Students in the MS Systems and Entrepreneurial Engineering degree program may choose to pursue the thesis or non-thesis option in the program. As a general guideline, students who do not wish to pursue a PhD program should enroll in the non-thesis option; students who plan to pursue a PhD must complete the thesis option. Students pursuing the thesis option will complete 28 hours of coursework and 4 hours of thesis research, for a total of 32 hours. Students pursuing the non-thesis option will complete 28 hours of coursework and 8 hours of project design, for a total of 36 hours.
For the most up to date degree requirements, please visit the University of Illinois Academic Catalog.
Thesis Option
32 Total Hours
Thesis credit (SE 599) -- 8 hours A maximum of 8 credit hours of SE 599 (or other approved thesis) may be counted toward the degree.
Graduate Seminar (SE 590) -- 0 hours Registration is required for every term as an active student.
500-level SE Courses -- 12 hours
STEM courses from outside of major -- 4 hours STEM course must be approved and be from a College of Engineering department, including ABE and CHBE (or other approved department). Excludes TE and ENG courses
Elective courses chosen in consultation with advisor -- 8 hours A maximum of 4 hours of SE 594 (or other approved independent study/project design) may be applied toward the elective coursework requirement.
Other Requirements and Conditions (may overlap)
A minimum of 12 500-level credit hours applied toward the degree
Minimum GPA: 3.0
Non-Thesis Option
36 Total Hours
Project Design (SE 594) -- 4 hours
Graduate Seminar (SE 590) -- 0 hours Registration is required for every term as an active student.
500-level SE Courses -- 12 hours
STEM courses from outside of major -- 4 hours STEM course must be approved and be from a College of Engineering department, including ABE and CHBE (or other approved department). Excludes TE and ENG courses
Elective courses chosen in consultation with advisor -- 16 hours A maximum of 4 hours of SE 594 (or other approved independent study/project design) may be applied toward the elective coursework requirement.
Other Requirements and Conditions (may overlap)
A minimum of 12 500-level credit hours applied toward the degree
Minimum GPA: 3.0
Optional Concentration
The following concentration is available for students in the Systems and Entrepreneurial Engineering MS program, regardless of whether you're pursuing a thesis or non-thesis option, or whether you're in the residential or online program. Please keep in mind that these courses can count toward your 32 or 36 credit hours and are not in addition to them.