Systems Engineering, Ph.D.

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Overview

The Systems Engineering (SE) Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) is an advanced graduate degree built of three components:

Coursework and teaching to gain fundamental and advanced knowledge, as both student and graduate teaching assistant (GTA).
Research conducted in a collaborative environment leading to a doctoral dissertation and scholarly papers.
Engagement in UVA’s intellectual life

Admissions Criteria

We accept applications from candidates with degrees from all engineering and some affiliated backgrounds. In some cases, candidates who do not have engineering or similar credentials will be offered conditional admission, which will require them to take selected undergraduate coursework in addition to the coursework required for their Ph.D.

All candidates are evaluated by one or more research subgroups. Some students are admitted directly into a specific research group with a specific advisor. Other candidates are admitted into a subgroup and are then connected with an advisor during the first year.

Program Requirements

A candidate for the Ph.D. in SE must fulfill School of Engineering and Applied Science Ph.D. degree requirements (see “Ph.D. Milestone Requirements” on the School of Engineering and Applied Science - Academic Rules page of the Record), along with the coursework, plan of study, and professional development requirements described below.

Coursework

The Ph.D. in SE includes coursework that builds foundational knowledge in the discipline and supports the development of depth in students’ research areas. It requires at least seventy-two (72) credit hours of graduate-level work, of which twenty-four (24) credits must be graded coursework beyond the B.S. degree.

Plan of Study: The plan of study must include at least seventy-two (72) credit hours of graduate-level work, be approved by the student’s graduate advisor and SE graduate program director, and satisfy the following requirements:

SYS 7096 - Graduate Colloquium (0 Credits) - Two semesters nominally completed during the first academic year (one zero-credit registration over two semesters).
Twenty-four (24) Credits of Graded Coursework which must include:
- Three (3) credit hours of SYS 6001
- At least six (6) credit hours from SYS 6003, SYS 6005, SYS 6007 or SYS 6016.
- At least fifteen (15) credit hours of graded, graduate-level SYS or other graduate courses relevant to the student’s field of study (graduate-level 6000 and above).
The remaining forty-eight (48) credits may be fulfilled through additional academic credits, including research credits, teaching assistantship credits, seminars, or additional coursework, as determined in consultation with the student’s advisor.

Research Dissemination

Students will disseminate their research via journal and conference papers. Before scheduling the final defense, students must have at least one (1) first- authored paper with their research advisor published or accepted by a journal or peer-reviewed conference paper approved by their doctoral committee.

General Notes

No grade lower than B will be accepted toward the Ph.D. degree requirements.

At most three (3) credits of Independent Study or Supervised Project may count toward the degree.

No more than six (6) credits may be taken at the 5000 level, and no more than three (3) of those credits may be from a single department.

Students who have previously completed a course equivalent to a required core course may petition the Graduate Program Director to substitute an elective course for the core requirement.

Students entering the Ph.D. program with a STEM master’s degree may receive twenty-four (24) credits of bulk transfer toward the degree. However, they must still complete at least six (6) additional credits of SYS coursework at UVA. These credits cannot be satisfied through transfer credit.

Information about the dissertation, committee composition, milestones, and administrative forms can be found on the Doctor of Philosophy in Systems Engineering webpage.

Students should consult “Transfer Credit” and “Time Limit” in the School of Engineering and Applied Science—Academic Rules section of the Record for policies that govern transferring credits and limits on the time that may be taken to earn a degree.