Online Systems Engineering Program attracts Fortune 500 engineers

Program allows engineers the opportunity to continue education without career interruption

University Park, Pa. — The online Master’s Degree in Systems Engineering program from Penn State's World Campus has attracted students from the world’s most successful firms and is now accepting applications for a second student group.

James Nemes, lead faculty for the online systems engineering master's degree program and the director of the Penn State Great Valley's System Engineering program, said students in the first group of the online systems engineering master’s program are employed by firms including: Lockheed Martin, Westinghouse, Merck, Motorola, Verizon Wireless, Nucor Steel and Raytheon.

Several branches of the military also were represented in the first online systems engineering master's cohort, Nemes pointed out. Members of the Air Force, Army, and Navy are among the systems engineering students.

"Our students told us that the online systems engineering master’s program allows them to continue their careers at these prestigious companies while upgrading their skills and education," Nemes said. "They, in turn, use the lessons they learn in the program to improve the companies they work for."

According to Ken Udas, director of Penn State’s World Campus, the flexibility of online education is suited for people pursuing careers in the engineering field.

"Engineers know that their careers often involve irregular hours and extensive travel that can make conventional education inconvenient," Udas said. "The systems engineering master’s program was developed to help engineers continue their education without taking time away from their busy careers."

Systems engineering is a holistic approach to managing complex engineering projects that was first developed in the aerospace industry and the military, but is quickly being adapted by other industries.

The interdisciplinary curriculum consists of 12 courses (36 credits) that emphasize the identification, modeling, analysis, architecture, integration and management of complex systems and processes. Courses are taught by full-time faculty members who have helped build Penn State’s reputation as a leader in systems engineering.

For information, visit http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/SNews online.

Penn State World Campus specializes in adult online education, delivering 62 of Penn State's most highly regarded graduate, undergraduate and professional education programs through convenient online formats. Founded in 1998, Penn State World Campus is the University's 25th campus serving more than 7,000 students in all 50 states, in 42 countries, and across six continents. For more information, visit the World Campus online at http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/. Penn State World Campus is a part of Penn State Outreach, the largest unified outreach organization in American higher education. Penn State Outreach serves more than 5 million people each year, delivering more than 2,000 programs to people in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, all 50 states and 80 countries worldwide.