M.S. in Systems

Students enrolled in the Systems Master of Science degree in pursue research focused on planning, optimizing and executing multi-disciplinary solutions for design, and operational problems in engineering, business and the social sciences. Cornell University has a long tradition of fostering projects that are large in scope, and the Systems M.S. degree is the natural home for multidisciplinary research projects that require the cooperation of researchers from different departments, schools and colleges.

The M.S. degree program provides a rigorous methodological foundation for carrying out these multi-disciplinary projects. This degree is intended for students who are interested in a research career in systems science and engineering. Students who are more interested in working in an applied field after graduation should consider our on-campus or distance-learning M.Eng. programs.

M.S. Thesis and Final Exam

Each M.S. student must complete a satisfactory M.S. thesis, and then pass the M Exam, a final oral exam that covers the topic of the students M.S. thesis. The student will take the M Exam upon completion of all requirements for the degree but no earlier than one month before completion of the minimum registration unit requirement.

Scheduling the M Exam

You are responsible for submitting your schedule form ↗ (located under “Exams and Research”) with approvals seven days prior to the exam. The Graduate School is very strict about this deadline, so please plan accordingly, especially if your exam will be on a weekend. If you do not make this deadline you will need to reschedule the exam for a later date. When you schedule your exam, please also announce it to the Systems Engineering Field Members. Your GFA can help with this process.

Approvals from your committee members sent through email are accepted. Please include these when you submit the M.S. scheduling form. You do not need official signatures.

One minor is required based on the interest of the student and their committee, ideally within the human-oriented social sciences areas.