The Ph.D. program in Engineering Systems offers interdisciplinary research opportunities centered in engineering and focused on engineering systems. This program prepares students to meet the challenges, problems, and opportunities of the twenty-first century. The Ph.D. program intends to provide new pathways for interdisciplinary engineering education and research that focuses on the understanding and development of next-generation systems.
As its defining characteristic, the Ph.D. program will offer an interdisciplinary education that combines course work and doctoral research that cut across disciplines with a focus on topics such as those defined by the National Science Foundation as “Engineered Systems.” More specifically, students may develop expertise in the traditional civil, environmental, electrical, mechanical engineering, and computational systems; however, they will apply their doctoral research to engineering systems. The Ph.D. in Engineering Systems program is the only interdisciplinary doctoral program of its kind in South Central Pennsylvania.
Students in this program will have the opportunity to complement their studies with courses and research that provide a broad view of systems. Because of this approach, graduates of the program will be fully prepared to enter “Ph.D. required” positions in fields related to civil, environmental, electrical, mechanical engineering, and computing. The interdisciplinary nature of this program will also prepare students to enter other exciting growth areas within academia, the public sector, and the larger economy. These areas include built-environments, smart cities, transportation networks, artificial intelligence, medical systems, and many others.
The Ph.D. program in Engineering Systems will require a minimum of 36 credits post-master’s degree. The program requirements include a minimum of 18 credits of courses as defined in the program details and a minimum of 18 credits of dissertation research focused on engineering systems.
