Application for the Master of Engineering in Systems Engineering

Requirements for Systems Engineering Admission
Regular admission will be limited to students with at least three years of responsible engineering experience and an undergraduate engineering degree from an accredited institution with a GPA of at least 3.0 in upper division courses. (If you have taken 12 or more graduate credit hours, the graduate GPA is used instead). Applicants with a lesser GPA or a degree from a field related to engineering may be granted conditional admission, with conditions specified by the Director. The GRE is not required.

Desired background:

exposure to engineering mathematics including calculus & statistics;
at least 3 years experience working in a technical environment;
a Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution, not necessarily in engineering;
ability to work at a graduate level: a) vague problem statements requiring further definition; b) multiple approaches to solving a problem; c) open ended solutions;
willingness to learn material both independently and in collaboration with fellow students and the instructor;
self-motivated to study -- such is the nature of on-line learning.

Application Time Line
There's an advantage to applying for admission before taking too many classes as a nonadmitted student. All courses taken at PSU before being admitted will count as "transferred into" the program. A maximum of 15 credits of pre-admission courses may be used for the masters degree. Even though PSU gives four dates as deadlines for application, the systems engineering program processes applications on a continuous basis. Typically the application process takes two months or so, depending on when we receive information from your past universities and references. You must take a PSU course during your term of admission.

Application for Systems Engineering Admission
Application involves sending an information package to both the SYSE program and to the PSU Admission office. DO NOT SEND ANYTHING TO PSU ADMISSIONS WITHOUT FIRST CONTACTING THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR AND PROVIDING THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:

Copy of resume.
Personal statement as to your interest in Systems Engineering and reasons for seeking a masters degree.
Copy of all transcripts sent directly to Systems Engineering program.

SYSE Postal address:

Herman Migliore, MCECS-DO
Systems Engineering
Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science
Portland State University
POB 751
Portland, OR 97207-0751

Email the SYSE Director, Herman Migliore.

The Director will perform a preliminary review of your background relative to the program's learning objectives. After which, you may be asked to also provide the program with:

Departmental Application Form (see below for PSU Grad office web site).
Three letters of reference (standard form available here).

Application for University Admission
DO NOT START WITH THIS STEP; FIRST CONTACT THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR, WHO WILL GIVE YOU INSTRUCTIONS TO PROCEED OR NOT. Please review the PSU Graduate Studies site <http://www.gsr.pdx.edu/ogs.php> for general graduate information. Except where noted below, all the forms needed for admission can be found at <http://www.gsr.pdx.edu/ogs_general_admission.php>

Send to PSU Admissions Office:

University's Application for Graduate Admission Form
TOEFL Score if English is as second language, and you do not have U.S. degree
Official Transcript from each post-secondary institution, sent from institution directly to PSU admissions office
Application Fee of $50.00

Send to PSU Student Health Center:

Measles Vaccine Form: The State of Oregon requires all incoming students born after 1956 to show evidence of measles immunization, including our distance students. You may request exemption on religious or medical grounds. Click here for a .pdf file version of this form, print it off, and send it to Student Health center. Address is on form.

Other PSU Forms to be Aware Of

Besides the forms needed for admission, you should be aware of other forms needed during your course of study and needed for graduation.

The following forms are used for specified courses and are arranged through the systems engineering director, Herman Migliore

By-Arrangement Form is needed for SYSE 506 since it is not a scheduled class;
If you receive an Incomplete, grade of "I" for a course, we remove the "I" and replace it with a letter grade by using an SGR, Supplemental Grade Report. The rules for getting an "I" involve: 1) student and instructor enter into a formal agreement on what work remains to completed and by-when; 2) student must have already completed more than half of the course with satisfactory grades. After the work has been completed, generally within one term and after the instructor assigns a grade, an SGR must be submitted.

Most other forms involve the student's study program and can be found at the Office of Graduate Studies site: http://www.gsr.pdx.edu/ogs_forms.php

GO-21, if you took PSU graduate courses before admission. There is a 15 credit limit on pre-admission courses, and they must be an approved part of study plan, with a grade of "B" or better;
GO-21, if you took graduate courses at another institution. There is a 15 credit limit on transfer courses, and they must be an approved as part of study plan, with a grade of "B" or better from an accredited institution;
GO-12, list of courses that constitute the Master of Engineering in Systems Engineering;
GO-17M, filled out by Director after all masters courses have been completed;
Application for Awarding of Masters Degree, filled out by student at the beginning of the term of graduation.