hazardous Waste Management
• EAEE E4190: Photovoltaic Systems Engineering and Sustainability
• EAEE E6212: Carbon Sequestration
• ECIA W4100: Management and Development of Water Systems
• EAIA W4200: Alternative Energy Resources
• ENME E4202: Advanced Mechanics

Mechanical, Electrical and Computer Systems Electives

• COMS W4111: Database Systems
• COMS W4118: Operating Systems
• COMS W4180: Network Security
• COMS W4187: Security Architecture and Engineering
• CSEE W4119: Computer Networks
• EEME E4601: Digital Control Systems
• ELEN E4702: Digital Communications
• ELEN E4810: Digital Signal Processing
• ELEN E4815: Random Signals and Noise
• MECE E4431: Space Vehicle Dynamics and Control Systems
• MECE E4602: Introduction to Robotics
• MECE E4604: Modern Design for Manufacturability (also called 'Product Design for Manufacturability')

Biological Systems Electives

• BMCH E4810: Artificial Organs
• BMEN E4001: Quantitative Physiology I: Cells and Molecules
• BMEN E4300: Solid Biomechanics
• BMEN E4750: Sound and Hearing
• CBMF W4761: Computational Genomics
• CHEN E4750: The Genome and the Cell
• CHEN E4800: Protein Engineering

Group II: Choose one or two courses

Note: Please review departmental course listings and consult with your program advisor.

Management Electives

• IEOR E4403: Quantitative Corporate Finance
• IEOR E4404: Simulation
• IEOR E4405: Scheduling
• IEOR E4412: Quality Control and Management
• IEOR E4418: Transportation Analytics and Logistics
• IEOR E4510: Project Management
• IEOR E4601: Dynamic Pricing and Revenue Management

2023–2024 Tuition & Fees

Please note that all tuition and fees are in U.S. dollars and are estimated. Tuition and most fees are prescribed by statute and are subject to change at the discretion of the Trustees.

CVN Credit Tuition: $2,462.00 per point (Credit Hour)
CVN Fee: $395 non-refundable fee per course
Transcript Fee: $105 non-refundable one-time fee
Tuition Deposit: $1,000 (More information on our Resources page)

Estimated cost of one nondegree course: $7,886.00
Estimated total cost of certification (four courses): $31,229.00

Estimated total cost of MS (ten courses): $77,915.00
*Estimated total cost of DES (ten courses plus a minimum of 12 research credits): $108,249.00

Graduate Admission Application Fee: $85 non-refundable one-time fee 
Certification Program Application Fee: $85 non-refundable one-time fee 

Late Registration Fee: $100 non-refundable fee

CVN Withdrawal Fee: $75, plus prorated tuition and all non-refundable fees
For example: A three-credit course would be $7,781 + transcript fee $105 (one-time) + CVN fee $395 = $7,886

*Assumes DES student enrolls in two six-credit research courses.

For Drop/Withdrawal fees and dates, refer to the Academic Calendar for the current term.

Please note: CVN no longer offers courses for audit.

Payment should be mailed to:

Attn: Shewanna House
Accounting & Business Management
Senior Student Services Rep
Payments & Deposits
210 Kent Hall, Mail Code 9205
1140 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10027

Before you mail your check or money order, please take careful note of the following requirements to ensure the timely processing of your payment: https://sfs.columbia.edu/content/pay-mail.